first attempt at grafting loph to columnar cacti

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

not sure it took yet...  grafted 7 days ago. vascular bundle seems fully attached but there is a gap at some points around the perimeter.  seems pretty stuck but i don't know how strong the bond will be and when. 

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

...

[bright.eye]

How is it doing ?

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

it seems there are what looks like three roots growing out from the scion...  i'm assuming this means the graft will eventually fail.  it is still pretty stuck though. 

[roach]

update?

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

in the top left corner you can see the cut cacti which is now rooting.  above and to the right is the original plant which is already growing two more heads.  think it won't be a total failure if i learn something so tips are welcome.  i think i could improve next time by 1) applying more downward pressure 2) ensuring both cacti are actively growing at the time of the graft.   

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

it won't let me upload the pics!  it says the upload folder is full? 

[admin]

I will try to get this fixed tonight or tomorrow.

[admin]

Try it now.

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

here goes...

[roach]

How is the graft doing? It should be showing signs of new growth if it took.

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

look really carefully in the top left corner.  you can see the scion sitting beside the original plant (which has the new heads.)  the scion is just concentrating on sending out roots so far, no signs of new growth up top.  i think both parts will recover but i certainly f'd up both of their days.  any tips for next time? 

[Inyan]

Best thing I can tell you is you want to push that little button down onto your stock to hold it secure. You can do this with a weight, plastic wrap, parafilm, or even coban with a big scion like that. My personal preference is parafilm if leaving the graft on for more than 10 days, but coban for a big scion can work very well as well. I just wouldn't use coban for small seedlings as it is too strong and will damage your small seedlings. Make sure you get the stretching coban if you go that route.

Parafilm and coban both breath and stretch, but parafilm stretches more and comes apart with time on its own. Simply place a piece of either on top and stretch it down both sides of your cacti and hold in place a few inches down and then run the whole thing around your stock to secure it. Other than that, if your stock is actively growing it should be grafted in under 10 days, but leaving it secure for longer won't hurt. Parafilm is ideal to me because it breaths and wraps tightly without over constricting. Coban can be a bit to restricting if you forget to remove it, but I love it for large grafts like this one. Not bad for your first attempt.

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

cool.  thanks man.  i have some coban around.  i think i might try that in the spring.  i'm thinking of cutting two thin strips and criss crossing them over the graft with an elastic to attach them to the spines.  that would give me more pressure.  I'm am confident now i didn't apply enough pressure.  next graft is going to be onto pereskiopsis though so i'm sure the techniques will differ.   

[Inyan]

Parafilm would be better in most cases depending on the size of your seedling.... I'm assuming your going to be grafting seedlings a few days after they germinate... but if going a bit older you can also do a stab graft. Cut the pereskiopsis on both sides or even all four sides and push your seedling down on top of the pointed end you have just created. Think of it as pushing a marshmallow onto a stick before your fire it up.