What is up with this Uebelmannia pectinifera?

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Cacidy
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri May 19, 2017 5:05 pm
Location: Sacramento, (Zone 9b)

What is up with this Uebelmannia pectinifera?

Post by Cacidy »

I bought this cactus labeled U. Pectinifera and I knew something was wrong when I got it, but it was well priced and I thought I could cut the top off and try to root it or graft it.

First thing, is this actually U. pectinifera? It does not have the same wooly ribs I am used to seeing but maybe it is too young or a subspecies? The plant seems taller than I would expect for the size of the head. I thought this species had a more globulose habit.

When I looked closer at home there are very small dried clumps of egg cases that fell off with a light touch. They didn't have anything wet inside when I crushed them. I believe this plant was treated with insecticide before it was sold, but I think it had a serious infestation before. Could an infestation havr made it grow this way? What bug, if any do you suspect? I don't think it is mealy bug.

Do you guys think I would be successful cutting off the top third that looks healthy and rooting it? Could I possibly graft that same portion?

What about the bottom part, do you guys think it might pup out once it calloused over? Could I upside down graft lower portion?

Is it too much length (deep) to just bury all the ugly stuff?

That's a lot of questions, but hopefully you guys can help me with some of them. I would like to save this plant.


Thanks!
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DaveW
Posts: 7376
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: What is up with this Uebelmannia pectinifera?

Post by DaveW »

It looks like an Uebelmannia, possibly one of the not so pectinate spined forms as the type, maybe pseudopectinifera, multicostata etc. There have been one or two more open spined forms of the original U. pectinifera discovered since the original was found.

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/UEBELM ... nifera.htm

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/UEBELM ... ostata.htm

Uebelmannia's when mature are quite tall, we are usually used to only seeing them as globular plants. In fact most species of Uebelmannia only look really different as young plants, in old age they all look very much alike, as seen with how different the new U. pectinifera ssp. eriocactoides looks as a small plant to when mature, when it looks very like the rest.

http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus_co/New_Uebelmannia.pdf

If the roots are OK on your plant, since the top looks OK, I would let it grow as you can always cut the top off at the damaged part when larger and it should grow much quicker on it's present roots (if alive) than chopping and re-rooting it now. If the roots have gone you could always graft it, and yes the stump should throw out offsets when decapitated.
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