Hana's grafting in 2014/2015

[Hanazono]

Since the grafting process of 1 (red flowering asterias x hanazono kabuto) and 6 A. reusus cv Daruma royal was completed, I repotted them in this morning.
3 more A. retusus cv Daruma royal and 4 Aztekium hintonii offsets were grafted.
I selected small offsets around 7~8 mm diameter.
I have experience of offsets grafting, Aztekium ritteri and Geohintonia mexicana.
A. hintonii is similar to them but I have to wait the result.
The attached photo is an A. hintonii with offsets grafted a 2 mm diameter seedling 2 years ago.

[Hanazono]

The grafting process of 11 A. retusus v Daruma royal was completed and repotted them in this morning.
Although seedlings of (hanazono kabuto x red flowering asterias) were still very small, I grafted 11 seedlings.

[Hanazono]

The grafting process of 7 scions including 4 A. hintonii offsets was completed.
I repotted them in this morning.

Hard offsets such as A. hintonii need a pressure on scions during normal grafting process except Pereskiopsis stocks.
It needs only keeping humidity for Pereskiopsis stocks.
The photo is a grafted A. hintonii offset.
You can see lifted tissues on both stock and scion and bonded securely.

[snarfie]

Nice graft!

[Hanazono]

Thanks snarfie

Actually I grafted 4 offsets of A. ritterii in this morning.
Their grafting process will be completed on 18th in this month.

Hanazono

[snarfie]

Interesting. Is gymnocalycium also a 'hard' cactus?

[Hanazono]

I think gymnocalycium is not "hard" cactus.
Seedlings of gymnocalycium grow with relatively good speed and so I do not graft them except variegated ones.

Actually I grafted another hard one, Geohintonia mexicana yesterday morning.
The appearance of mexicana propagated by offset/grafting is different from seedling ones.
The photo is a typical one, grafted for 2 years and degrafted 2 years ago, 8 cm diameter.

[Driller64]

Yeah, the G. mexicana grafts seem to have a "younger" appearance don't they, lacking any signs of age at all

What does "hard" mean in this context? Hard skin?

[Hanazono]

"Hard" means hard body tissue.

[Hanazono]

Updated photo of scions grafted in this season
They have grown well. I took these photos yesterday.
1. Astrophytum hybrid fukuryu-banjyaku

2. Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Suguri-cauliflower

3. Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Seiji

4. Ariocarpus fissuratus v intermedius

5. Ariocarpus kotshoubeyanus f Rio Verde

6. Ariocarpus retusus cv Daruma royal

7. Astropytum asterias cv (red flowering asterias x hanazono kabuto)

[Hanazono]

The grafting process of 11 aterias cv (hanazono kabuto x red flowering asterias) was completed and I repotted them in this morning.
Seedlings of 2 khoyo and 9 Onzuka were grafted in the morning.
The growing speed of Pereskiopsis offshoots has been slow down because it passed the summer solstice.
The photo is one of asterias cvs.

[Driller64]

If I could one day achieve the level of success you have with grafting, my life would be pretty much complete

[Hanazono]

You normally graft very rare or slow growing species which are all special ones for you.
If the success rate of grafting was low, you will lose some of your special ones.
I have tried to maintain more than 95 % of the success rate. The method will be reviewed if the success rate was less than 95 %.

The movement of plants is limited and it is not easy to get various cactus species in here.
Hylocereus was used as the seedling grafting stocks at first. Pereskiopsis is used since 2008.
A different method was used for Hylocereus stock but I could achieve more than 95 % of success rate.

I graft seedlings between October and January when Pereskiopsis offshoots grow vigorously. (I live in Australia.)
The timing of seed sowing is adjusted to meet the grafting. I graft around 40 days old seedlings.

22 more seedlings will be grafted and the grafting in this season will be finished .

[Hanazono]

The grafting process of 7 scions including 4 offsets of Azutekium ritteri was completed.
I repotted them in this morning.
The photo is one of A. ritteris.

[Driller64]

I'm curious as to what the mother A. ritteri and G. mexicana plants look like *wink wink*