jumping in with opuntia grafting

[adetheproducer]

I have been uming and ahing over attempting a graft for a year or so but have always preferred plants on their own roots. I want to get a good turn over for seeds inparticular lophophora williamsii so last night with out to much thinking I made my first attempt.
I wiped down the surface I was cutting on and the knife to keep every thing clean. The cut on the optuntia was done in one clean slice and on the scions and they stuck nice and quick with no gaps that I can see. Nothing had gone any funny colours but I am a bit loathed to try the sideways push test quite yet. The pucture where taken now about 18 hours after operation.

[snarfie]

I don't do the sideway push test, that way i already knocked off two grafting attempts that were nicely bonding then, but they fell off, and i think it isn't necessary at all, because if it is still firm and no strange colors after two weeks, they usually have taken

[adetheproducer]

I don't do the sideway push test, that way i already knocked off two grafting attempts that were nicely bonding then, but they fell off, and i think it isn't necessary at all, because if it is still firm and no strange colors after two weeks, they usually have taken

I dont think I will bother with the push test. They are definitely stuck on as I can hold it upside down and they do not move. I might be lucky here and get a successful first go at it.

[Onzuka]

Have you had that graft in a high humidity chamber, Ade? The cut surface seems to have dried very quickly for only 18 hours from graft to photo!

Steve

[adetheproducer]

No just out of direct light in my bedroom. It has not changed much since taking the picture except where they have joined together. By the looks of it they have taken as the opuntia have not contracted or dried at the graft points and the scions have not shrunk at all. I'll give it another week or so and the pot it up. I will put it in a bag next time if that is better but im happy to make mistakes when im learning it teaches more lessons, find the boudaries of good and bad technique and a lot of the why questions get answered. But thanks I appreciate any information and I think I will be trying more grafting in the future with more expensive varieties so will be a bit more cautious with those. I pretty much have a endless suppky of optuntia and lophs so it sounds more ambitious to start with these species for first attemp but it is not costing me anything.