Can I save this poor Gymno?

[Shane]

I got overzealous on watering after it got hot and rotted this poor plant. I cut the rot off but only the top maybe ¾ inch (2 cm) remains. It's calloused alright, but does enough remain that it can successfully root? Or should I maybe try grafting it (I'd do E. pachanoi based on the size. I've never used this stock before but I have some pieces laying around). Really hope I can save this. Just a few weeks ago it had some really pretty yellow flowers

[hegar]

There is still a discoloration visible on your image at the 7 o'clock position. Also, it does not seem like you have a lot more cactus to cut back.
I do not have any experience with cactus grafting, but have read about it and believe, that I would be able to do a decent job. After all, I do hold a Master of Science degree in Horticulture. To me it does look, as if the best solution would be to graft the remaining healthy part of the cactus to either the E. pachanoi or some other kind of cactus. At my place I would most likely use a segment of Opuntia sp.. I did see digital images on the web, which show, that just an areole is needed to do a graft and save a cactus that otherwise is doomed.

Harald

[Shane]

There is still a discoloration visible on your image at the 7 o'clock position. Also, it does not seem like you have a lot more cactus to cut back.
I do not have any experience with cactus grafting, but have read about it and believe, that I would be able to do a decent job. After all, I do hold a Master of Science degree in Horticulture. To me it does look, as if the best solution would be to graft the remaining healthy part of the cactus to either the E. pachanoi or some other kind of cactus. At my place I would most likely use a segment of Opuntia sp.. I did see digital images on the web, which show, that just an areole is needed to do a graft and save a cactus that otherwise is doomed.

Harald

I don't have any experience with grafting to Echinopsis, but I think it's the best stock I have for this (Pereskiopsis and Schlumbergera definitely wouldn't work!). The "bad spot" you noted is actually just a deeper cut I made at that location. I wanted to get under the rot better. The compressed image doesn't show it well though. I also have tried grafting an areole (to Pereskiopsis) from a section I removed. Hope that lives at least

Overall I think you're probably right, there's just not much left and it's probably not going to root

[Shane]

UPDATE:
I grafted it to E. pachanoi, and it seems to have taken. Fingers crossed it's really taken and doesn't just dry out

[metsolt]

UPDATE:
I grafted it to E. pachanoi, and it seems to have taken. Fingers crossed it's really taken and doesn't just dry out

How is the graft doing now?

[Shane]

It's doing pretty well. It's bigger but not a ton of growth. I'm not sure what to do with it now. I'd like to degraft it but I'm not sure about it since the cut would be so big