Areole grafting and Crested cacti

Loph · Post by **Loph** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:00 am

its been a bit and i think i have, for the most part, got areole grafting down.

Some interesting finds.

there seems to be a lot of theories as to why a crest crests....from grafting various species of crested cacti *areoles* it would see they do NOT carry on the trait!

this makes me *think* it is not really an inheritable trait (breeding???) and is more of an apical meristem issue.

i have tried some mammillaria, turbinicarpus, trichocereus, myrtillocactus and lophophora all of which grew more or less normal compared to the crested parent.

just thought i would share. it seems, and only seems, that cristate is a non-inheritable mutation. and it seems only grafts/cuts of the apical meristem will continue to the trait. i wonder why? i may play with some areoles right from the "crack" later on see if they do anything....but for now i am going to stop wasting all my grafting stocks lol.

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:51 pm

Interesting!
Have any photos?

Not really a waste of stock when you gain knowledge

Post by **daiv** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:52 pm

More interesting info. With the spine observations in Tim's post and some of the other stuff posted lately, we really should start compiling these observations in a reference format.

Loph · Post by **Loph** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:36 am

i am leaving for canada in t-8hours and we have a typhoon right now with PISSING rain, soooooooo no pics right now lol. they look just like normal ones though, nothing out of the ordinary. not even a stretch on the growing point

i was hoping to find a way of making LOTS of crests....but i think its safe to say that every large cacti nursery has tried this already to try and get lots fast.....oh well, now we know

ohhh scratch that, i have some old pics of a loph crest is did this to! i will update them when i get back from canada (one month). they are much bigger now, maybe 3-4 cm....in the pic its not even 1.

Areole first starting to grow

after a few weeks its like this. Dont think its ribs are anything weird, they are just forming...all loph seedling grafts look like this

peace

Post by **daiv** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:10 pm

Have a good trip to Canada!

dovev · Post by **dovev** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:02 pm

i'm not very suprised, crests are origind frome one meristemic growth usualy the main one , usualy the apex of the cacti( surry for my english.....

)
the other will grow normal if posible, many cacti grow normal become crested and becomming normal again

Loph · Post by **Loph** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:40 pm

yes, sounds logical eh?

Areole grafting and Crested cacti

Areole grafting and Crested cacti

mmmmmmm..................