promethean_spark wrote:Yeah, pereskiopsis almost never flowers in cultivation, so I think the scion gets relatively little hormones from the stock to encourage flowering. Some stocks that are more bonkers about flowers (like opuntia compressa or echinopsis) do better. Some columnar cacti don't flower until they're quite large, so grafting onto such seedlings may also result in reduced flowering. The scion will still produce such hormones, but they are diluted if the stock doesn't as well. Conditions that trigger flowering hormones in the stock may also differ from those of the scion.
I have Lophophora on pereskiopsis that are just over twelve months old from sowing that have buds and I also have one on pachanoi stock that flowered at 12 months.
Both were grafted when the seedlings were only a week to two weeks old.
I haven't seen any indication that the ether of the above stock has inhibited flowering I would think it would have more to do with growing conditions. Another stock that is used a lot that can take some time to flower naturally is Hylocereus but scion's flower readily on this stock as well .
A cactus and succulent collector who especially likes Ariocarpus. …Though I have a bit of everything! Want some pictures? See my flickr! I also do art and such.
I totally agree that certain stocks will assist the scion to flower earlier than than others and the will also produce a plant that looks more like it would on its own roots. I was trying to point out that pere and trich stocks shouldn't be discounted as they still can perform well. Another stock that is supposed to be very good is Harrisia jusbertii.
The problem I have is I have to use what is available where I am and stock like Opuntia compressa and Harrisia jusbertii are extremely difficult to find here and to make it worse I think both are listed as weeds so to even get seeds they have to be brought into the country illegally.
Harrissia has worked well for me, however opuntia compressa has been disappointing. Unfortunately the qualities that make a good root stock also tend to make a good weed. Imagine how bad pereskiopsis would be if it seeded out like oxalis...
promethean_spark wrote: ↑Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:19 pm
Yeah, pereskiopsis almost never flowers in cultivation, so I think the scion gets relatively little hormones from the stock to encourage flowering. Some stocks that are more bonkers about flowers (like opuntia compressa or echinopsis) do better. Some columnar cacti don't flower until they're quite large, so grafting onto such seedlings may also result in reduced flowering. The scion will still produce such hormones, but they are diluted if the stock doesn't as well. Conditions that trigger flowering hormones in the stock may also differ from those of the scion.
Hi.
It looks like what I am reasonably sure is P. porteri, needs to be at least around 3 meters long before it will flower.
Pere flowers 22119 sml.jpg (53.03 KiB) Viewed 3011 times
Right now there is quite a discussion going on in the "hipster" plant community (they are also very much interested in cacti because they buy from me all the time) that grafting cacti (they often see the Gymnocalycium at the store) is cruel. They'll say things like "that plant never asked for that" or " science has gone too far." They equate it too much the same as spray painted cacti or cacti with fake flowers glued on and sold at big box stores. I'm not sure where that trend will go. However, I'm able to change most people's minds by offering grafts they have never seen before.
For me the pros are...
1. It allows me to grow more plants in a tight space to maturity.
2. It allows me to preserve a few examples from each batch of seeds I grow just in case something would happen to the ones grown from seed that I intend to keep that way until maturity.
3. It allows me to save some strange crests or variegates that occasionally do occur when sowing seed.
4. It allows me to have seed for most species in approximately 12-16 months from grafting.
5. It allows me to have an amazing and challenging hobby.
For me the cons are...
1. Unnatural growth (not always, and especially if one goes easy on the nutrients)
2. Sometimes difficulty in degrafting and rooting
3. The stigma from other collector's that I'm not a purist or that I cheated
4. More frequent watering and more frequent trimming of new growth from the stock competing with the scion.
promethean_spark wrote: ↑Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:19 pm
Yeah, pereskiopsis almost never flowers in cultivation, so I think the scion gets relatively little hormones from the stock to encourage flowering. Some stocks that are more bonkers about flowers (like opuntia compressa or echinopsis) do better. Some columnar cacti don't flower until they're quite large, so grafting onto such seedlings may also result in reduced flowering. The scion will still produce such hormones, but they are diluted if the stock doesn't as well. Conditions that trigger flowering hormones in the stock may also differ from those of the scion.
I'm glad you mentioned this because I was unsure if whether Pereskiopsis never bloom in cultivation or if it's that no one has really let them grow to the proper size to allow blooming. Typically we're trimming it frequently for more rootstock. Besides some variegated and crested Pereskiopsis, I do not let them get large enough to facilitate flowering.
I have not done enough tests to confirm whether a particular stock inhibits or promotes blooms. I will say though that Turbinicarpus that I graft to Pereskiopsis are often flowering 2-3 times a year and those same plants on their own roots are flowering once a year.
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