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I have 6 of Ariocarpus grafted on Hylocereus stocks in 2005.
It is the time to degraft them because grafting stocks have been weak.
Since the grafting joint is embed deep in the scion when Hylocereus was used as the stock, I decided to go to the degrafting with vascular bundle of the stock.
I have experience this method many times with Astrophytum and Ariocarpus.

Scion with stock, soft-tissue of the stock around joint has already died.
The scion is Ariocarpus retusus v major.


Cut stock and removed soft-tissue of the stock
You can see a long vascular bundle of the stock.


Adjust length of vascular bundle of the stock, 20 mm length


Set the scion on a pot, top-dressing is scoria.
The pot is 12 cm square pot.
Roots will come out from the vascular bundle initially and alive a wile.
When the vascular bundle died, roots come out from the scion, no tap-roots, fine roots only.

Hi Hanazono, quite interesting information. Some Ariocarpus have quite big tap roots, do they grow just fine without them?

I have also seen that sometimes you cut the tap roots of some cactus when they are about 1 year old.
Do you think that there is any advantage when a cactus grows fine roots instead of a tap root?

G'morning Buruno

There are no problems Ariocarpus to grow continuously without tap-roots, fine roots only.
Some people said tap-roots would regrow eventually but it is just fine roots only in my experience.

I just cut tap-roots of asterias and some Astrophytums only.
Asterias seedlings like hot summer and grow quickly if you watered frequently but this condition is a critical cause of rotting.
The rotting will start from tap-roots.
I can feed water frequently in hot summer because seedlings have no tap-roots.

Cutting tap-roots of 1 year old asterias is a trial.
I normally cut tap-roots of 2 years old asterias seedlings.

Hanazono

That is so cool! How long do they take to root?

Roots start to come out from the vascular bundle around 1 week after the setting.
Roots from the scion will be varied and it depends upon the life of vascular bundle.
Since Hylocereus is not a permanent stock, the vascular bundle will die eventually, in 2~3 years.

You should not dry the vascular bundle, set it in wet-potting mix immediately.

It seems that just the vascular bundle is less prominent to rot than the whole plant of Hylocereus. It's interesting that you can put the vascular bundle immediately in a wet-mix after degrafting.

Yes the vascular bundle of Hylocereus is less or no rotting problem even if you inserted it into wet-potting mix immediately.
It will die if you dry it completely.

I have degrafted 4 more Ariocarpus with same method.

4 Ariocarpus which were degrafted with Hylocereus vascular bundles in 2005 and 2006 had grown well and pushed their pots out.
I repotted them in this afternoon.
All vascular bundles have died and relied on own-roots.
I could not see any tap-roots, fine roots only.


One of them, A. retusus v major cv Daruma-royal, after repotted.

Whoa oh! Those babies are big!! Thanks for the photos and information!


Mark

They seem to be growing good with those fine roots.

The retusus on the last photo is 15 cm diameter.

Ariocarpus with fine roots only may grow faster than that of with tap-roots.
The photo is a degrafted Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus f Rio Verde.
I firstly attempted the degrafting with Hylocereus vascular bundle for Ariocarpus by using this plant in 2005.
I repotted twice since and last one was 2010 into a 12 cm square pot.
As shown on the photo, the plant has grown so large, 18 cm diameter and overhangs from edges of the pot.
I repotted this one in this morning.

Before repotting:


Roots: fine roots only, very long


After repotting:


It is possible to make a multi-headed kotscyoubeyanus from a normal seedling but is hard and takes years.
The grafting and degrafting method makes it easier as shown on the photos.
A similar degrafting method by using pereskiopsis stock is possible.
It is under trial with more than 100 Ariocarpus scions.

Also did you graft them to Pereskiopsis first or were they grafted directly to Hylocereus?

Hanazono, let me ask you....

I have tried degrafting Aztekium a few times, essentially using your protocol. I remove the plant from the graft, let it heal over, then place it on wet vermiculite in a baggie, with some moisture, very much like you'd set up seedling pots.

Sometimes I get roots. Great. The appearance of roots usually happens within a few months. But sometimes nothing happens. I'm looking at a bud that I've had sitting on moist vermiculite for about a year now. The bud looks exactly the same as the day I put it there (that's Aztekium for you!) except that the basal corking is maybe a little thicker.

Do you think I should cut into the base again, into the green part of the plant, to let it reheal, and then perhaps try to grow roots again?

Barry

Driller 64

It is possible to graft very young seedlings onto Hylocereus stocks.
I grafted 1 month old seedlings onto Hylocereus stocks directory.

Barry
It is not easy to root Azutekinm.
Small body size is difficult. More than 3 cm diameter is better.
During long healing time it may dry the body too much. This also will give difficulties of rooting.

Try:
Cut bottom again
Reheal for Just 1 week
Bury the cactus in dry vermiculite and wait roots coming out.
Set the cactus in a pot as normal after you confirm the rooting.

Hanazono

1 of 4 A. retusus, degrafted and posted photos on 3rd September was in flower in this afternoon.
Others also push flowering buds up.
They all have been alive.