Cactus without roots

[MadridPeter]

Hello all! I ordered this plant from Germany which is a huascha hybrid and it shipped with no roots ..can anyone tell me what I should do? How do I encourage roots to sprout? Should I simply put it in a pot? And water it straight off and then leave it for a period? I have no idea so any input would be much appreciated!!

[jmoney]

My first inclination would be to tell you to just pot it and see what happens. The other option is to turn it into a cutting and try to root it. So make a nice straight cut removing the brown part on the bottom with a clean, sharp knife, let it callous over, and then pot it.

I am only a cactus amateur so I would stick with the first option until you hear from another member.fI'd hate for you to cut the cactus if you don't have to but if it was my cactus, I would be lopping off that brown part.

[BarryRice]

I've got lots of experience with this genus/species.

I must say--your specimen is a little depressing. I'm concerned about the dead looking base.

I'd cut off the base so the new base of the stem is not at all discolored. Stand it up in an empty pot in bright but not burning light for about a week to let it air out and heal, then plant it in perfectly-draining dry mix--like pure pumice. After about two weeks, give it a spot of water every week. Err on the side of under watering. Dig it out from time to time if you're curious. As soon as real roots appear, put it in normal medium and treat as a mature plant.

This method works for me with essentially 100% success.

[MadridPeter]

The thing is I think it may be an offset of a main plant and on the other side it has a root bud..like offsets on a mature echinopsis hybrid I have..is it totally necessary to cut this plant? Or just water it and leave it to sit for a few weeks waiting for new growth/more substantial roots??

[DaveW]

It would appear to be a subterranean offset off the main plant, the light brownish white part originally being below ground. I would just pot it to the green original soil level and let it root.

[MadridPeter]

Brilliant thanks Dave! And add water? i suppose I should then wait for signs of new growth or simply have a look at the base and any new roots after a few weeks? Thanks a lot

[greenknight]

Don't water it until it grows roots. Water sparingly until it's well-rooted. It shouldn't take long, it's an Echinopsis!

[MadridPeter]

Thanks Greenknight I have it potted up in dry soil plus plenty of perlite and will leave it now for a few weeks ..if I remember right it took my hybrid offset about 3 weeks (first test with an offset) ..could be fast because it gets hot in Madrid ..I don't think I'd order a plant online again

[DaveW]

Some cacti do normally produce stoleniferous offsets that originate below ground and come up often some distance away from the plant. See at bottom of this link:-

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/ECHINO ... nensis.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also:-

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/NOTOCA ... _HU179.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MadridPeter]

Thanks Dave..Amazing how these offsets form..I wonder are they produced regardless of the mother plants condition situation and then are all seed grown and offset grown offspring identical to the mother plant? Depends on proximity of compatible plants that can make hybrids via pollination I'd imagine

[DaveW]

Seed grown plants are never "identical" to the mother plant unless self fertile, though they may look similar. Sexual reproduction is a recombination of genes that produce variation. Your son is never identical to you, or your daughter to her mother, both are a combination of both your genes. Offsets and cuttings off plants however are clones of the original and identical genetic material.

I have to laugh when I see seed of some of those weird Japanese hybrid Astrophytum's being offered. You will not get a plant exactly the same as the original from seed, only from an offset from it. Of course from seed of such a hybrid you may get something even more exotic than the original since that's how they produced it in the first place.

As you wanted that particular huascha hybrid you would be unlikely to raise a similar plant from seed, therefore you correctly bought a cutting which as a clone of the original plant is genetically identical.

[MadridPeter]

I wonder how they do manipulate the flowers and spines of a plant ..can they genetically engineer or it's a very long process of selective breeding..anyway I find you get one plant and then you're already thinking oh what's that one over there ..and so it is that I now wish for a thelocactus bicolor schwarzii..just as well that I have just 2 windowsills both fully occupied

[greenknight]

You just grow thousands of seedlings and select from them, easy to do with cacti since they don't take up much space as seedlings. The way they grow hybrid corn, etc, is to develop two inbred strains that carry the desired genes and give consistent results when they are crossed - that's an f1 hybrid. There's no need to do that with plants that are easily propagated asexually, just need to find one weird plant and grow cuttings - or these days, maybe use tissue culture and produce clones by the thousands..

[MadridPeter]

Thanks i will make a note of this just in case I have my own cactus business in the future

[MadridPeter]

Two weeks later and I can confirm it has 4 small roots!! Should I leave it another week or more before watering?