Woody pachycereus marginatus

[ElieEstephane]

Hello everyone
I recently bought several cuttings of pachycereus marginatus that were originally basal offsets. The biggest is 65cm tall. The base is a little corked from one side but all the vascular bundle is woody. I have rooted several cuttings of this species before but all of them where short and young.
Do you think the woody vascular bundle will produce roots? Now i can chop the cutting in half but would prefer to keep a long fat single stem. If it comes to it and have to cut, i will try horizontal rooting with the bottom half.

[greenknight]

Of course it's growing woody in the core - how else is cactus that tall going to support itself?

My first reaction was "no problem", but I've never actually grown these, much less taken cuttings. So I did a little search to see if people had success with large cuttings of this species. I found this: https://www.azplantlady.com/2014/03/new ... ghter.html

Talk about a large cutting! Very generous of them to cut down that big stem and give it to their neighbor. Note that their original start was a cutting about the size of your largest one. I don't think you have anything to worry about, just plant them.

[ElieEstephane]

Thanks for the link spence! That is very close to what i'm experiencing. The cuttings they gave away would sell for 100s of dollars! These are very beautiful and totally worth having.
One thing i learned repeatedly repotting several pots of themis that they have a very fat taproot. Talking about 2cm wide for a 25cm seed grown plant!

[ElieEstephane]

Here's a followup of the earlier link
https://www.azplantlady.com/2016/05/a-n ... years.html

[7george]

These will root in one way or another. Mexican villagers don't worry about callus or woody bottoms putting cuttings in the ground as a fence.
Don't forget to show as some blooms some day.

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[ElieEstephane]

Hello georges
Only a couple of days ago that it started to show a tiny root.
I found a nursery that has 30cm wide x 1.5m tall stumps of pachycereus so if i got these they will probably flower before this cutting
They seem to be very tolerant cacti. These grow here in clay soil in a very very wet mediterannean winter. If they survive this than they can survive anything

[leland]

I have some growing in the low desert that are about 15 yrs./7feet tall with very little care. They are a great landscape plant where they will grow, faster and more refined than the native sahuaro. Flowers are plain and small.
A few years ago I tried to buy some more in AZ and they just were not''t stocked. I finally bought a couple in Home Depot in 8 inch pots for usd 18 each. Kinda pricey in my book.
I then took a couple 18 inch cuttings and planted them and they grew slowly. This year I am growing some from seeds. I lost the first bunch instantly to birds, so the next ones were put under 1/2 inch hardware cloth.