How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Multiplying your cacti vegetatively.
gtstcactus
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by gtstcactus »

keith wrote: Mon Mar 30, 2020 1:37 am Aztekium ritteri I'm tiring to root one now that had a piece of graft in it which I removed leaving a hole at the base their is a picture of it around here somewhere. I can't tell if it rooted yet but hasn't dried up so I have hope.
Hi Keith,

Just wondering how you got on with the degrafted Aztekium ritteri you were trying to root.... Did it grow roots or is it still rootless or did it die without rooting?

I recently purchased a grafted Aztekium ritteri with over 25 smaller offsets... I was planning on grafting a couple to some big trichocereus stock to really speed things along, not sure how that will go but if it takes and produces some decent size offsets in a reasonable time I would love to root a degraft. I have had good results in the past grafting slow-growing small Mexican cacti to chunky Trichocereus... Really keen to see how it goes with Aztekium!
DaveW
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by DaveW »

How do you separate offsets from a grafted plant like this to root down? I presume you would need a scalpel with a small point?

Also as it seems unduly proliferous is it because it is grafted or simply since it produces so many offsets this freely proliferating form has been used more because it produces more grafting scions?

ritteri.jpg
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gtstcactus
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by gtstcactus »

Some people break/twist them off, I prefer a scalpel.

I would think it is more likely producing such numbers of offsets because it is grafted to a stock that promotes fast growth. Rootstocks like Trichocereus, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, Pereskiopsis Spathulata, Cereus tend to result in lots of offsets when smaller slow-growing cacti are grafted to them.

Most posts online in forums regarding rooting Aztekium ritteri (degrafted or offsets) seem to report that it is extremely difficult if not impossible. The ritteri seems to dry up and die before rooting. This is even more likely with smaller offsets.

I found 1 post (possibly on this forum or maybe BCSS) from someone who said they were given an Aztekium ritteri degraft in the 60s, 70s or 80s that was rooted by a friend. This is about the only reference I've seen to an Aztekium ritteri degraft / offset being rooted. Someone on here reported rooting Aztekium hintonii... Not sure about Aztekium valdezii.
DaveW
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by DaveW »

From what Hanazono said with rooting Mammillaria luethyi offsets you need an offset over a certain size that will not dry up before rooting? That is often difficult to get with Aztekium ritteri offsets, even on a graft. I wonder if using the "baggie" method as used for seedlings would allow them to root but not dehydrate whilst doing so, or would they just rot or mildew in such a humid atmosphere?

Mist propagation is often used for other plants that dry out quickly before rooting and it is claimed difficult plants will root using it. But I don't know if it could be applied to cacti?

https://ezinearticles.com/?Mist-Propaga ... id=2055807

Maybe it would suit Melocactus :D
gtstcactus
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by gtstcactus »

Yeah I would agree the bigger the offset (or degraft), the better chance of rooting it has...

I don't know what methods people have tried in their failed attempts to root Aztekium ritteri! I think there has probably been more failures than not attempting to root Aztekium hintonii also! Not sure about Aztekium valdezii but I imagine it is similar... No idea if the mist propagation would work or not!

I think the best way to produce larger offsets quickly will be by using a larger fast-growing rootstock such as a fat 30-40cm tall (or more) Trichocereus pachanoi with a decent sized root ball. You'd need to be a little careful to ensure you don't cause the Aztekium to tear itself apart!

There was someone on this forum who was playing around with grafting Aztekium to what I think was Trichocereus Spachianus of good size but I don't think they posted follow up pics after the initial grafting.

Quite often they are grafted to slower-growing rootstock that doesn't quite grow the scion as fast to ensure the scion doesn't take on a grafted look as can sometimes happen.
keith
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by keith »

Aztekium ritteri is still in the pot no Idea if it has rooted it looks smaller than when I first got it. It was planted in the ground but when I took it out of the pot I saw a dead graft deep in the Aztekium body and zero roots. I bored the dead grating stem out and am trying to root the Aztekium body.

Lucky I got it on a trade for some other cactus I didn't want anymore because its practically worthless the way it came. is it rooted ? Afraid to take it out of the pot to look at it.

I also bought a grafted luethyi and cut it off the stock and am tiring to root it so far nothing. At least it has not dried up. This time of year I don't think much will happen.
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Hanazono
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by Hanazono »

I have tried to root Aztekium species.

A. hintonii
I have experienced several successeful rooting results.
A rooted one has reached to a flowering size.

A. ritteri
I tried to root off-sets many times but all of them failed.
I will build up one dozen samples and will try again.
The photo is my ritteri. I will take off-sets and graft to gain in size for the rooting.

A. Valdezii
This species is new for me.
I have to make samples for the trial.
The photo is a grafted 10 mm off-set for making samples.
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A. ritteri
A. ritteri
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A. valdezii
A. valdezii
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gtstcactus
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by gtstcactus »

Hanazono, in your experience, do Aztekium offsets take to Pereskiopsis easily?

Have you tried grafting small Aztekium seedlings? I've got some Aztekium seedlings (Ritteri, Hintonii & Valdezii) growing but they are so small (3-4 months old). I'd like to try grafting them but am reluctant to try with such tiny seedlings!
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Hanazono
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by Hanazono »

G'morning gtstcactus,
do Aztekium offsets take to Pereskiopsis easily?
It is not easy but is possible.
The success rate of seedling grafting is almost 100% but Aztekium off-set is around 70%.
Have you tried grafting small Aztekium seedlings?
I only had hintonii seedlings and grafted them.
I could graft 2 mm in diameter seedlings. Hintonii seedlings reached to the size 1 year after germination.
1 year old hintonii seedling is "hard" and gave pressuer onto scions during grafting process.
The stock was H. jusbertii.

It may not need pressuer onto scions if the stock was Pereskiopsis.

Frank
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C And D
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Re: How difficult is separate offsets from Aztekium Ritteri?

Post by C And D »

Aztekium ritteri
Last year I was able to cut off 8 perfect heads, and they were big with small cuts off the main head.
I was excited about how these super nice cutting were and would be sure bets for rooting.

I dusted them and stored them in the Den which has very moderate light and temp for a month.
They were ready for the soil at the end of August, so I laid them down, sprayed them and the soil with Physan 20, a fungicide.

And they all rotted, some fast, like a week, others took 2 months. They all succumbed to soft rot from the wound.

M. luethyi
I was able to root one plant years ago, it lived longer than the grafted ones and had a huge tap root.
Now I have no luethyi and wished I could find some grafted ones
Check out our plant and seed lists
http://www.CandDplants.com

Craig and Denise Fry
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