Rooting a melocactus matanzanas cutting???

[Russell99]

On 17 June 2020, I knew my melocactus matanzanas was sick. I deicide to remove it from its pot to check what was going on underneath. When I removed it I was left with a nasty root knot nematode infestation. Every single root was infected with the cortex of the roots rotten, I cut as much as I could but it wasn't enough, so I cut it very close to the base of the plant and then I realised that rot has made its way in to the central vascular bundle. After reading on lilife and requesting on social media (Facebook) about rooting, many said it was impossible to root (either graft it or toss it in the trash( bit demotivating) . But I decided to root it as a cutting
Here are some pictures of the plant after making the cut

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Well there's no way I'm rooting this as it is.
Let's see after another cut

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Much better now. Time to apply the rooting powder. I immediately put rooting powder so that the auxins would diffuse immediately in to the plants tissue( gives the plant a boost)

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Here's are some attached photos of the rooting powder I used. Got it at a local plant shop.

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Now I just kept the plant away from direct sunlight in a small corner to let the bottom callous properly and to reduce water loss from the plant as possible.

On 1 July I potted it up( just placed it above soil and gave it a good waterin. Here's the soil mixture I used

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. It's a mixture of sand(about 50%l, soil mix with compost(about 40%)and little grit(10%).( reason i didn't use a very gritty mixture for rooting melocactus is due to the climate here with a constant temperature of 29 Celsius every day, sometimes 30 and above, so a very gritty mix would dry here in a day or two and instantly kill the new roots). On the 4th of July ,2020 I lifted it up and it has started to root(sorry : I couldn't take any photos)potted it back carefully and I gave it water to keep the soil moist( not bone dry) until disaster struck on 16,july,2020.

Today, 16 July 2020, the pot toppled and I got a chance to look at the rooting process for the very first time. Let's have a look.

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now I have potted it up in the same mix in a new pot. Here it is, I just gave it a light watering to settle down.

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[Russell99]

I will be posting updates on how this goes.

[anttisepp]

Good experience, thanks for sharing!
Once in the beginning of winter my big grafted melocactus fell on the floor and left the graft.
I used about the same powder and it already had roots at beginning of spring, now grows happily with young cephalium.

[Steve-0]

Pretty gruesome images of the infected parts. Yuck! I don't have any experience with root nematodes, yet, but probably need to read up on the prevalence of it in my area.

Really nice rescue job. Two things I see. Your soil mix is fairly close to mine. I like a coarse sand mix with various gravel sizes and some organics in just enough amounts. My natural habitat climate cactus grow in silt fine sand, pebbles and low organics but aren't restricted to pots.

And I need to get some of that root boost powder. I have successfully rooted a small handful of cutting or pads but others failed to root. No powder, just cut, callous, stick on top of sand and wait.

Thanks for sharing the success story. That is a handsome specimen worth the saving, IMO.

[keith]

Atter they grow the cephalium they are hard to root I read. pretty good job you have done

[Caudexguy99]

Very nice. What temperatures have you kept it at?

[Russell99]

Good experience, thanks for sharing!
Once in the beginning of winter my big grafted melocactus fell on the floor and left the graft.
I used about the same powder and it already had roots at beginning of spring, now grows happily with young cephalium.

Must be really hard to grow melocactus in countries which have winters, mainly because these are not frost hardy plants and they require some amount of water during winter.

[Russell99]

Atter they grow the cephalium they are hard to root I read. pretty good job you have done

Good idea, if I get another rotting melocactus with a cephalium I'll try rooting that also.

[Russell99]

Very nice. What temperatures have you kept it at?

Normal room temperature where I live
(29 Celsius)( 25 Celsius all the way to 30+Celsius) I kept it dry.

[Russell99]

Very nice. What temperatures have you kept it at?

Normal room temperature where I live (29 Celsius) (25 Celsius all the way to 30+ Celsius)

[mikethecactusguy]

Hi Russell99
How is this Melo doing?

[Russell99]

Hi Russell99
How is this Melo doing?

Alive and doing well, still no signs growth from the growing point but roots have made it to the bottom of the pot, can be seen through drainage holes.

[mikethecactusguy]

congratulations.

[Steve-0]

Hi Russell99
How is this Melo doing?

Alive and doing well, still no signs growth from the growing point but roots have made it to the bottom of the pot, can be seen through drainage holes.

Hey that's great news! As exciting in the cactus realm, IMHO, as a human heart transplant and double leg amputation with bionics retrofitted in their place. Okay, maybe not but still from Gross infection to Forrest Gump announcing... "Loo-tennit Dan! You got new legs! ".

That good at least.

In the meantime...two of mine went to cactus heaven.

[Russell99]

If you tought the first couldn't be rooted, I'm pretty sure you would give this one no chance.
Ok, 3 to 4 years back I didn't know a lot about cacti so I usually mix the old soil in a bucket and reuse it again, I got the entire old 7 year old collection infested. This is another melocactus that I don't know the name of, recently it started to look a bit dehydrated, so I pulled it out and supprise

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I am sick and fed up with these nematode infestations, time to chop some roots (+ rotting roots)

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Ok, so I decided that I chop the whole root system off completely

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( to be honest I don't know what on earth is the black core, my best guess was that the plant shrunk down on its sides swallowing the old root ball and soil, can't root it like this, more likely to go moldy(fungi). Final chop and I am left with half a melocactus

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I would definitely have grafted this but I don't have any grafting stock that large enough for this, so let's root it( rooting process is the same as the very first post I made: apply rooting powder immediately after you make the cut and let it dry for about a month keeping it away from sunlight)

After a month I see something???
can you see it

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how about now.

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It's roots.