I took a chance the other day and purchased a cacti for a pound,.. now I need some help please,...
The cacti was a grafted one, the graft has taken very well and is about two inches high,.. but the cacti it was grafted onto has died and is almost rotted away,.. what do I need to do to make sure the graft survives?
...and if someone can tell me what the graft is I would be very gratfull
Hello and welcome. The graft stock (the dead bit) is a type of Hylocereus. It is supposed to be one of the easiest types of cactus to graft with although I have not tried myself. You need to find a suitable stock plant and there are a few you can try and should be able to pick up from a local nursery for a couple of pounds. If you look on this forum you will find a few articles with regard to grafting. Let us know how you get on.
Hi Stuart, welcome to the forum, the bottom plant is a Hylocereus and the top part is a cultivar of Chamaecereus sylvestri without chlorophyll which plants need to survive.
unfortunatly the bottom plant has died, the top will not survive without re-grafting onto another bottom plant, i'm afraid all you can do with it is throw it in the bin
sorry to be the bearer of bad news but thats all you can do
incurable cactoholic
growing rebutia's with a mix of others.
*Unless you act fast and regraft the scion a healthy green stock... that is your only chance.
It appears that the hylocereus died from rotting, which is not good, as the scion may already be contaminated with the rot and will soon die as well.
Thank you both, I am fairly new to the world of cacti, but I wouldnt be worried about attempting to re-graft, but I dont have the stock here to do it with, and the nearest place I could possibly get one would be at least 100 miles from me.
I will put it back as it was, and try to get something from Ebay and attempt the graft.... will let you know
Hi Stuart, I have just had a look on e-bay and there is not much on there that would be any good. You might want to try one of the on-line cacti nurseries. I have always struggled a bit when looking for grafting stock. Unless of course one of the nice people on this forum might have something spare they could send you?
if you are in a pinch, go to your local hardware store, nursery, grocery store etc and look for a columar to graft to. look for one swith new growth. there are many common types that will work -ok-.
stenocereus, Pilocereus, Myrtillocactus, Cereus, Trichocereus, Stetsonia etc are all easily found in these kinds of stores!
good luck.
Stephen Robert Irwin: 22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006. Rest In Peace.
The graft stock (the dead bit) is a type of Hylocereus. It is supposed to be one of the easiest types of cactus to graft with although I have not tried myself. You need to find a suitable stock plant and there are a few you can try and should be able to pick up from a local nursery for a couple of pounds. If you look on this forum you will find a few articles with regard to grafting. Let us know how you get on. 
