Somebody gave me this cactus that had become too crowded for their pot.
It has a lot of projections that must have reminded some taxonomist of an important part of the female anatony.
TIA
HB
important part of the female anatony.
To handle prickly cactus, take a double sheet of paper towel. Fold it over to create a strip about 2-3 inches wide. Wrap the strip around the cactus, handling the cactus through the strip.
The following is based on my experience with zygocactus (Christmas cactus) and epiphyllum (orchid cactus). Both are tropical cacti instead of desert cacti. They have flat shoots instead of the round shoots of Mammillaria. The zygocactus is history, done in by a sudden winter freeze. I have renewed two epiphyllum about every 4th year for about the last 14 years.
Cut a shoot from the parent plant. Dust the cut with rooting hormone powder (available at most nurseries and some hardware stores). Allow the cut to dry in the shade for 2-3 days.
In the meantime, make a mix of 2/3 coarse sand and 1/3 peat moss. (I use washed plaster sand from a building supply yard.) DO NOT ADD ANY NUTRIENTS. Wet the mix and use it to fill a plastic pot 1/2 full; the pot must have drain holes in the bottom.
When the cut end of the shoot has dried a few days, stand the shoot up in the pot. Pack more wet mix around it. The mix should be packed quite firmly. You might need to stake the shoot to keep it upright. Keep the mix slightly moist. Do not get it thoroughly wet or allow it to become thoroughly dry.
Wait about 3 months. If the shoot does not look completely dead after three months -- if it has not rotted and fallen over -- turn the pot upside down and tap it to get the mix out in a single mass. Look for roots. If there are no roots, carefully insert the mix and shoot back into the pot; and wait another 3 months.
If a good root ball has formed, pot the cactus in a larger pot with the same mix fortified with a small amount of bone meal.
important part of the female anatony.
Cut however many stems you want to propagate. Use a sharp, clean knife. Allow the cut to dry for a few days in a dry, but not too warm place. It does not need any rooting powder or antifungal powder on the cut surface if the cut was clean. When dry, push the cut end gently onto clean dry sharp sand (coarse sand) until it is a few mm deep. If necessary, support it with a few thin sticks such as toothpicks. Leave in a cool place with good light (not direct sunlight if possible) for a couple of months.
At the end of that time have a look to see if roots have formed. If not, leave for another couple of months. If they have formed, pot up in "cactus compost", or very free-draining soil with added grit. Water very sparingly, and leave in good light in a warm place.
important part of the female anatony.
Thanks to you and David Ross.
Does it matter if stem is taken from inside the plant or from periphery -- except for cosmetic reasons?
TIA
HB
important part of the female anatony.
No, that makes no difference. However, you should choose a stem or shoot that is relatively young.
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