De Grafting Astrophytum !!

Spring is finally here! winter felt really long this year even though it wasn't that cold, but it has made me even more motivated to do some serious cacti cultivation during this growing season.

First off I have done a few de-grafts, I use a modified half de-graft method I learned from a very experienced grower from Victoria Australia, he is known by the handle Hanazono but his name is Frank, he is a well known to the cacti community and a top bloke :)

This method is best used when Hylocereus or Pereskiopsis are the stock plant but can be done with some others too.

Here is my modified de-grafting method:

1. Find a suitable plant that needs a de-graft.

2. Cut the scion from the stock but leave 5cm of the stock, I.E cut 5cm below the graft union.

3. Using a sharp knife cut all the green fleshy tissue away from the stock plant leaving the woody yellow core. Try and scrape the last bit off using the knife and scraping away from the graft union. Once it is all off you will be left this this (see below). Now trim up the woody core so it is between 2 and 3cm long.

4. Now allow the exposed woody core to try in the sun (indirect sun), for about 24 hours and then you are free to pot the plant up as you normally would a plant with roots.

Here are a few I did today;

         

About Astrophytum CV Fukuryu

Astrophytum CV Fukuryu

I don't put a species in the title on purpose because I believe these are not pure Myriostigma but rather interbreeding between  Myriostigma, Ornatum and possibly Asterias. Spination and size point towards Ornatum, overall shape is Myriostigma and some characteristics could be seen as Asterias like. This is pure speculation and I have no evidence whatsoever to back this up but my personal observations and experience. 

Whatever they are, or are not, Fukuryu most definitely are amazing plants with some funky genetic lines, seedlings produced from crossing with other Fukuryu are strange to say the least and produce many monstrose, variegated, kohyo and deformed plants. The problem I see is once you cross genetic lines many times the plants become "Unstable" for want of a better term and the offspring are weak mutants that are susceptible to disease, pests and in most cases eventually die. I have had a few completely white plants that survive in a controlled environment (inside) but as soon as they are exposed to the elements e.g sun, wind etc they will die due to stress. Plants such as this are nice to look at and due to them being rare etc but this is certainly not the future of Fukuryu or Astrophytum in general.

I plan on making some crosses this year but this time a little differently;

1. Very mild Fukuryu trait (I.E Looks like Myriostigma)  X Complex genetic Fukuryu CV

2. Ornatum var Mirbelii X Complex Fukuryu (Each way)

3. Ornatum var Mirbelii X Simple Fukuryu (Each way)

All of this is food for thought and I can hopefully do these crosses this year. By all means anyone feel free to beat me to the punch and do them first it's not a race rather a destination :)

Here are a few of my Furkuryu