In the Garden
Michael Miyashiro
Grafting
Cacti and succulents have been easy to cultivate since the beginning of gardening, and this is true even when dealing with aberrations.
Some of these aberrations lack chlorophyll or may produce spectacular color mutations. When these mutations appear, they usually perish after using up their food supply. If these seedlings are grafted onto cacti with high quantities of chlorophyll in their bodies, the color mutants rely on their green base for food. These grafts grow quickly and easily by utilizing the food reserves from the green stems.
RAINFOREST
Cacti "aberrations" can bloosom on green hosts.
When growing these grafted cacti, it is important that you care for the green stems, not the colored tops. Pay close attention to the green stems for dryness and watering. If a side branch develops from the green stem, it should be cut off immediately, otherwise the new stem growth will suck all the nutrients from the stem, starving the colored caps from further development. Water, feed and allow the green stems to be exposed to bright light. It doesn't matter how much light the colored tops get, they will stay healthy as long as their green base stems are.
A healthy cap will develop many side branches. This is the method by which they reproduce. Side babies develop all over the head of the mother plant and when carefully cut from the mother plant, should be grafted onto stock plants of night-blooming cereus. The graft intersection should be a good connection. Removing and beveling the stem edges will help these caps develop properly.
Use a diluted fertilizer solution when watering your grafted cactus. Allow fresh plain water to saturate the soil to remove excess salts from previous fertilizing. Plants enjoy being root bound, so there is little need to repot them after a while.
An overly crowded potted specimen should last indefinitely. Babies will develop all over the mother plant. Leave them on and watch them cluster freely. I have seen some well-grown specimens flower early in the year. It is no wonder that in Japan, cacti-growing is one of the greatest past-times of any plant hobbyists. These grafted cacti become like plant pets just waiting for their share of water and attention.
Michael Miyashiro, flower connoisseur and owner of Rainforest at Ward Warehouse, is a graduate of the University of Hawaii horticulture program. Contact him at 591-9999 or e-mail rainforesthawaii@aol.com.
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