Propagation methods of cactus

Cactus plants are native to tropical North and South America, tropical Asia and some nearby islands, and some of them grow in forests. The common methods of propagation are cutting propagation, split propagation, sowing reproduction and grafting reproduction. Let's take a look!

Grafting propagation of cactus

Grafting is a horticultural technique commonly used in cactus, because the root system of some cactus is very fragile, after long-term cultivation, the root system will gradually lose its original function and disappear, and the plant will lose its vitality. Grafting is a panacea to save these cacti. In addition, such as accelerating the growth rate of cactus or allowing diseased plants of root rot to continue to grow after removal of the affected area, grafting can be used to achieve the goal.

When grafting, the selected rootstock-triangular column is one of this kind of cactus. The method is to remove the growing point of the triangular column and cut it off obliquely on the edges and corners, then put the cactus with the root system in the center of the rootstock, and then fix the position with rope or weight. After 1-2 weeks, the rope and weight can be removed.

Ramet propagation of cactus

Many cacti can grow seed plants, such as spherical cacti grow small balls on the stem, while round fan cacti or segmental cacti grow young plants. for these varieties, the growing point of the cactus needs to be cut off with a knife, so that after being cultivated for a period of time, many small balls will grow near the growing point, and when the balls grow to the appropriate size, they can be cut off and propagated.

Sowing and propagation of cactus

1. Artificial pollination: there are few species of self-pollination in palm plants. Most of them are cross-pollination, which requires artificial pollination to bear seeds, and more species need the same kind of cross-pollination. Therefore, at least two plants of the same kind should be prepared. Pollination must be carried out when the stamen anther is dehiscent, the pollen matures and the pistil stigma fully secretes mucus. However, the maturation time of pistils and stamens may not be the same in different species. If the female parent blossoms later than the male parent, the male parent can first be placed in a cool place to make it bloom later, or the pollen of the male parent can be collected and placed in a cold and dry place. Don't take out pollination until the female pistil is mature. Most species have the highest success rate of pollination in 1-2 hours in the afternoon on the second day of flowering. Dip the pollen with a clean brush and gently apply it to the stigma of the female parent or pick up the pollen with fine tweezers and put it on the stigma. If the weather is very hot, the humidity is too large, and there is water on the flowers, the fertilization rate is not high.

2. Cut off the petals: if the ovary expands gradually after pollination, it indicates the success of pollination. At this time, the dry petals can be cut off to prevent mildew. Plants should avoid rain and water flushing, and strengthen fertilizer and water management.

3. Timely seed collection: cactus fruits generally mature in 50-60 days, and some species are berries, which are easily pecked by birds and other small animals when ripe, and the fruit is protected by net cover. The pericarp of some fruits is easy to crack, so we should pay attention to timely harvest. The harvested berries should be peeled off, the seeds washed, and then filtered dry. The obtained seeds should be packed in a paper bag and placed in a dry and cold place, indicating the name of the seed and the date of harvest.

4. Disinfection and soaking seeds: the soil used for sowing seeds should be disinfected river sand or mixed sand rotten leaf soil, which must be fried or steamed in a pan, not disinfected with chemicals. Before sowing, wet the pot soil with soaking method, then soak the seeds with 1% formalin or 2.5% copper sulfate solution for 15 minutes, remove and clean and sow the seeds. Small seeds can be evenly sown on the soil surface with mixed sand without covering the soil. Large seeds can be sown on demand according to the row spacing of 5mm × 5mm.

5. Sowing at the right time: the best time for seed propagation of cactus is in spring and autumn, where there is a large temperature difference between day and night. Large temperature difference can not only increase the emergence rate, but also accelerate the growth of seedlings. Sowing on cloudy and rainy days should be avoided and sunny weather should be chosen. If in the greenhouse, seed reproduction can be carried out in all four seasons.

6. Seminal duct after sowing: cover the flowerpot with a glass plate after sowing, and a seam must be exposed regularly every day to breathe. General cactus species can sprout within 15 days. After germination, the dry and wet conditions in the basin should be carefully observed to keep the surface of the basin soil moist. The seedlings must control the light and cover the glass with perforated white paper. With the growth of the seedlings to replace the white paper, so that the corresponding increase in the number of holes, in order to facilitate light. The seedling management of cactus should be strictly controlled in temperature, humidity, moisture, light and ventilation. Spring and autumn growth peak season, to maintain a large temperature difference between day and night, and timely and appropriate amount of light to the seedlings. In summer, ventilation should be strengthened and the temperature should be lowered. Winter should be placed in a warm place indoors, and appropriate increase in light, but not excessive. Watering should be based on the soaking basin method, and the basin surface can be moist.

Cuttage propagation of cactus

1. Cutting time: under normal conditions, cutting from May to June is the most suitable. Where there is a greenhouse, it can be carried out all year round.

2. Preparation of substrate: cactus is resistant to drought and barren, and avoid stagnant water. Therefore, the matrix must have the characteristics of good air permeability, good drainage and keeping moist, such as vermiculite, perlite and so on. It can also be prepared with 4 parts of coarse river sand, 3 parts of loam, 2 parts of rotten leaves and 1 part of grain husk ash.

3. Cutting cuttings: strong and mature stem nodes were selected as cuttings from the mother plant with strong growth potential and no diseases and insect pests. Cut the cuttings from the mother plant with a rust-free scraper and wipe the cutters with alcohol before and after each cut.

4. Dry cuttings: the cuttings should not be cut immediately after cutting, but should be put in a dry room for 5 to 7 days before cutting until the cut dries up and the stem begins to shrink.

5. Hormone soaking: for varieties with difficulty in rooting, soaking the base of cuttings with plant growth hormone can greatly improve the survival rate. The method is: soak the base of cuttings with 50 to 100ppmGGR (plant growth regulator) solution for half to one hour, or soak the base of cuttings with 200ml / L naphthalene acetic acid solution for 4 hours. Most other varieties that are easy to root are cuttings without hormone treatment.

6. Cuttage: the base of the cuttings is shallowly embedded in the substrate, which must not be too deep and cause rot. At this time, the cuttings are difficult to stand upright (because they have been softened by drying), so they can be flat on the substrate, or they can be supported by small wooden sticks, and then gently press the soil on both sides of the cuttings with both hands to make it close to the soil.

7. Plug-in management

① water management: it is better to moist the substrate when cutting, and it is not easy to take root if it is too dry, so you can irrigate less water from the edge of the basin. But the substrate should not be too wet, otherwise it will easily lead to cuttings rot. Keep the basin soil moist all the time before taking root. In order to reduce water evaporation, the basin can be covered with plastic bags. The cuttings will take root in a month or so, so the plastic bag should be removed immediately.

② light management: before taking root, protect against sun exposure and should be kept in a semi-shady place for maintenance. After rooting, water and light can be managed routinely.