Planting your own Cacti or Succulent Cutting

[Pure]

Ok well I am going to assume you already have your cactus or succulent cutting,

I will just refer to cacti in this tutorial but that is just because it is easier for me that way the rules apply to both though

 

What you will Need

 

12 ltr minimum container (you will need to repot into a larger pot later)

Cutting/Clone Hormone (powder or gel)

Medium of choice

 

K well first you need to get yourself a pot or container for the cactus, make

sure you get yourself a pot with good drainage, anything that you have used for

a hydro grow is generally perfect after you have cleaned it.

 

Once you have your pot you need consider a medium, when you are thinking of a medium for your cacti one thing you have to do above all other things is ensure you are picking a medium that has good drainage, cacti and succulents are desert natives, so they don't like allot of water, Cacti will take allot of abuse but over watering your cactus is the easiest way to kill it or just plain old ROT it which is not what you want

Here are a few suggestions for possible mediums

 

Soil Type Approach

Just get yourself a good quality cactus mix bag from your local nursery or

hardware store and some perlite or clayballs, most of the cactus mixes will already have perlite but you want even more drainage. Once you have decided on your choice and got the stuff you want to mix up the medium at a ratio of roughly 60% cactus premix & 40% " Non Soil " ( perlite, clayballs, ect...) If you have decided to use this medium just jump down to the planting section

 

Alternate Medium Approach

An alternative medium is my personal choice of cactus medium, I have used straight clayballs and straight perlite and both work well, my personal preference is to use clayballs but for those of you looking to save a little cash perlite works well too Vermiculite and Coco fibers are NOT suitable for cacti they store far too much water and you will end up rotting your cacti

 

Planting

Planting the cutting couldn't be easier, first just ensure that the person who took the cutting took the time to ensure that the cacti's bottom had calloused over meaning the cut end of the cacti is dry and has sealed itself over in order to protect itself. this is important to protect from water, fungus problems and bugs.

It is now time to dip your cutting into your rooting hormone, just follow whatever instructions the packet gives unless it tells you to remove the callous.

Immediately after you have done that place the cutting approximately 3-4 inches into the medium. Don't water the cacti for 1 to 2 weeks. Then water well, and allow to dry. Let Medium remain dry for a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks before watering again. If you forget to water it for a while don't worry cacti store water for months.

 

After that place the cacti in an area that gets allot of sun, if the cacti has been in hibernation for a long time start it in a half shaded area and gradually move it to direct light

 

The total cost your looking at to get set up is around 35-45 dollars max depending on your medium and cacti supplier, if you get a foot long you can cut it in half and use it as two cuttings if you wanna save a bit , I have grown cuttings from 5 cm with no problems at all, you do need to repot them as they grow though but that is the same as with any normal cactus after it gets to a certain size

 

Hope this helps some of you or possibly encourages you to grow after seeing how easy it is. This Method of Cultivation is a simple vertical start off in the next few weeks I will post up a horizontal propagation tutorial as well this is a method that is a bit newer and has been found to have great results aswell

 

For now happy growing, anyone interested in cacti cuttings just give me a Pm and I can help you or point you in the right direction

[tomdog]

www.erowid.com is a good site for finding all the information you could possibly need on anything to do with ethnogens, cacti and the suchlike.

Shaman Australis BOtanicals (google search) also has everything you could want info and seedish related.

[mullupmeman]

www.erowid.com is a good site for finding all the information you could possibly need on anything to do with ethnogens, cacti and the suchlike.

Shaman Australis BOtanicals (google search) also has everything you could want info and seedish related.

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Thats incorrect although there are a lot of books available from libraries - so much to learn.