Grafted with the use of parafilm and cut below the cotyledons this 3 day old seedling never stood a chance on its own roots thanks to the razor blade that came after it.

7 July 2018... grafted scion in full sun growing the way it is supposed to grow. Did someone put their scions in the shade after they grafted?

What?

Grafts out and suns blazing this is how we do it.

Got my mind on my grafts and my grafts on my mind.

Laid back

Sippin on some tea

Singing,

And this is how we do it!

I've got 99 problems but a graft ain't one.

Lookin good. hope ya dont mind, but id like post one of my grafts of the day also. Maybe not THE graft of the day, but certainly one. 2 month young LW seedling.

Definitely don't mind you posting your graft of the day here my friend.

Keep those photos coming my friend.

So, if I understand correctly you grew the pereskiopsis under full sun, grew the seedling under full sun (?), grafted with parafilm and kept the graft under full sun (?), and removed the parafilm after 7 days. Is that right?
Your brave, have you done this before to good effect?

PS. your cameras macro setting needs another inch or two from the target to focus just right, back it up just a little and you'll be down to 98 problems

Here is what you desire to know my friend.

#1... There is no need for shade with seedlings so long as you don't mind them turning purple. Yes, I frequently graft purple/red seedlings.

This seedling had barely sprouted when I grafted as I prefer my seedlings to be under 2-3 weeks when I graft them as otherwise... why am I grafting?

So we must develop a target range when grafting so we don't waste valuable time with a seedling on its own roots growing slowly.

My preferred target range 2 days to 3 weeks. The problem with grafting seedlings under 24 hours is there tends to be a lot of explosive growth left in the seedling that simply is untapped if you graft that early.

#2 Please don't get caught up in the parafilm removal. Playing with parafilm over your scion after it has been grafted is the easiest way I know of to wreck a perfectly good graft. Let your seedling/scion grow through the parfilm and please don't worry about removing it.

2.a if you must remove your parafilm for aesthetic reasons or just because you are a habitual scab picker... the best way I have found of doing this is to wait for the seedling to grow through the parafilm. Slice down the middle of your stock to open up flaps on either side of your parafilm. Cut downwards, not upwards!
Did I mention all cuts should be in a downward motion so as to pull the graft union together rather than apart?

Lastly, cut down on the sides of the parafilm over top the stock to create a half moon with your cuts. Your parafilm can now be left in place and it will fall off on its own or alternately... you can gently try to caress the parafilm off as you peel to the sides. This takes some practice for some and you may lose a few grafts getting that down pat. Which is why I say leave the parafilm alone at the first part.

3. Have I grafted seedlings from start to finish in full sun?
I've grafted thousands of seedlings this way. With many species, the purple red coloring of the seedling will disappear after the scion begins to rapidly grow. Some will retain a bit of purple around the areoles for a time.

4. Is there anything wrong with moving a seedling that one has grown in partial shade to a full sun graft? My answer, not if you do it early on. Meaning, I would not graft a shaded seedling 2-3 weeks old onto a full sun positioned stock in the full sun. However, a seedling that has gown in partial shade with full sun exposure for a few hours duration each day that is only 2-3 days old can easily be transferred to a full sun position where it will generally turn purple or light red while it begins to grow.


Stock on the other hand... that is a rare commodity, but for you my friend... I've got 99 problems, but a graft isn't one!

Now this little guy, he has been growing in shade on a much too small stock, but that is what happens when cacti grafts are in the works and your running low on stock.

And another update for my friend Auxin.

8 July 2018

Do you plan to degraft in the fall or move it under lights?

That sounds like an either or situation to me.

My plan was to leave it on the graft under the beautiful rays of the sun.

I am understanding that you would recommend de-grafting?

9 July 2018... another update for my good friend Auxin.

I think Auxin has acquired some of my best seed in the years past when I lived in Belgium so for all the good times, this one is for you buddy.

Well, I was under the impression that in your area Pereskiopsis would have to come indoors in 3-4 months. If it did the first 1/3-1/4 of growth under full sun and then moved to lights it would get an inconsistent look.

I understand your concern my friend.

However, I have a green house that I tend to move my cacti into for the winter. So, they continue to get light from the sun.

With that being said, there are times when I don't mind risking a bit of uneven growth as it isn't always about the looks with me.

Not that I don't love your cacti porn! All things being perfect, of course I would prefer perfect growth and perfect growing conditions. Sometimes you just have to sort your priorities.

10 July 2018

Hopefully, this picture meets Auxin's high standards.

Either way, here she is my friends...

11 July 2018

I only gave advice because I had the same problem for a long time, particularly with an older cheaper camera that didnt coddle me and assumed I read the manual.
Your cameras manual should say the minimum and/or the ideal distances for macro shots. If your too close it'll focus on something your not aiming at, like that very clear areole on the left
On my general purpose-style camera when I press the button half way it'll put a bright green square around what its focusing on. If its not my target I let go of the button and move the camera back an inch and try again. 8" is the minimum for clear macro shots on mine. A feature I like is that if the green box does go around the intended target I can move the camera a little to make it not in the center of the image and still be the focal point before pushing the button the second half of the way.
And in the end, resizing the image down a bit can improve clarity some.

12 July 2018 Another update

13 July 2018

16 days from Germination

15 July 2018

This is the same graft that is pictured in the last few posts inyan?

For continuities sake, I am showing an almost day by day progression of the same scion from the very first post so you can watch as it grows.

And that my friend is why we graft with parafilm. You don't get a slow down at the start like you do with other methods where you have to let the stock dry out before and during the grafting procedure.

Very nice.

Keep an eye on the scop X Teres thread as I will update it soon.