I have some gnarly old eastern optuntia with little pups starting. I also have lots of tbm2 with pups near bout same size. Some in bad spots. I'm going to wait a bit longer till they're both bigger. If I get rid of the glochids do they grow back?
I will use sterilized pins in rootstock to hold graft since it's gnarly anyway. They go dormant here outside and it makes me wonder if they were kept above freezing and happy if they still would. I can't help but wonder how small I could get to take as well. I like the idea of being able to use the native optuntia for grafting. I recently found a spot I'll post pictures of soon. I keep thinking there's got to be a freak in there someplace. Hundreds and hundreds of cactus growing wild in 5b.
by Low_Ad8147
2 Comments
You could definitely use Opuntia as root stock. But id wait till the Opuntia pad is about full size first. not when its a little pup. Same with the scion size, it would be better to graft a piece that has already grown. Also really not a good method using pins or toothpicks or any foreign object puncturing the cactus. Really easy way to cause infection and rot. Although I have seen success with it. And the TBM you have there looks to be a TBM B aka short form. TBM 2.0 looks completely different from what you have there
Yes the glochoids will grow back. You have 3 new pads I can see coming off the opuntia!