It's getting to be cactus rooting time, folks!
For everybody that received cuttings from me, I would say that if your pieces aren't showing any signs of mold or mushiness, you could plant them any time you want. Take a minute to closely inspect the ends for any dark spots, mushy/leaking areas or cracks, or generally anything that looks different than it did when you unwrapped them.
I potted up these ^ the day before yesterday. I just used some organic soil I mixed up for peppers last fall (I tend to use a really light mix with lots of perlite for peppers anyway) plus a few small handfulls of hydrated lime. The two macrogonus cuttings are in two gallon plastic pots and the bridgesii twins are in a ~3qt.(?) shallow clay pot. All I did was fill the pot with lightly packed soil and then dig a hole in the middle so that the cuttings will end up buried about 2-3" deep. Then I just made sure the cutting was standing straight and firmed up the soil around it. For the horizontal log, I just dug a shallow trench in the soil and nestled the cutting in so that it made good contact with the soil (no air voids).
I would recommend only planting end cuttings vertically. Or else they will end up looking like this...
It's not a problem as far as the plant is concerned. It just looks weird to me.
Here's a T. peruvianus log I planted last season (thanks queequeg!
) The larger pup was already growing when I recieved it and the smaller one sprouted a few months after I potted it.
Looking for new growth like this ^ is a good indicator of when your cutting has established a root system and is ready for regular, deep watering.
After your cuttings are potted up, put them in a shady spot outside with indirect light, protected from wind and rain. Wiggle the cutting by hand and make a mental note of how much "play" it has in the soil. (Make sure you firm the soil back up against the cutting to keep it in contact with soil.) Then forget about them for maybe 3-4 weeks. (cactus growing is slow-going at first.) The cuttings don't need to be in contact with water or moist soil to root. Until they do so, wet soil will only lead to rot. I have found that just being in complete darkness is enough to trigger the cactus to send out roots.
After 3-4 weeks, try wiggling (very gently) the cutting again to feel if there are any roots anchoring it yet. If so, awesome. If not, still awesome. Even if there are none yet, your cuttings have been gearing up to send out roots for weeks and will do so soon. If you want you can try to send some more hints to the plant that it is in a root-friendly place. Pour a little water (maybe 1 c. total) around the edges of the pot (away from the cutting). Just an increase in humidity in the root zone is enough to push the plant over the edge and convice it to send out some exploratory roots. Keep wiggling the cuttings (very gently!) every week or two to see how things are going.
OK, let's assume it's early June and your cuttings are starting to give some resistance to your wiggling. Now it's time to start giving your plant more sunlight. Move it into a spot where it will get a few hours of direct sunlight each day. Keep in mind that they haven't seen any UV rays since late last summer - they can burn if they are pushed too fast. Also at this time, you'll want to start watering very conservatively. Just give them maybe a cup of water for a small pot and a pint or so for a larger one. And let the soil dry out completely between waterings. I like to rotate my plants every few days while hardening them to ensure that all sides/branches have a chance to get used to sunlight.
Somewhere around this time, you should start noticing new growth appearing. End cuttings will start showing lime-green tissue emerging inside the ribs near the tips (I'll post a pic later showing this) and middle cuttings will start sprouting pups. This means it's time to put them out in the sun and start watering them deeply. Let them dry completely between waterings and, if the forecast is calling for a few consecutive days of rain, bring them on the porch so they don't drown.
Around mid to late July, they should be growing full speed and you should have a good idea of how much water they can put to use. If you want them to get big, you can water them any time they are completely dry. (This also the time to fertilize if you're using inert soil.) In August, my bigger plants (in 7 gallon pots) will soak up water fast - going from completely soaked to bone dry in only a few days.
That pretty much covers it for now. I'll post directions on how to get them ready for dormancy towards the middle of summer. I kind of just hammered out these instructions in one shot, so if you find anything that doesn't make sense, feel free to ask questions. Welcome to the hobby!
And now, here's some cactus porn!
Four of these are T. peruvianus cuttings I got from queequeg182 last summer. (The one in the middle is a T. pachanoi.) I started them in the middle of summer, so they didn't grow as much as others that I usually start in spring.
This is one of my big T. pachanois showing the beginnings of a barky trunk. I started this plant from a cutting in 2007.
This is a side branch on the same plant.
This is a T. bridgesii (also started in 2007). The central stem is the original cutting. Starting to get thicker bark and shoing a badass root flare.
Right now, they're still just getting used to sunlight and are still kind of sickly looking after being dormant all winter. I know they're ready for spring, though. I gave each of them about 2 quarts of water yesterday and the soil is already completely dry. SLURP! I'll post some more pics in the coming weeks as they green up and start to grow.
I bet you're right.
