From: karenp@sybase.com (Karen Paulsell)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: trying to save cactus
Date: 2 Oct 92 15:01:52 GMT
Organization: Sybase, Inc.

Cactus propagation is rather easy; the greatest danger is rot.

I've got a bed of cactus, many of which had been imprisoned in pots,
in rather unfavorable light, in need of transplant, etc., before I
bought my house. After putting them in the ground, they grew like
blazes! Then came the rain and the wind, and some of the long, thin
arms broke, one tipped over, and 4 long arms broke off. 

I also planted some of the too close together, and I'm always pruning
pieces off, especially Opuntia-pads.

What to do with the chunks and bits?

First and foremost, let the cuts heal for a day or two, at least,
so they are calloused a bit. (I trimmed the rough edges off the
broken ones, and let that heal.)  For really long "arms", you can
actually cut them into smaller chunks. For example, I took one
long arm of a Cereus, and cut it into 4 pieces, each about 15" long.

I pot them in a pretty fast-draining mix, to be sure they're not
going to stay too wet, too long, and put them someplace where they're
going to stay really stable, and not wiggle around while they root.

For handling, I use barbecue tongs on some things, I alse use a thick
strip of folded newspaper, or an old towel or two. Do wear gloves, but
don't really *depend* on them for anything with real thorns! They'll
keep you from light-weight pricks, but won't really stop the 1.5"
thorns from doing lots of damage. For your own safety, it's pretty
important to think things through, make sure the work area is set up,
that you aren't going to get into some impossible position, you
off-balance, holding onto 30 pounds of prickly cactus determined to tip
over the pot you're trying to put it in, and you too!  (I often put a
couple of big rocks in the bottom of the pot, for "ballast".)

When I haven't had the time or the supplies to cope with some
cactus-disaster remnants right away, I just put the pieces in some
out-of-the-way spot where they're not resting on wet soil. They
can "rest" for weeks that way, and still root. Actually, they often
get a little lighter, and easier to handle.

One lovely 1' tall cactus (dark green, squarish, the edges-only
rimmed with short white thorns) got hit really hard by the freeze
of 2 years ago. It turned to mush about 3" above the ground, and
folded over. But the pieces never turned brown, and about 10 months
later, a little green button showed through the ground! A sprout!
Then, this summer, it grew a second sprout! If you visit the desert,
you'll see similar actions taking place: a broken cactus arm lying
on the ground, sprouting. One cactus-seller I know intentionally
takes long arms, lays them on a prepared bed, and gets lots of
"cuttings" from one branch that way.

Succulents are similarly easy. I chop lots of sprouts off the Aloes
Graptopetalums, Sedums, etc., give them a day or two to dry, and tuck
them into a bed next to the driveway, which I call the "free box".
Anyone who admires my cactus-succulent bed too hard is likely to go
home with odds and ends from the free box!

All the years I kept cactus and succulents in pots, I never, never
suspected how prolific and fast-growing they could be when planted in
real ground!