Opinion at the time

[Chris43]

This is an interesting thread, as I personally would agree that apart from being a means of hastening growth of otherwise slow growing or "difficult" species, and suggest that there is no other case for grafting.
I know its a question of degree, and a habitat plant such as shown, in most cases wouldn't get any votes from a show judge. We like to see well grown, tight and not overblown, unblemished specimens. At least I do, not that I'm a qualified judge.

But what this rpompts me to ask is "what is the best way of degrafting?"

I have some grafted plants, a M. roczekii, a couple of M.roemeri and a Coryphantha kracickii. In the past, I've usually just cut a small distance into the bottom of the scion to try to remove any stock that had penetrated, dry off, and try to re-root like any other cutting into a very porous compost, and keep reasonably warm and moist to help root production. I've had mixed success though.

I have tried rooting gel, but I've had a Mamm. giselae fma albiflora in this for 3 months now, and no obvious root formation - mind you the cutting still looks healthy, and no rot. I tried a rootless Mamm. huitzlipochtlii in this as well, and it took about 6 months to produce a single rootlet.

So are there any good, or better, rooting tips?

[NickT]

Can I apologise up front if I offend anyone - It's not intended.

As Chris43 says fascinating thread. I guess the grafting thing could be part of modern living where no one has time to wait for things - they have to have it now (My son is a case in point but I digress).

As to the "unnatural look" of grafted plants well as Roy shows with the last photo I guess most peoples specimen looks considerable different to the Wild one so which is right?

I admire anyone who can grow things well & pest & disease free it shows great plantsman ship & attention to detail some thing a lot of people don't have time for these days.

There off the soap box now you can all come out of hiding

As to de-grafting I have enough trouble getting the buggers Grafted !! Lol

[Chris2]

Although I'm of the "leave them" side of the "Take them or leave them" school of grafting, I did find it interesting that a branch talk should get a write up in a local paper. It kind of shows how interest in the hobby has fallen. We can't even get our local paper to come to our annual show any more. How is it in the rest of the country?
Chris
Purley

[Roy]

Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say ( why else do I have a mirror in the house? :-)). All things to all people, surley it's the huge number of facets to our hobby that keeps our interest.
The copy of the newspaper cutting came along with a few other cuttings from John Cox when he kindly took the trouble to see what records there were of Hull Branch in his archives. Sadly over the years our branch history has not been well documented, fortunately John was able to dig up a cutting which states the first meeting was on 15th April 1950.
Of possible interest to others was the that it also stated that The National Cactus and Succulent Society, which at that time was one of two cacti societies, had a membership of 2,000