Share The Seeds
Gardening Area => Plant Propagation => Topic started by: CheshireCat on June 23, 2013, 02:25:50 AM
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A very easy and effective method to root many different cacti. Trichocereus respond very well to this treatment. You can completly avoid having to let your cactus dry for a long time to heal the cut.
You just have to get some birdsand, enriched with anise oil. After making your cutting, you directly transfer it into the dry birdsand. Shade the cactus from direct sunlight. The dry, mineralic soil and the anise oil will prevent rotting and being covered with substrate will stimulate root growth. A strong, healthy cutting in the growing period will take root within a few weeks. When the first roots have formed, you can tranfser it to the normal cactus substrate and acclimate it to full sunlight again.
Try it the next time you take cuttings. ;)
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Crazy! No need for it to heal up after the wound is made?
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The conditions for healing the wounds are excelent in the dry sand and at the same time the roots can already develope. Therefore you save a lot of time. ;) I read this method in a cactus forum where almost everyone uses it, because it is so fast and easy.
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Sweet! I'll use it next time.
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Im DEFINITELY gonna have to try this!!
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Is birdsand any different than regular sand? Where does one obtain it? And does it have the anise oil aready applied?
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I just googeled bird sand (two words) and found it. It's the same stuff they apply to sheets that you can use to line the bottom of your bird cage or on their perches. It provides friction when the bird walks or grips the perch, and IIRC, it was also useful for keeping their nail growth minimized from wear. It is available in bags online, and I imagine in well-stocked pet supply stores.
Neat.
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why these specific ingredients?
why birdsand as opposed to regular sand?
why anise oil?
what is the methodology behind this madness?
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This was the rationale as provided by the OP:
The dry, mineralic soil and the anise oil will prevent rotting and being covered with substrate will stimulate root growth. A strong, healthy cutting in the growing period will take root within a few weeks.
Plausible, although I can't speak to the source of the info.
S.L.
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The dry, mineralic soil and the anise oil will prevent rotting and being covered with substrate will stimulate root growth.
i don't see how regular sand and olive oil wouldn't meet that criteria..
so why the specificity?
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I'm just guessing, but I think birds sand might be smoother/bigger than regular sand. Also, I think anise oil may have antibacterial/fungicidal properties.
Edit- After a quick google search it turns out I am correct-
"Star anise (Illicium verum Hook f) has been shown to possess potent antimicrobial properties."
On another note, after looking at some google images of bird sand it looks pretty fine. I wonder if it is sterile too.
Sources- https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpubmed%2F11807977&ei=poIFUsiGDKLbyQGd94DAAQ&usg=AFQjCNH3jwqQHSMgLTUCX646vF8ahdPdMQ&sig2=CbZ4bOjTsUYtoR3rha5_vg&bvm=bv.50500085,d.dmg
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the pieces come together (maynard told me they would fit).
i am going to try and get away with sterilizing beach sand, and using anise oil with that.
also, instead of infusing the substrate with the anise oil, could one not just rub it on the bottom of the cutting?
seems more economical to me..
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Maybe the concentrated oil is too harsh, possibly even slightly caustic. It may also be that having it dispersed throughout the entire substrate will help keep it and the roots bacteria free.
You could always dilute it with water and spray it on both.
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You could always dilute it with water and spray it on both.
yea, i think that may be the way to go.
i will update eventually (if i remember)
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Keep in mind that oil isn't miscible in water(short of using an ultrasonic thingy) so you're going to have to shake after and before every spray to make sure it is properly distributed.
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hey so i was digging around in my bfs stuff, and i found this blend of oregano and tea tree oil
eco-friendly tea tree oil with oregano oil to provide powerful, natural antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties that have been proven effect for helping combat a range of organisms including staphylococcus and E.coli. this powerful blend helps fight bacteria and germs...
would that work as a viable replacement?
http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/35321/PDF (http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/35321/PDF)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360273/ (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360273/)
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Why not use them combined?
There is also a natural fungicide that I got at the local nursery. It contains thyme oil and rosemary iirc.
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Why not use them combined?
because i would rather not spend the money, if i have a viable alternative.
i really wish we got a link to the original forums so we could get elaboration...
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Tea tree oil is very, very harsh stuff. I tried using it on my skin back in January. Maybe I didn't use it correctly, but it BURNS and actually damaged the areas of skin to which it was applied. I'd tread lightly with that stuff.
S.L.
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You probably didn't dilute it properly, when I use tea tree in a foot spray I only use 2-3 drops diluted into a 3 oz atomizer of water, but I also add 10 drops lemon and 5 drops peppermint. This never burns my feet.
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only 1 drop per oz of water?
that is quite the dilution.
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I probably could add more than that but yes it I do dilute it a lot
Edit: I just checked the atomizer bottle I was referring to before, turns out it's only 2 oz instead of 3 oz
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It is nice that this thread gets so much attention. I hope it will help you propagating your cactus collection. :) I don't know if other antibacterial and antifungal substances will yield comparable results. You can always experiment ;) But the bird sand method is proven to work very good.
i really wish we got a link to the original forums so we could get elaboration...
Here you go. (http://www.kakteenforum.com/t642-bewurzelung-nach-der-vogelsandmethode) It is in german, but all of you can look at the very nice pictures!
Additional information from this ressource: In the second week you can start spraying water on the sand, in the third week you can spray enough to moisten the sand for a few hours, in the 4th and 5th week you can start watering a bit. After 5-6 weeks you can repot in normal substrate. In week three you can also start exposing them to more sunlight.
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The cuttings are cut and stuck with the still wet interface in the sand and dug around to 1 / 3rd No fear of rot or fungus. The sand is powder dry and contained in the sand anise, provides sufficient disinfection. Anise kills bacteria and fungal spores, it distributes sheet and mealybugs and probably other animals.
it looks like the earlier hypothesis about why this method is effective is correct.
i am waiting on cuttings to arrive in the mail, when they do get here, i will try sterilized beach sand and tea tree/oregano oil and report back
also if you want to read that thread in english, chrome does a fairly good job of translating most of it.
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Wouldn't neem oil also work since its a good fungicide. And anti bacteria
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Wouldn't neem oil also work since its a good fungicide. And anti bacteria
worth trying, imo.
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Neem is also a great natural pesticide.
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alright, bridgesii cutting finally arrived!
sand is currently in the oven sterilizing (then i am adding oil-dilute, and dehydrating to infuse)
so i am going to try out this beach sand/ tea tree-oregano oil and report back.
if it works out, i think it is safe to say that just about any similar combination (sterile medium + anti-microbial oil) might work just as well.