Bringing pereskiposis out of dormancy.

Joined : 06 May 2008 Posts : 30 Location : Melbourne

i should be recieving a pereskiopsis in the mail tomorrow, and i'm guessing it will probably be dormant considoring the time of year.
i was wondering if i put it under my flouro's on a heat mat, will it come out of dormancy?

Subject: Re: Bringing pereskiposis out of dormancy. Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:58 am

Can't see why not. These plants are very tough. You could probably throw one at a wall to bring it out of dormancy lol Twisted Evil

joke!!!

Mine haven't gone into full dormancy (just slowed growth rate is all) and have even been watering them a bit over winter. Just remember they prefer shade or part shade for lush healthy growth, so not too much light. Put themin the full sun and they go leggy and tough, no good for grafting. Heat is the key with this genus, well IME anyway.
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Joined : 06 May 2008 Posts : 30 Location : Melbourne

oh really, that's good to know, i wont put them out in full sun this summer then.
but they would be fine under 2, 20W flouros though yeah?

Subject: Re: Bringing pereskiposis out of dormancy. Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:10 pm

Can't see why not. If it fails then it's pretty easy to get more.

Full summer sun is not advisable.
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Joined : 23 Jun 2008 Posts : 20 Location : Ausmerica

intense_cutn, give them heat and water and they will grow fine.

I have found the opposite trigonus, the peres I have in full sun grow more compact with thicker stems, and those in the shade tend to stretch, but do look lush, and are probably just as good for grafting.

As you say though they are very tough, and will adapt well to most enviroments, although they start to suffer in temps under 12°C.

I have a couple of hundred sitting on my kitchen table at the moment, to ensure they survive winter Smile

If I knew how to upload pics on this forum I'd show you, looks quite fuuny Razz

Joined : 06 May 2008 Posts : 30 Location : Melbourne

upload them to photobucket is the easiest way, and then just put the image link in your post. i would love to see them.

Joined : 23 Jun 2008 Posts : 20 Location : Ausmerica

intense_cutn, once you get your peres growing, a really easy way to expand your stocks is to cut the stems of established plants into 2-3 inch pieces leaving a couple of leaves at the top of each piece and just stick them straight into the dirt.

You can easily turn 1 or 2 plants into dozens in no time, and the mother (donor) plant will also regrow usually with multiple stems.

Forestry tubes are excellent for peres cuttings, they are cheap, don't take up much space and hold just enough soil.

I have found regular potting mix to be better than cacti mix too, as it holds more moisture, which pereskiopsis seem to like.

I'll try an upload a pic or two....

Joined : 06 May 2008 Posts : 30 Location : Melbourne

awsome thanks for the info Lanna.
do you mean forestry tubes like the one in the third pic 'Mega tube (MT)' on this site? http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Plant-Pot-Size.html

Joined : 23 Jun 2008 Posts : 20 Location : Ausmerica

I use 50mmx120mm similar to those in the first pic, but they all would work.

Here is what I use, they are $100 per 1000, but you can buy what ever you like.

They do have quite large holes in the bottom, but I just put a small amount of limestone gravel in the bottom to stop the soil washing out.

http://www.danbar.com.au/products.php?display=6

Joined : 23 Jun 2008 Posts : 20 Location : Ausmerica

Attempt at picture....

Joined : 23 Jun 2008 Posts : 20 Location : Ausmerica

Not much fun at tea time lol Very Happy

Subject: Re: Bringing pereskiposis out of dormancy. Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:39 pm

Subject: Re: Bringing pereskiposis out of dormancy. Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:43 pm

I will add, your Peres in the pic look really healthy, but mine are more compact.

Shade grown in decent light, very little sun light tongue

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Joined : 06 May 2008 Posts : 30 Location : Melbourne

Joined : 23 Jun 2008 Posts : 20 Location : Ausmerica

"Not my experience with Peres at all. How do they cope going from full sun into shade after grafting, surely you don't put them back in full sun after you have done the graft?"

I like to let them grow in full sun to get thick solid stems, then introduce them to partial shade to let the top growth become a bit more lush, then graft. This is how I do it, although I know other ways work just as well.

And no, I don't put them back into full sun after grafting, I was talking about growing them in full sun not grafting in full sun.

I keep them inside, until they take, then they go back into almost full sun (slight shade cloth over glass houses).

Here is a pic of a graft so you can see what I mean, notice there is two different types of growth on the stock? The bottom is grown in full sun and the top in slight shade.

"Mine are getting regular 12°C and they are not suffering at all, in fact they have grown a little. I have 50+ of them from last season, ready for further prop and grafting, they are very very healthy, only got to 13°C here today. Minimums have been about 6°C, they are thriving. I agree that regular potting mix is better, much cheaper than using cacti mix or a custom mix for them."

I'm glad you are noticing growth in your peres during winter, and that they are, very healthy. But I do notice the growth in mine outside stops this time of year and many lose leaves and definately go dormant, which is my definition of "suffer", and is the reason they reside indoors.