Grafting Crab Claw Cactus onto Cactus: Simple Method with an Extremely High Survival Rate

Many flower lovers are very fond of Crab Claw Cactus, but they just don't know how to graft it, especially the simplest method of grafting onto a cactus. Either the graft doesn't survive, or it wilts and looks half-dead. Below I'll tell you exactly how to graft correctly.

First, choose a mature, thick cactus pad. So everyone can see clearly and understand better, I cut off a piece of the cactus top, and it's obvious at a glance.

What you see now is a cactus with its top cut off. Between the skin and the flesh of the cactus there is a white line called the cambium ring, also known as the vascular ring. Only grafting onto this line is precise. The green outer part is the skin, and the white innermost part is the pith. Grafting onto the skin or the pith is wrong.

Then choose a mature Crab Claw Cactus, Fairy Fingers (a cactus variety) stem, or other grafting scion. Don't choose a stem that is too old; old stems have less water and a low survival rate, and leaves that are too tender are too thin and hard to cut. Cut both sides of the scion. If the leaf is too wide, you can shave a little off both sides of the leaf, cutting it into a duck-bill shape.

Then insert the cut scion into it. To prevent it from slipping out, you can secure it with cactus spines or a toothpick. Don't insert it through the vein in the center of the scion, to avoid affecting growth. Don't use iron tools to secure it, to avoid rust. No wax sealing is needed. Put it in a bright place, and don't let the wound touch water, to avoid the wound rotting. It will survive in 10 days.

This is a Crab Claw Cactus grafted one year ago. After it survives, make a frame, with the number of tiers according to your own preference. Later I'll teach you how to graft using Pereskia.