Rooting Cactus in Charcoal, An Ongoing Experiment
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- An ongoing experiment in rooting san pedro cactus in charcoal instead of potting soil mediums. So far, it seems great. I've had a lot of cactus root very fast and not much serious problems with rot or mold.
Links to some other charcoal related stuff mentioned:
Rationale for using charcoal in cactus culture: • 🌵 Why Cactus Seem to G...
Making char in a trench: • Simple Biochar Trench ...
Making char in a pile: • Easy Biochar, Top Lit ...
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I would recommend inoculating your charcoal with nutrients before transplanting, to ensure that all of the micro nutrients have absorbed into all of the facets of the charcoal. Charcoal is great for soil, but it can also deplete things from the soil because of the absorption factor, so inoculation is highly recommended in order for it to be already pre-absorbed and giving back versus taking anything away
For rooting, I don't really want anything in there though. I prefer to use just straight char. As a growing medium, I sometimes charge and sometimes don't. But when I don't charge, I use extra ferts for a while to compensate. Seems to work well enough. For seedling flats, I definitely charge it up first.
I been doing the charcoal method for years . I got the idea from the ancient Mayans (MESSAGE) the Ancient Mayans were the first to create "BIO-CHAR aka "TERA PRETA" . SCIENTISTS just found a ancient city with huge structures in the rainforest of South America . It was said that a huge society could not survive in the rainforest and grow the food needed to survive because of poor soil . The charcoal is able to collect the native microbes . The native microbes break down nutrients to make it water soluble. In many ways you made BIO-CHAR that is perfect for Cacti. The ancient Mayan used TERA PRETA FOR CACTUS AND CORN . THANKS FOR SHARING 🤜🏼🌵🤛🏻
Team Wachuma - your videos are great. I think I've watched them all twice by now. 2023 is the year of charcoal for me. Please keep the content updates coming if you have time. Big Thanks for teaching me some new techniques.
I’m gonna try this with some clay pebbles, great idea!
Great video, thanks Steven. There are a few channels covering cactus on youtube but none with your attention to detail and no bullshit delivery. Also you're doing charcoal which is a thing that I'm doing as well. Cheers.
I've been wondering about semihydro cacti. The only thing I can think that may be hindering growth is you mentioned the area is cold to the touch. That's got to slow down root development. Charcoal is great because it's a natural filter, and springtales love it. They're really beneficial in terrariums as dead matter clean up crew.
I don't see why it would not work. The more I root cactus cuttings now, there more I'm inclined to just callous them reasonably well, stick in them in a pot of soil and start watering semi-normally. but my mixes are usually pretty well aerated with large amounts of char and other aggregate.
@TeamWachuma I was reading a scholarly article from I think the 30s that used charcoal to root cuttings in.
Not sure if you have mentioned it in this video or elsewhere, but what is your soil mixture? I know you use about 50 percent charcoal. Thinking of using a lot of rice husks in my next mix along with the charcoal, and a potting mix.
I prefer to use coco coir as the orgaic base. I think it probably lasts the longest of the usual things use. I don't think rice hulls last very long, which is probably why you don't see them in potting mix. I've seen them in bulk "soil" mixes, but those are made with cheaper materials. I often use a premade mix as the base, so then I'm starting with around maybe 30% pearlite already. If I'm using raw cococoir and making my own mix, I can still get away with 50/50 char/coir as the base, but a little more aggregate is nice, either char or pearlite etc. I'm usually using a mish mash of whatever I have, but I wan't at least 50% non organic aggregate type stuff in there.
Dude I’m doing the same thing!!!!! But with different cactus and mixture. But that’s really interesting.
Hi, have you tried rooting cuttings in charcoal? Sorry if it's a bit of topic for the channel. I'd like to try and root some grapevine cuttings, and was wondering if you experimented with charcoal as a rooting medium for cuttings?
Go for it :) do half normal half charcoal
Not in pure char, but I think it could work fine. Just watch out for drying. It is going to be very different depending on how fine the char is. mixed sizes, down to very fine is probably going to be the best
Love the channel.
Can you use pinewood for burning into charcoal? Thanks
Yeah, no problem. Just avoid the pitchy stuff. but non-pitchy pine is fine.
Plz try lava rock next
When are you going to have seedlings available again???
If you don't already know, I have them now.
any idea of the ph of charcoal? Is it too high for cacti? Thank you
It's not, that's why he's using it.
It is going to change from fresh to matured. I don't measure. I can only say that my cactus thrive in the stuff and so do most other things. I don't think ph is as simple as a number in a living soil though. I tend to just go by results. I have used a lot of mixes that are 50% charcoal, plus added wood ash, which can raise ph quite a bit. My understanding is that these cactus tend to come from calcereous soils.
@@TeamWachuma thanks for the reply mate I've started experimenting with it
Great video, thanks 🔥
I wrap the bottom of my dried cacti cutting in coconut fiber and it works good
I did some like that in plastic bags with potting soil, charcoal and various things like that. some rooted well. I'm tening now to just put them in a pot of well aerated cactus mix and water almost like normal. it's about the callousing more than anything I think.
Don't these cacti typically grow in alkaline soils? One property of biochar is that it's typically alkaline with a pH of about 9.5
That's what I've heard. I have friends that grow them in large quantities of oyster shell, which I've used a lot of too in the past. I don't think ph in soils is as simple as a number, but I tend to assume they prefer alkaline soils and they seem to thrive in a large percentage of charcoal. so far all the little dessert cacti I put in straight char seem to be looking happy and growing already.
Maybe you cover it but I missed it, is there any concern in this context of the char robbing nutrients? People talk about charging or inoculating. I wonder if having a living colony in the char could out compete and mitigate the cactus molds? Theres a method where you “sweeten” a “sour” pipeline with nitrogen and the nitrogen-loving bacteria out compete the sulfur producing bacteria so little to none sulfur is produced which is extremely damaging to equipment. This method was developed for the oil and gas industry but has also been adapted to wastewater where i heard about it
Only in the beginning. I had a note on the screen aobut charging it. You can either charge it ahead of time, or just use extra ferts for the first month or so. I think your theory about the living colony is interesting. Seems feasible. I'm not sure how alive this stuff is, but it does provide a lot of surface area for the survival of microbes. Whether they are all good, is another thing.
@@TeamWachuma i like to think of the soil life is to the plant what our microbiome is to us. Seems like a lot of important functions and diseases are being linked to our microbiome health.
@@eb282 I think you are probably right, but it is kind of a black box. I am actually thinking of a microbe tea treatment for my seedling flats to discourage basal rot. The idea being of course to simply continually provide beneficial bacteria to outcompete the bad stuff. but I will not really know what I'm adding using mostly compost and forest duff. diversity is probably generally good though.
@@TeamWachuma i agree with diversity. I remember hearing something about the microorganism diversity of Amazonia black earth, terra preta, being much higher than the surrounding natural soil. I think ive also read the diversity of mouth and gut microorganisms in modern hunter-gatherer populations is also much higher than the typical city person. It could be from several reasons but in general diversity seems to be good
Bio char does work btw
I got my cacti in pure silica chrystals. (Catlittersand) I dont know if its sold in other countries. Im Swedish
Perlite?
@@sempi8159 No its more heavy. Looks like white chrystals that goes transparent when its wet. I belive it could be the same as the tiny bags you get in new shoes but the catlitter is in bigger chrystal pieces.
@@lillamy2896 ah interesting! So like glass?
@@sempi8159 I also use it together with LECA to other house plants that are prone to rot
@@sempi8159 Yes. I dont use soil because most of my houseplants is in colder rooms. I got a big house and dont heat them all in winter. Between 10-15 degrees celsius.
If perlite didn't work and charcoal did maybe it's due to charcoals capacity to hold beneficial bacteria in it's super high surface area.