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Grafted plants, especially Epiphyllums, when worked on to Pereskia stocks, are apt to grow weak and flabby through the stem wearing out, or through the presence of mealy bug or insects in the crevices of the part where the stock and scion join, in which case it is best to prepare fresh stocks of Pereskia, and graft on to them the best of the pieces of Epiphyllum from the old, debilitated plant.
Again, in the Cactuses themselves we have curious cases of plant mimicry; as, for instance, the Rhipsalis, which looks like a bunch of Mistletoe, and the Pereskia, the leaves and habit of which are more like what belong to, say, the Gooseberry family than to a form of Cactus.
Leaves very minute, or entirely absent, falling off very early, except in the Pereskia and several of the Opuntias, in which they are large, fleshy, and persistent.
The Pereskia stock is not a stout-rooted plant, and does not, therefore, require much root-room, although, by putting in plenty of broken crocks as drainage, the soil space in the pots may be reduced to what is considered sufficient for the plant. If small pots are used, the head of the plant is apt to overbalance the whole.
For general purposes, it is usual to graft Epiphyllums on to stems, about 1 ft. high, of Pereskia aculeata; pretty little standard plants being in this way formed in about a year from the time of grafting, As an instance of how easily some kinds may be grafted, we may note what was done with a large head of the Rat's-tail Cactus which had been grown for some years on the stem of Cereus rostratus, but which last year rotted off just below the point of union.
It would be absolutely impossible for any animal to climb an old stem of a Pereskia. In P. Bleo the spines are 2 in. long, and the cushions are much larger. The flowers of Pereskias are borne singly or in panicles, at the ends of the young, ripened branches.
During the remainder of the year, they occupy a three-quarter span-roof house, in which an intermediate temperature is maintained. All our Epiphyllums are grafted on the Pereskia aculeata. We graft a few at intervals of two or three years, so, if any of the older plants become sickly or shabby, they are thrown away, and the younger ones grown on.
Two of them viz., C. flagelliformis and C. Mallisoni are generally grafted on the stem of some erect, slender Cereus or Pereskia, or they may be worked on to the stem of a climbing Cereus, such as C. triangularis, in such a way as to hang from the roof of a house.
The stem of Pereskia is then split down about 1 in. with a sharp knife, and into this the wedge of the graft is inserted, and fastened either by means of a small pin passed through the stem and graft about half-way up the slit, or by binding round them a little worsted or matting, the former being preferred.
Large plants of Pereskia may be trained over pillars in conservatories and afterwards grafted with Epiphyllums; in fact, there are many ways in which these plants may be effectively employed in gardens. Mag. 2562.
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