Research S. divinorum X C. scutellarioides (grafting experiments)

[stuartroelke]

I haven’t tried grafting Salvia divinorum to Coleus scutellarioides yet! The included photo depicts my first ever plant graft (Coleus to Coleus). There have been recent attempts in other communities to graft Salvia to Coleus, though none seem to have been successful. I’m equipped with everything necessary to give it a try myself in the upcoming months.

There’s no good reason to perform this graft in terms of growth—both plants develop quickly on their native rootstock. My specific goal is to determine whether or not it would be possible to form a graft chimera or graft hybrid (the latter being a significantly more exciting prospect).

Let the games begin.

 

[stuartroelke]

Fresh Coleus cuttings have been started for the experiment. Once rooted, I will transplant them into soil, wait a week, then attempt to graft Salvia divinorum on top.

 

[stuartroelke]

Coleus has rooted, so I transferred it into some soil. One week left before I attempt to graft Salvia divinorum onto it.

 

[stuartroelke]

Just attempted a graft in my nursery.
That was significantly more difficult than Coleus X Coleus for whatever reason—I'm unsure if it will take.
Definitely would choose thicker stems next time.

 

[Sakkadelic]

This would be amazing if it works and if it makes S. Divinorum easier to grow and maintain. I'm looking forward for the updates. Best of luck!

 

[stuartroelke]

This would be amazing if it works and if it makes S. Divinorum easier to grow and maintain. I'm looking forward for the updates. Best of luck!

The best immediate improvement would be a significant reduction in root rot via overwatering—coleus can easily withstand wet feet.
I'm not yet sure what else this combo has to offer. Possibly faster growth? Though, S. divinorum grows pretty fast on its own.

If this first attempt fails, then I'll immediately plant salvia shoots (from a previous failed parasitization attempt with dodder) next to the coleus before performing inarching grafts.

 

[stuartroelke]

Truly unexpected progress (see attached image).

Both scions severely wilted within the first few days. Fortunately, central stems remained turgid throughout. I noticed that tips started responding to light at ~14 days, followed by the youngest leaves re-hydrating. Between days 16-18 scions began severely wilting again—thought my experment was coming to an end. Within the past ~48 hours they have recovered more than ever before.

I kept the humidity between ~80-90% for most of this, which may have been too high; water in the coleus rootstock needs to transpirate in order to pull more through the roots and xylem. Lowering humidity led to wilting (16-18 days), so my sudden revelation was that the soil—although appearing to be damp—needed a little additional watering to force uptake. That seemed to do the trick. The xylem is starting to recover exponentially, yet not enough to fully combat scion transpiration. Chlorophyll has concentrated after rebounding (note the darker young leaves). Grafting is an art.

All of these signs point to xylem alignment / healing, and it is not obvious whether any buds have begun growing. Complete phloem functionality will only be proven by rapid growth—I'll need to remain incredibly patient and caring until that happens.