Can cactus be grafted with sunflowers (what other flowers can be grafted with cactus)

Can cactus be used to graft sunflowers?

Although sunflowers are hardy and easy to grow, they are not cold-resistant and can basically only be cultivated as annuals or overwinter as perennials. Therefore, there is a need to increase their ornamental value and cultivate old stumps.

In recent years, grafted sunflowers have quietly become popular among flower lovers, and the grafted rootstocks they choose are also varied.

For example, old perennial sunflower stumps, wild purslane, jade plant, jade tree, leaf fairy, cactus, etc., it seems that the sunflower, which is hardy and easy to grow, can survive if grafted together with any plant, but this is not the case!

Grafting requires affinity and is only suitable for plants of the same family and genus. Moreover, grafting can make up for certain deficiencies of the grafted plants, improve their stress resistance and ornamental value. Only such grafting is meaningful!

Cactus is not an ideal rootstock for grafting sunflowers

Cacti are generally used for grafting cactus plants such as Christmas cactus, false epiphyllum, and beauty finger, and the main ones are the Opuntia and yellow thorn cactus with thick and relatively upright leaves.

   The only thing it has in common with the sunflower is that they are both succulent plants, but they are neither in the same family nor in the same genus. Even if they survive after grafting, they may just be in a parasitic state and the quality of their flowering will not be high.

The sunflower belongs to the succulent plant of the Portulacaceae family. It is more suitable for grafting with perennial sunflower stumps, wild purslane, jade plant, etc., which are also succulent plants of the Portulacaceae family. It has better affinity and is more operable.

Raising an old lollipop tree is also a good second choice

The main purpose of grafting sunflowers is to increase the ornamental value and layering, and by grafting multiple varieties, it is also possible to achieve the scene of multiple flowers on one tree.

But for a relatively hardy and easy-to-grow plant like sunflower, grafting is not the only way! It can also be achieved by growing lollipop sunflowers, and it is easier to operate than grafting.

You only need to prepare a handful of perennial sunflower branches of different colors and similar lengths, simply tie them up with a lollipop stand, and then put them in pots. After they survive successfully, you can still achieve the ornamental effect of clear layers and multiple flowers on one tree during the flowering period.