Test Transplanting / Graft Red Ruby BOTAN / Moon Cactus - Failed - Update on 12/29/20

Updates at the bottom: 12/29/2020 Failed.

 I bought his Red Ruby BOTAN / Moon Cactus a few years ago.  It grew big, but it seems to have contracted some kind of fungus.  Some of the baby moons, look okay, but others seem to have contracted the fungus.  After researching, I decided to transplant it by using some of the Dragonfruits branches.  Whether it is successful or not is yet to be seen.  One of the four isn't doing well.  I followed a couple websites where the students illustrated what needs to happen in order for a successful transplant or grafting needs to occur.  I did not understand the first transplant I did a few years back, and I did not understand the chemical connection that needed to happen between the two plants' cuts at the center stem.  I am sure you have your favorite YouTube sites for all these, but here is how mine turned out.  This will be their 2nd week since the grafting.  I am not sure how they will turn out from here.  I am hoping to revive the large Moon.

 

This is my large Moon queen.  It's about four years old.  It grew many princess.  As you can see, there is sign of dark fungus problem.  It's been there for many years.  I don't know how to get rid of it, so I though I would try repotting. Before I decided to do transplant, I tried repotting, but I noticed the Dragonfruit plant started to have a pale color near the soil... it means it is rottening.  So, I decided to cut some of the new Dragonfruit branches and use them to do grafting.  

See the yellowing at the stem near the soil after repotting as a solution 1.    Notice the fungus illness at each new shoots toward the bottom of the Moon globe.

Time to change.  Removed the cactus.  Washed the pot, sanitized it, put the soil in, then, I forgot to put some rocks at the bottom, so, I dump the soil out, put some pebbles at the bottom, then filled with Cactus soil

With sanitized knife, I cut the Moon globe off.  I think I am supposed to slice it off straight, but as you can see, it has many princess in the way, so I end up cutting in.

I am not sure it's a good thing or not, I cleaned out the bottom and sliced the Dragonfruit branch top to match the cut.

It was pointed out in some of the YouTube illustration that the Dragonfruit branch's center core needs to have a firm contact with the Moon Cactus' center.

I did my best to do so.  I also noticed that both plants produce some kind of sticky enzyme.  It acted like a glue, I thought.  After placing them together, I used a stretchable band-aid to tie them in place.

While I was at it, I took a few of the baby princess moon off from the Queen and grafted them in.  Hope they will survive.

Update: 12/29/20

Sadly the transplant connection did not form.  The BOTAN was not in healthy condition to begin with, but it was a hope that it would revive after the transplant.  It just rotted off.