Mesembryantemum crystallinum sowing advice needed

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Aiko
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Mesembryantemum crystallinum sowing advice needed

Post by Aiko »

I would like to have some advice on sowing Mesembryantemum crystallinum.

I have tried it a few times. I usually get good germination, but the seedlings grow tall each and every time (I assume this is normal for this species), but then fall away one by one. I treat them the same as I do with any other mesembs, which I don't have problems with. But for some reason Mesembryantemum crystallinum wants things differently after germination.

I never sow with a top dressing. Would a top dressing of rough sand / small rocks be helpful for the seedlings, so they will have something to lean against? Might that be better?
Any advice on getting Mesembryantemum crystallinum past the early seedlings stage is wanted!
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BrianMc
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Re: Mesembryantemum crystallinum sowing advice needed

Post by BrianMc »

What time of year are you sowing your seed and where are you growing them?

Plants fair best if grown in cool conditions with ample water at first. Indoors or in a greenhouse is not ideal for growing them to maturity. I would suggest sowing in late winter then planting outside in a rockery or container when the danger of frost has gone, making sure they don't dry out before reaching a good size. Drought will trigger flowering mechanisms - if plants are sufficiently big enough.
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Re: Mesembryantemum crystallinum sowing advice needed

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iann
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Re: Mesembryantemum crystallinum sowing advice needed

Post by iann »

They don't need top dressing or other covering. The seedlings are floppy because of your growing conditions, probably too warm and too little light. They certainly aren't like cactus seedlings. Ideally they want full sun, certainly some sun and full outdoor light levels, and nights a lot cooler than most people's homes. Any floppiness will also grow out quickly when the seedlings put out proper large leaves. Even the adults are somewhat sprawling, not exactly an upright shrub shape.

A cold frame might work if you don't get too cold, not to keep them dry but to take the edge off an occasional frost. In really mild areas you could sow them in the ground, but in most places you need to get them moving earlier than this is safe so that they reach a good size before summer.
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Re: Mesembryantemum crystallinum sowing advice needed

Post by Aiko »

Thanks all.
BrianMc wrote:What time of year are you sowing your seed and where are you growing them?
As with other mesembs. I always sow in the middle of March, when the nights are cold and the days are relatively warm again thanks to an increasing sun intensity. I always sow in an unheated greenhouse. Like I said, I don't have any problems growing mesembs, it is just this one that is giving me some problems. All other mesembs grow well and compact, they get a lot of fresh air, cool nights, decent mineral soil and a lot of light from dusk till dawn.

So nothing wrong there. Not too warm and definitely not too little light as Iann suggests.

Maybe I could put them in full sun as soon as they germinate? I keep all my other seedlings under some shading cloth for their first spring / summer until autumn to prevent them from turning white on a too sunny day. And better to keep the soil moist throughout those months then?
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Re: Mesembryantemum crystallinum sowing advice needed

Post by John Dos »

Yes - full sun. Mesem. crystallinum is a weed over here, growing nearly everywhere at coastal aereas, mostly disturbed areas, sometimes even at some altitude. It is annual here, growing at high speed at full sun, germinating with the first rains and drying in late summer. Very good ventilation, lots of sun. The first leaves can be big as spinach leaves! They are VERY succulent, so it could be that they have fungal problems at your place.
Wet soil, dry air and as much sun as you can give.
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