Doesn't really matter where sown, just need good light and heat.
Light for germination, then after germination tone it down. Heat must be constant. many people opt to sow inside near radiators for this reason.
E
When do you sow your seed?
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For the discussion of topics related to the conservation, cultivation, propagation, exhibition & science of cacti & other succulents only.
Please respect all forum members opinions and if you can't make a civil reply, don't reply!
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Emile
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PeterW
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Re: When do you sow your seed?
I only sow seed nowadays if it is a rare species that I cannot buy as a plant - but I do it any time of year. Specially enjoy sowing under lights with bottom heat in mid-winter, great to see life spring up in that darker time of the year.
Bought my first cactus in 1957 - Now retired and growing Mexican desert cacti in the sun.
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agavedave
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Re: When do you sow your seed?
For Agaves,
I try to sow late Feb using a heated propagator so that the growing season can be as long as possible. The bigger the plants are the more chance of them getting through the first winter without shrivelling up. By the end of March, a heated propagator can be counter productive because I find that it can get too warm which seems to give a lower germination rate.
For sowing, my prefered method is to sow them on a piece of damp kitchen towel in a sealed clear plastic pot left in a window ledge. Once they have sprouted I transplant them in a 'furrow' made in the compost using a plant label as the plough, and then water them in. Once the first true leaf appears I earth them up a little with compost/gravel so they dont fall over. One advantage of this method is that you can get the spacing right, with no wasted space and leave them there for at least a year before needing to pot up individually.
I used to use the baggie method but found that a dozen plants in a 3 inch pot with all of their roots tangled up just lead to too much root damage and set them back quite a bit when it came to transplanting.
Best Regards
Dave.
I try to sow late Feb using a heated propagator so that the growing season can be as long as possible. The bigger the plants are the more chance of them getting through the first winter without shrivelling up. By the end of March, a heated propagator can be counter productive because I find that it can get too warm which seems to give a lower germination rate.
For sowing, my prefered method is to sow them on a piece of damp kitchen towel in a sealed clear plastic pot left in a window ledge. Once they have sprouted I transplant them in a 'furrow' made in the compost using a plant label as the plough, and then water them in. Once the first true leaf appears I earth them up a little with compost/gravel so they dont fall over. One advantage of this method is that you can get the spacing right, with no wasted space and leave them there for at least a year before needing to pot up individually.
I used to use the baggie method but found that a dozen plants in a 3 inch pot with all of their roots tangled up just lead to too much root damage and set them back quite a bit when it came to transplanting.
Best Regards
Dave.
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kuni12345678
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Re: When do you sow your seed?
I find that sowing seeds after the seed pods have opened is a good time for planting except for cycad seeds that have to mature for up to one year before germination. The other issue is growing plants that originate in the southern hemisphere. I have found that a number of these plants even seedlings do not change their growing season and grow in the winter instead of in the summer. I live in Southern California near the ocean in a zone 11a and have no frost and very mild winter weather.