Hi all,I havn't been around for a while,I hope everyone is doing well.
I have decided to give raising cacti from seed a go,I am using the bag method and I have a couple of questions.I microwaved the soil but didn't boil or microwave the water,will this affect them? Also once the bag is sealed don't they need any oxygen letting in at all ?
CactusLady wrote:Hi all,I havn't been around for a while,I hope everyone is doing well.
I have decided to give raising cacti from seed a go,I am using the bag method and I have a couple of questions.I microwaved the soil but didn't boil or microwave the water,will this affect them? Also once the bag is sealed don't they need any oxygen letting in at all ?
Thank you in advance for any and all help.
Sylv
Hi Sylv,
I wouldn't worry about the water. I actually don't bother microwaving the soil either, and I have some quite good success rates- there is usually a bit of moss grows on the soil eventually but I remove what I can by hand and the seedlings still do OK. But it's good practice to sterilise the soil and use boiled water.
Re the oxygen- none required other than what is in the bag. Plants can survive very well in a closed system, with oxygen being produced by them during photosynthesis in daylight, and then that taken back in again at night. I've kept plants in their bags for a couple of years without problems, just opening ocassionally for a look.
Good luck! I look forward to seeing the pics
Paul in North-east Scotland (Grampian Branch BCSS)
National Collection Rebutia, Aylostera & Weingartia (inc. Sulcorebutia). Also growing a mixture including Ferocactus, Gymnocalycium, Lobivia, Mammillaria, Lithops, Gasteria, Haworthia. http://www.rebutia.org.uk
Hi Sylv, growing cacti from seed is very rewarding, and its fun. Wish this forum ( or even pc's) were around when I started, would have save a lot of losses. LoL. I grow all my seeds in a bag, with a little bottom heat out of direct sunlight. If you have no bottom heat, this is about the right time to grow as the late Spring/ early summer weather will provide enough. Cheers and good luck.
May I disagree slightly with Paul - but first ask what water are you using ? If it's drinking water then I wouldn't worry about it but if it is rainwater then I definitely would boil it - but don't forget that after the initial watering you very rarely have to add water to these sorts of systems (*). The main issue here is preventing fungal infections and rainwater is rather likely to be a source. But if you have noticed the post about fungi on seedings the other possible source is the seeds themselves; but don't be too worried as that is probably rather less likely but it does mean that as with all seed growing you do need to keep an eye on them.
* when I did this a couple of years ago I was rather lazy and used Morrison's basic table water - 2l was more than enough for the couple of dozen pots I had
As for oxygen etc - seeds do need oxygen to germinate but unless you have rather thick plastic there will be gas exchange through the plastic film and that will be sufficient to prevent any excesses building up and certainly, here I will agree with Paul, that the seedlings can manage quite well for many months in bags without much intervention.
Hi all,
Thank you very much for your replies.I did use rain water and I didn't boil it so I will have to keep my eye on things.Next time I will boil it for sure.I don't hold a lot of hope for these seeds as i don't have a green house or a propagator or anything to put them in,just my windowsill.
It's not typically the rainwater that's the problem, it's where you collect it from. gathered straight from the sky it's likely to be fine, but pulled from a water butt that's likely to be a breeding ground for things that can kill cacti.
I've always just used tap water and had no problems.
IanW wrote:It's not typically the rainwater that's the problem, it's where you collect it from. gathered straight from the sky it's likely to be fine, but pulled from a water butt that's likely to be a breeding ground for things that can kill cacti.
Forgive me - but I cannot see how that makes for good practice. Unless someone or something is adding to the water butt then everything in it, good and bad, came from the sky with the rain. I would not argue that after being stored in a container for days/months etc. some organisms with be more successful that others although whether these are injurious to plants would, I suppose, depend. But my point is that any skywater may contain fungal spores, algal spores bacteria etc. and so deserves to be treated accordingly especially if it is to be used on sensitive individuals.
Rainwater can contain contaminants from a whole variety of sources, some near some not so: we should all be familiar with Sahara dust by now; I suspect that if you live downwind of a motorway that despite the reduction in diesel sulfur your rain will be a little more acidic; and I did make some comments about industrial pollution (about Port Talbot) recently. Those are just easily recognisable contaminants and so you do have to add the various airborne spores and pollen and even seeds which are far less detectable - and of course one must not forget the occasional frogs/fish etc.
But my point is that prevention is far better than attempting to cure...
graham wrote:Unless someone or something is adding to the water butt then everything in it, good and bad, came from the sky with the rain.
Plus whatever was on the roof or surface that the rainwater was collected from, including the odd leaf or so, and the woodlice that have fallen in and drowned, and so on. The water butt will contain not pure rainwater but all sorts of bits in a soup. Look inside your water butt if you don't believe this, and see how much stuff accumulates at the base. The organisms that will enjoy growing in the rainwater soup may be quite keen to try small vulnerable seedlings as an alternative food source. I use rainwater for watering the greenhouse plants, but wouldn't risk using it on seedlings in the propagator.
i dont know about sterilizing the soil. i read that there are good bacteria that help in germination?
if i kill them all am i hindering the germination?
For what it's worth I never sterilize the soil but I do sterilize the pots. And when I water I stand the pots in a bowl and add boiling water to soak up into the pots. I get excellent germination.
