Cacti seed tips and tricks?

[MillieWoodley]

Welcome to the forum, Millie. You'll find plenty of advice here - some of it conflicting! There isn't a "right" way to do things; a lot of it is trial and error. Hopefully you will learn from our errors.

Thank you very much! And it's very refreshing to hear that

[MillieWoodley]

You are very welcome here and hopefully it will be very helpful to you.

Thanks!!

[Chris in Leeds]

Welcome to the forum Millie it sounds like you have the right place(KEW) to get good information on growing cacti
There is also a lot of knowledgable growers in the greater London area and there is Kent cacti and connoisseurs cacti in Orpington Kent

[Terry S.]

Below is the text of part 2 of an excellent 4-part series published in the BCSS ENewsletter Dec. 2018 - March 2019, which unfortunately does not seem to have been archived on this website. It was written by Vicky Davies, who along with her partner Chris is now raising a very good variety of rare and unusual cactus seedlings that they would be selling at various events if they were still on. They are very good at propagation from seed and Vicky is a professional horticulturist who did part of her training at the same establishment as you Millie.

Success with seeds
Part 2 – Sowing
Having discussed the purchasing and storage of seeds, Vicky Davies of C&V Cacti describes the processes and materials she uses for successful sowing.
So, the temptation was too much and you have ordered some seeds. Our household is currently waiting on several deliveries of seeds, including those from the BCSS seed list, and I expect there will be one or two more orders compiled before the spring. We are planning to do our first sowing of 2019 this month as we use a propagator and grow-lights to provide warmth, adequate light quality and a minimum of 12 hours of light.
A viable seed will grow when it receives sufficient moisture and oxygen within the suitable temperature range. A seed is said to have germinated when the first root, known as the radicle, has emerged through the outer seedcoat, the testa. It is possible for a seed to germinate without being planted in soil or other growing media. Think of cress seeds sown on cotton wool that is often done with children; the seeds will grow because they have moisture, oxygen and they are in the warm but what will happen if these seedlings are not used in egg sandwiches? The chances are that they would not receive enough light and may etiolate. They would also be growing on cotton wool, so they would lack the nutrients to grow properly. When growing from seed, therefore, it is important to consider what conditions the seedlings will experience after they have geminated and how we can alter them to benefit the seedlings.
Chris and I tend to grow small quantities of different species and consequently we sow each species in an individual pot as there is less chance of seeds being mixed up when they are watered. Currently, we use either 5cm square BEF pots or 6cm round pots for most of our sowings. Most packets we sow have between 10-20 seeds in them and, unless they are very large seeds, we find these pots adequate. We have found that the seedlings often do better when slightly overcrowded. Small pots can be found on that well-known auction site or alternatively yoghurt pots with holes made in the base will work just as well. Whatever you decide to use, it is important that the pots are clean, so if they have been used before they should be washed in hot soapy water. Good hygiene is important with any seed sowing as it reduces the risk of damping-off diseases, which will kill the seedlings.
For the last six years or so we have been using John Innes compost mixed with molar, fired clay granules that absorb moisture without becoming waterlogged, in a 50:50 mix as our sowing medium. Molar is often used by bonsai growers and can be expensive as a horticultural product but a much cheaper form has been Tesco Low Dust Cat Litter. Unfortunately, Tesco has now discontinued this, so we will be swapping to Euro Car Parts All Purpose Absorbent Granules (available online or in-store in larger bags than the cat litter but at a comparable overall price), which appears to be the same material but unscented. There are lots of other options as to what composts and media you can use, so choose the best for your situation and the number of packets of seeds you are planning to grow. Remember, the seeds will grow when they have moisture but the aftercare may vary depending on what is chosen.

Bases for seed-raising media include John Innes loam-based (left) and Multipurpose (right) composts or Coir (below)

Perlite (left) or molar (right) make very good alternatives to grit in seed-raising potting mixes and help the development of good roots


The growing medium should be gently pressed down with a tamper to just below the top of the pot
BEF 5cm pots housed in heated propagators under grow-lights

Until last year we had not bothered to sterilise our sowing media but our first sowing had a very bad moss problem. When we did our second sowing, the mixture was put in the microwave on full power until very hot and then allowed to cool before it was used, which resulted in much less moss.
The clean pots can then be filled with the sowing medium. Fill the pots to the top, give them a tap on the table, which helps remove any big air spaces, and then lightly press down with a pot tamper or other suitable implement. The compost level should now be just below the rim of the pot, allowing just enough room for when the pot is watered but not too low so that the pot itself causes too much shadow to fall on the seedlings, which will affect their growth. After we have filled the pots, they are stood in a tray of water until the surface is damp and then allowed to drain.
The seeds can then be sown. We tend to sprinkle them evenly across the surface of the compost but it is possible to use a tiny screwdriver to place them. Most cacti seeds require light to germinate so the seeds do not need to be buried, but make sure they are in contact with the surface of the compost so they can absorb moisture. We do not grow many other succulents but we tend to treat them the same as the cacti. Remember to label each pot with what was sown and also the date it was sown. Our sown pots are then placed in a heated propagator. Depending on the species, germination can take 1-3 weeks but some can take a lot longer if a dormancy needs to be broken.
Once most of the seeds have germinated in a pot and the seedlings are growing, we will often top dress with fine aquarium grit to help reduce the risk of moss and pest problems. Silver sand can also be used, but we have found over time it forms a solid layer and can affect growth and water uptake.
In next month’s eNews, we will look at the aftercare of the seedlings once they have germinated. )

[NaZzAtAzEr]

Below is the text of part 2 of an excellent 4-part series published in the BCSS ENewsletter Dec. 2018 - March 2019, which unfortunately does not seem to have been archived on this website. It was written by Vicky Davies, who along with her partner Chris is now raising a very good variety of rare and unusual cactus seedlings that they would be selling at various events if they were still on. They are very good at propagation from seed and Vicky is a professional horticulturist who did part of her training at the same establishment as you Millie.

Do you know where I can find the other parts for this guide?

[Tony R]

Below is the text of part 2 of an excellent 4-part series published in the BCSS ENewsletter Dec. 2018 - March 2019, which unfortunately does not seem to have been archived on this website.

Do you know where I can find the other parts for this guide?

All the eNewsletters used to be archived on this page,
http://www.society.bcss.org.uk/index.ph ... etter.html before the Form to subscribe to it.
But they have now disappeared. I'll ask Al Laius if he knows anything about them.

For the Home Page still points to the Archive! Complete with apostrophe in the wrong place!

news.jpg (16.09 KiB) Viewed 1274 times

[Chris L]

Below is the text of part 2 of an excellent 4-part series published in the BCSS ENewsletter Dec. 2018 - March 2019, which unfortunately does not seem to have been archived on this website.

Do you know where I can find the other parts for this guide?

All the eNewsletters used to be archived on this page,
http://www.society.bcss.org.uk/index.ph ... etter.html before the Form to subscribe to it.
But they have now disappeared. I'll ask Al Laius if he knows anything about them.

For the Home Page still points to the Archive! Complete with apostrophe in the wrong place!


news.jpg

Is this it? Perhaps it isn't. Even missing from Wayback......
http://society.bcss.org.uk/index.php/cu ... uides.html

The eNews are here.
https://us13.campaign-archive.com/home/ ... c771004fe1

[Tony R]

Thanks Chris and Al for confirming a new link to the eNews Archive:

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/home/ ... c771004fe1

This only appears to go back to January 2019 though.

So Parts 2, 3 and 4 of Vicky's article are in the Jan, Feb, Mar 2019 eNews, respectively from this archive.

With a bit of research in Wayback machine, I have also found the direct link to the December 2018 eNews which contains Part 1, which is here:

http://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=6ea ... 5f7b2b863b

Hope this helps!

[NaZzAtAzEr]

Thanks Chris and Al for confirming a new link to the eNews Archive:

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/home/ ... c771004fe1

This only appears to go back to January 2019 though.

So Parts 2, 3 and 4 of Vicky's article are in the Jan, Feb, Mar 2019 eNews, respectively from this archive.

With a bit of research in Wayback machine, I have also found the direct link to the December 2018 eNews which contains Part 1, which is here:

http://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=6ea ... 5f7b2b863b

Hope this helps!

Thanks a lot for this!