BCSS - Forum

Thank you Mike.

Ray.
I was pretty amazed. I have had seed of geometricus before with no luck.

This time:

5 different geometricus. Only one has not shown any germination. The others are around 60% up

2 different alexanderii - superb germination of both

Fiambalensis and another species are up.

Opuntia distans inermis from the BCSS. - a few seedlings.

Also a couple of cylindropuntia have popped up this week after the same treatment.

Only tephrocactus failures so far are one of the geometricus packs and daniellii.

Seed quality is also a factor here I believe. The T alexanderii and mollinensis seed I brought back in 2008 germinated very well with nothing other than my usual sowing methods (as did the Tunilla seed) but over the years a lot of purchased seed has provided very mixed (or zero) results. I have one geometricus left from a sowing three years ago but other sowings have produced nothing. I regret not keeping better records but had no time in the past.
I got good Pterocactus and Austrocactus germination from Elisabeth and Norbert’s seed two years ago (again without any special treatment) and put that down to the quality of the seed.
Next time I have geometricus seed I will try the method outlined above!

I presume seed blow over the gravel and then frozen in habitat give a similar effect to the system mentioned above, but I will certainly give it a go.

RAYWOODBRIDGE wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:58 pm I presume seed blow over the gravel and then frozen in habitat give a similar effect to the system mentioned above, but I will certainly give it a go.

I presume the stones in a bird's gizzard abrade the seedcoat and the digestive acids and enzymes then soften it more before the seeds are deposited with a strong fertiliser to germinate in their new, possibly distant, location.

https://natuurtijdschriften.nl/pub/5406 ... 003007.pdf

I struggle to believe that true Tephrocactus fruits are eaten by birds. Or that they/the seeds blow very far.

Phil_SK wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:57 am I struggle to believe that true Tephrocactus fruits are eaten by birds.

They were mentioned specifically in that paper that I linked. Don't the fruit capsules split open when ripe to reveal bright red juicy sweet grains like a pomegranate? Classic form for bird-dispersed fruit.

Pattock wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 9:30 am

Phil_SK wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:57 am I struggle to believe that true Tephrocactus fruits are eaten by birds.

They were mentioned specifically in that paper that I linked. Don't the fruit capsules split open when ripe to reveal bright red juicy sweet grains like a pomegranate? Classic form for bird-dispersed fruit.

Highly unlikely for T. geometricus - the seed capsules are hard and dry, so not attractive to birds, I imagine.

And with mollinensis with the bonus that it’s fruits are packed with glochids as I found to my cost.

Ah, I just looked for the fruit I remembered as a Tephrocactus and it was a Tunilla. I had misremembered because it was on the tephro.com site.

The Tunillas I get to set seeds in the UK do have juicy fruits which split open to reveal seeds in a red jelly. I think I posted a photo of one last year.