Aztekium ritteri from seed

[fatich]

I would like to share before and after photos of my Aztekium ritteri seedlings.

[iann]

They're definitely growing!

[Tina]

Hi Fatich,
They are looking good, better than me I only managed one but its still alive after 4 or 5 years.
When did you sow the seed ?

[ralphrmartin]

They get a bit faster (and easier) as they get older. Not much, though. Well done for getting them this far!

[Aiko]

They are not hard to grow. Key is to get them to germinate using the "baggy method". After that they grow steadily but extremely slow. After five years expect nothing bigger than maybe half a centimeter. Treat them the same as any other seedlings of the same size, and they should do fine. That is the hardest part, to provide regular water in the growing season as they are so tiny, and to protect them from too excessive sunlight because they are so tiny. Same risks as any other small seedling.

That is how I treat my A. hintonii and A. ritteri for the past eight years now. Aztekium hintonii is the faster grower of the two. My eight year olds are now one centimeter. the A. ritteri of the same age are still smaller than that.

[fatich]

Hi Fatich,
They are looking good, better than me I only managed one but its still alive after 4 or 5 years.
When did you sow the seed ?

Hi Tina,

Thank you! They are around 5 years and the biggest one is 1.3cm.
As Aiko said they need regular water during the growing period.
I have some seedlings that i sowed 1.5 years ago and i grow them in an open pot under growing lights. They have been growing so good so far, i water them right after the soil is dry in that way they grow a bit faster.

Seedlings that i sowed 1.5 years ago. They are around 4-5mm.

[yonnoy]

They are not hard to grow. Key is to get them to germinate using the "baggy method". After that they grow steadily but extremely slow. After five years expect nothing bigger than maybe half a centimeter. Treat them the same as any other seedlings of the same size, and they should do fine. That is the hardest part, to provide regular water in the growing season as they are so tiny, and to protect them from too excessive sunlight because they are so tiny. Same risks as any other small seedling.

That is how I treat my A. hintonii and A. ritteri for the past eight years now. Aztekium hintonii is the faster grower of the two. My eight year olds are now one centimeter. the A. ritteri of the same age are still smaller than that.

hello, regarding baggy method. How often do you recommend opening the bag to water them again? And how do you recommend water them?

[Aiko]

hello, regarding baggy method. How often do you recommend opening the bag to water them again?

Never! Not even for a quick peak.

And how do you recommend water them?

Make sure the soil gets well sterilised through boiling before sowing. Make sure the soil is moist while it boils and make sure the soil is still moist once you put it in a pot when sowing. Let the soil cool down a bit, then sow the seeds on top of the soil, put the pot in a bag or other air tight container and let it sit there for at least one year. Maybe two. Chances are some moist will leak away anyway as the months pass. If after a year the soil seems completely dry, then you might open the bag and keep it open from then onwards. If the soil is still moist, continue to keep the bag or container locked. Only open it when algae are really getting too much, and then keep it open onwards. Some algae will always appear after a certain time, but that does not need to be a problem as long as you are not losing any seedlings.

All the water the seedlings need is what you have provided for them in the moist soil when you started sowing. It is enough for them.

It helps to use a mineral soil like loam for sowing these. With loam or clay you can easily see if it is moist as the soil has a darker colour. I use loam myself for years now.

[habanerocat]

Does anybody use cling-film instead of bags?
I find the bags a bit bulky, messy and expensive.

You can't really reuse them either as they stain.

[el48tel]

Does anybody use cling-film instead of bags?
I find the bags a bit bulky, messy and expensive.

You can't really reuse them either as they stain.

Daughter uses clingfilm on recycled take out sauce containers.
Successfully.