What's your Seed Raising Methodology ?

[Trevor]

Thought I'd just throw this out there after some of Ian's thoughts in my "A New Toy" thread.

I'm interested in hearing what sort of regime the seed raisers amongst us using. While I've been happy with my results in the past, I'm not always totally successful and I'm willing to experiment, so I'm eager to hear what other people do.

Things like:
The day length you run your lights for..
The temprature you try and run your propagator at..
Do you drop the temprature overnight...
Do you water everyday or multiple times daily...
When do you start feeding and how often....

Anything else you'd like to share....

[Guest]

What I did to raise most of my plants was:

Sow seeds by variety in individual cells of tray inserts.
Compost: JI no2 33%, expanded clay (cat litter) 33%, perlite 33% all steam steralised.
Enclosed tempreture controlled environment using full spectrum bulbs with mylar on the walls to reflect light giving all round light.
Tempreture Day, the lights raise the tempreture variably to between 20c and 30C depending on external tempretures.
Night, space heat the unit to 12c only
12 hour day/night with the lights and no exteral light allowed.
Watering initial soak with fungicide, then water from below when almost dry.
After sowing a propagator cover (tray type) placed over tray of inserts this being removed after about 50% germination.
All lights individually switched so light levels could be adjusted, I found 4*4' tubes worked well for a 4'* 2' run. This allowed 1 tube initially growing to all four tubes as the seedling grow.
I sow in February and keep the seedlings growing in this environment for 18 months when the were moved to the bottom staging in my greenhouse to harden off for there first winter rest. The floowing sping the plugs of seedlings are planted in pots or trays but not disturbed.
The large eriosyse for example are sowed 3 seeds to cell and if moe than one germinates it is removed and the single plant grown on as above.

[Guest]

Trevor, the older I get, the more convinced I am that the major factor is the quality of seed. For years I have tried to grow Mammillaria pennispinosa. Never germinated until this year and now I have half a dozen seedlings growing on happily. No change in my methods though.

The one difference though this year was good early spring weatherwhich meant a nice variation of temperatures between day and night.

I once asked Steve Brack about germinating Echinocatus horizonthalonious and he recommended daytime temperatures up to 115f!

[Chris43]

Hi Trevor,
What seems to work for me is:

- compost - 50% sieved John Innes soil based compost, 50% sharp sand/grit

- initially sterilised in plastic Xmas pudding containers in microwave for 10 mins full power.

- fill 2" square pots (just because I have them), and sow seeds, one species per pot. soak well in boiled tap water with chinosol tablet in to specified strength.

- bag up into clear small polythene bags, and into the propagator.

- thermostat set for 25C, and have 4 x 25w (equiv 125w) engergy saving lights above clear plastic lid. Little heat from lights. All these set for 12 hour clock cycle 7am to 7pm. In greenhouse in wintertime, where min temp is 7C.

But I do agree about seed quality - I have found this rather variable. It's not unusual for me to sow seed of one species one year and have nothing, then new seed from same source, next year, and bingo! Except Fraileas, which are very hit and miss, I've found - apparently very fresh seed is needed to be reasonably sure.

Hope this helps.

[Guest]

Mine is almost identical to Chris but I use vermiculite equal parts with JI and sharp sand, Larger square pots divided into 4, Cheshunt compound rather than chinosol and no lights.

They go into the propagator at the end of February also at 25c but if the sun shines (as it did this year) they will go up to 30c +.

Worked really well this year too - cacti and succulents.

Haworthia seed (when I can get it) gets cooler conditions.

Mike.

[Davide]

Hi Trevor.
What seems to work for me:
- compost - 50% universal soil, 50% granite sand. All sterilised in plastic containers in microwave for 5 mins full power.
-fill 3" square pots and sow seeds, one species per pot.
-Distilled water.
-bag up into clear small polythene bags, and into the propagator.
-28-30?C 12 hs (day) and 20?C (12 hs) night.
-2x18 Watt lights, OSRAM L18W/77 FLORA
OSRAM L18W/860 LUMILUX DAYLIGHT.
-sow in October
Best results with these acquarius-propagator and refrigerator-propagator:
[IMG]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y8/pip ... CN4804.jpg[/IMG]

[saxocactus]

Oh dear. I use a light mix and hope. They go on a light but not to bright window sill and so far everything I have planted has had a t least one germination. Maybe I've been lucky - beginner's luck even.

[iann]

I start most seeds in the middle of winter.
50% John Innes, 50% cat litter and a little fine grit for weight
Microwaved and covered with plastic.
Temperature 25C-30C by day, 18C-20C by night for germination, cooler after germination.
800 foot-candles - 1,200 foot-candles of fluorescent light.
Cacti stay covered for 3-6 months, mesembs come out after a month or so
Mesembs and bigger cacti get full sun as soon as there is any, sensitive ones go under the staging when its sunny.
I also start a few things in the greenhouse or in the house randomly during the year, they need a little more attention than the ones in the propagator to make sure they don't overheat or dry out.

[countrydudeuk]

saxocactus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh dear. I use a light mix and hope. They go on
> a light but not to bright window sill and so far
> everything I have planted has had a t least one
> germination. Maybe I've been lucky - beginner's
> luck even.


I just use a rough 50/50 J.I. No1/hort grit mix, place a plastic cover over the top and place under the gh staging and shade from strong sun. So far it's working fine, but I know that results will always be patchy compared to you guys with the growlights and thermostatically controlled heaters etc. Obviously I don't sow in winter though!

In fact, I'm going to be sowing some Lithops seed this weekend.

For me, that's the fun of the hobby. Having a go even if you haven't got the necessary equipment to get great results. Maybe one day I'll invest in that stuff, but until then, I'll enjoy "having a go" and seeing what happens!

[iann]

Hardly anybody grew cactus seeds under lights until maybe 15 years ago. But then everybody used to say raising from seed was hard! Of course germination is the easy bit, especially with Lithops. Growing them on is harder.