27 February 2009
Seedling progress
Posted by Stuart under: Cacti; Other Succulents; Propagation .
It’s good to see that a large number of seedlings have put the last few months to good use.
My juvenile plants of Gasteria pulchra sown in December 2007 have really got a move on in the last few weeks, and will soon need pricking out.
The temptation is, of course, to keep several to see how variable the markings are as the plants mature, but given my current problems with lack of space in the greenhouse at the moment, it’s not really practical.
I kept some of the less robust cactus seedlings indoors under lights in order to get them ready for a full growing season in the greenhouse, and the results have been encouraging. My only Pygmaeocereus bieblii from the 2008 sowing is romping away, as are the Mammillaria pectinifera and Turbinicarpus alonsoi, although I’ve lost one or two of both the latter species. While it’s OK to keep them pretty wet if the temperature is high enough, I forgot that the temperature would drop when the central heating was turned down after the really cold snap we’ve had, resulting in some rot.
Even more impressive, though, are the Eriosyce subgibbosa ssp. castanea and Frailea santaritense seedlings, sown last May and October respectively. I’ve come to the conclusion that fraileas really are very easy from seed indeed, as long as you have fresh seed. If the seed is viable they grow like weeds.
2 Comments so far...
marion bedford Says:
7 February 2010 at 4:58 pm.
Look like excellent results. Have you tried any euphorbia seeds, and if so what was the success rate. regards, Marion
Stuart Says:
16 February 2010 at 4:08 pm.
Hello Marion - only E. obesa. It was very straightforward from seed. I gave it standard cactus treatment and had no problems at all.