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- To: "Seeds List" <s*@eskimo.com>
- Subject: Cacti & succulent germination
- From: "* A* <P*@classic.msn.com>
- Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 02:36:35 -0700 (PDT)
- Old-Date: Sat, 30 Aug 97 15:44:09 UT
Hi all: Sil Horwitz posted (seeds-digest Digest V97 #119) about his experiment with germinating cactus with several pertainent questions. I have concentrated on germination of cacti and succulents for the past few years and would like to pass on my experience. Nota Bene: Perhaps more than any other type of plant, successful cultivation of cacti and succulents is dependent on your local conditions. Guidelines found in books are starting points to be modified as necessary based on what works for you in the particular conditions in which you grow your plants. Sil, a first question: Did you allow drainage in your refridgerator container? (snip) First one: as this is a mixture, and contains seeds that will germinate at different intervals, how do I protect the seeds that haven't germinated yet, as I don't want to give the germinated ones too much water? (unsnip) This prolonged germination is typical of many succulent species. Cacti seedlings have considerable tolerance for extra moisture, much more so than they will as they mature. The seedlings can be left to grow where they are until they crowd each other. This may mean that you need to move a few apart almost from the beginning, but most will be able to stay where they are for as much as a year. While the seedlings are very small they can be moved easily, _gently_ teasing them out with tweezers, opening a small hole where there's more room, laying the roots of the seedling in and gently (again) firming the potting mix around the roots. A quick spray will help settle the soil particles. Potting mix for most cacti needs to be very free draining. Cacti seedlings may like fairly frequent watering, but not if the soil retains a lot of moisture. Be sure you know that the mix if fairly dry all the way down before a full watering. Ungerminated seed will mostly be on or very close to the surface of the mix; daily misting will help keep that region moist and not over-soak the root zone. I don't recommend keeping the growing container closed. You will get the best results from a systemic fungicide applied to the soil; the epidermis of cacti does not allow the uptake of water and solutions. Contact fungicides are helpful only to control soil surface organisms. I would also recommend that you fetilize only once a month (with a very weak dilution of fertilizer). After 3-4 weeks it is sometimes helpful to allow the entire propagating box to dry thoroughly; seeds of some species don't break dormancy until they experience a cycle of moist and dry conditions. I have also found it helpful to cultivate the surface lightly from time to time. This helps break up any crusting of the surface of the mix, and seems to help a few more seeds germinate. The Parks folks probably know what species are included in their mix, so the 6 months outside germination rate is probably accurate, but many succulent species may not germinate for a year or two of seasonal cycling. By the end of six months you may have so many seedlings that you don't care if any more germinate, but if you want to see what may still be there you can keep the container going for quite a while. Commercial cactus potting mix has a lot of peat, which is ideal for algae. If algae gets to be a problem, mulch the surface with coarse sand or fine gravel. Anyone interested in growing cacti and succulents are urged to subscibe to the discussion list cacti_etc (cacti_etc@opus.hpl.hp.com; send email to: listproc@opus.hpl.hp.com with the message "subscribe cacti_etc your name". subject field blank). Also, visit these wonderful sites: The Amateur's Digest http://vvv.com/~amdigest/homepage.htm (AD has a new area specially designed for folks new to cacti and succulents) The Cactus and Succulent Plant Mall http://www.demon.co.uk/mace/cacmall.html Regards all around, Phillip Allen
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