When should non-sprouting cactus seeds be written off?

i meant your money wont last long. :)

i would rather live on the coast than here.

yeah im not getting the best germination rates from urban shaman either. i got 30% this summer and i let them know, i was told they got fresher seeds, so far ive got 5% on those seeds. we shall see if this changes

 

In case anybody is still following this ongoing saga-of-the-cactus-seeds, the seed-dealers sent me a replacement batch and I sowed them a week before xmas. One seed out of the eight replacements has sprouted. It's definitely a cactus. It looks kind of cute, actually --- like a 3mm long mini-cactus with super-fine white thready hairs instead of spines. However, since I sowed the replacement seeds according to instructions by just pressing them into the cactus-mix and not burying them, the one that sprouted is kind of just lying on the surface, and I'm worried about it possibly not taking root. It is in an enclosed container under a sunlamp, so the humidity level is probably 100 percent and of course it won't dry out really quickly, but I'm wondering if I should help it along by burying the root end but I'm not sure I should do this, and I'm also not sure which end is the root end. One end still has the seed casings on it and the other end has a bunch of white hairs --- can anyone tell me which end is the root end?

 

Leave it alone.
It has sprouted because conditions are right for it to do so.
It knows how to grow better than you can guide it.


Waz

 

Great Joy! You've waited long enough, and now you have cactus babies. The end with the "hairs" is the root end, and the seed coat is covering the top of the plant. As it grows, as with other plants, the seed coat will be shed. The roots SHOULD turn down and dig into the soil. Now, I had a problem with my first try at cactus seeds. It was that I had packed the soil too firmly and the root wasn't able to dig in. If your soil is nice and fluffy you sould be fine. If you, like I did, pressed too hard it might help to sprinkly a bit of soil in the root and mist it once so that the root stays alive long enough to dig the hard soil.

Cactus seeds really seem to take their time sprouting, so don't write the unsprouted ones off yet.

I'm still following the thread, so keep us posted.

 

just to be fair to urban shaman here i got 80% germination in the end on my last batch.

thats a fine rate, plus he threw in like 15 extra seeds on 30 :) 50% extra, i don't call that unfair or overpriced at all. and as for that graft, check the progress.
if anyone needs some pereskiopsis in BC, let me know and we will work out a trade :)
also, check out these trichocereus seedlings
left to right
lophophora williamsii, seed grown and grafted to pereskiopsis, (80 days old)
hps grown Trichocereus Bridgesii (echinopsis lageniformis)
T5 grown T. Peruvians
t5 grown bridgesii

 

Id be extremely interested in a trade - please PM me (just registered so Im not sure if you can for 24 hours)

Cheers
Charliewood

 

I got 98% germination from 23 types of seeds ( succulents and cacti) from Mesa Garden...the service, varieties and prices were excellent.

 

Ive also had very good success rates on germination from Koehres Kakteen
Cheers
Charliewood

 

heres what that graft above looks like today.

 

michnast - thats a very good growth rate, also your perskiopsis is in very good condition! Bravo!
Cheers
Charliewood

 

It died (the one cactus that sprouted).
:(
Is there a dealer somewhere on the lower mainland of british columbia that I can simply buy one of these from? I've done everything right with the lights and humidity and rah, rah, rah --- but they just don't ever sprout for me, well except one, but then a month later it dies. Maybe they only work for certain people.

 

Thomas
I wouldnt give up that easy, sometimes you get a bad batch of seeds..... however PM me and Ill mail you a couple seedlings if you like.... Id hate to see you get entirely dissuaded with these..
Cheers
Charlie

 

Awesome Chaz --- that was too cool of you to do that. I separated the torch seedlings although no matter how delicately I tried to tease their rootballs apart, I'm sure there was some tearing. Same with the lophos that were very close together, but I did my best, and hopefully I might get some grafting rootstock, or in any case will end up giving each one it's own pot before the year is up. So, you can rest assured they've gone to a good home ...
;)

By the way, do you want some Desmanthus seeds? If so, just say the word. I have way too many --- I bought 500 grams from Prairie Moon because that was the smallest lot size they dealt in. Hundred per cent germ-rate or damned close to it, too.

Regards, Tom