The windowsill adventure of my seeds

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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Yes, rinsing the roots clean is fine
Thank you once again.
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Today I took my Matucanas from MG out of their bags, both sown Oct 29th 2016

M.madisoniorum
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M.intertexta
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I suck at identification :dontknow:
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

New seedlings sown Feb 4th 2017

Back in early January 2017 I started seeds of Obregonia denegrii and Strombocactus disciformis that I received from Mesa Garden, and after a month I realized this project had been me beating a dead horse. Apparently, Strombocactus disciformis needs to be sown relatively fresh as seed viability rapidly declines.

Anyways, the point is that fuelled by frustration, this endeavour led me to impulsively ordered 100 seeds of each of the two species from CactusStore.com ! :lol:

Lo and behold, it paid off! tiny cactus hatchling in just 3 days after sowing!

Strombocactus disciformis, little green pin heads. Very delicate looking that I wondered how I'm going to keep them alive in the bag for the next year without something going wrong...knock on wood..
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Obregonia denegrii
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I suck at identification :dontknow:
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Is there a better feeling than finally receiving your Mesa Garden seeds?
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This time the order is rather small as space available under light is running out.
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I decided to focus mostly on Mammillarias, but also sprinkled in some mesembs

Mammillaria herrerae
Mammillaria guelzowiana
Mammillaria zeilmanniana
Mammillaria humboldtii
Conophytum burgeri
Conophytum obcordellum
Lithops otzeniana 'aquamarine'


Wish me luck!
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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kristian_Fossmo
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by kristian_Fossmo »

Looking good there!

About the soil on the roots issue, I use a soft paintbrush to remove the old stuff on the seedling roots when I repot. Just hold the seedling and then gently brush them of with the fingers as support behind the roots.
"When the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again."
William Beebe, 1906
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Thanks Kristian,

You and many other members who kept seed-raising journals on this forum kept me inspired!

I'll update this thread as germination sets in.
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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kristian_Fossmo
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by kristian_Fossmo »

Glad to hear that :). Sowing seeds are much more rewarding in a sense than buying bigger plants. You get a different connection to the plants when you are in it from the beginning :). And just the fact that you sometimes spread out what seems to be dust, then "just ad water" and some time later a organism shows up, never seems to stopp amaze me.
"When the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again."
William Beebe, 1906
jfabiao
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by jfabiao »

kristian_Fossmo wrote:Sowing seeds are much more rewarding in a sense than buying bigger plants. You get a different connection to the plants when you are in it from the beginning :). And just the fact that you sometimes spread out what seems to be dust, then "just ad water" and some time later a organism shows up, never seems to stopp amaze me.
I totally agree with this. The satisfaction of growing one of the "slow growers" (you will find this is very misleading...) from seed to flower is incomparable!
Z, in (mostly) sunny Lisbon.
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

...And just the fact that you sometimes spread out what seems to be dust, then "just ad water" and some time later a organism shows up, never seems to stopp amaze me.
I completely understand what you mean. There's something magical about how each of these dry particles, that you can carry around like any normal object, contain a complete organism that "hatches" when specific conditions are met. Anyways, here's Lithops otzeniana "aquamarine"

3 days after germination
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2 weeks later. As you can see, I lost a few that just dried up shortly after germination. Although unnecessary, as suggested by iann, I covered the surface with a layer of fine gravel to provide extra support.
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I suck at identification :dontknow:
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Brace yourself for a huge update dump. All photos were taken on 03/28/2017

Okay, here it comes...from oldest to youngest:

Sown 09/29/2016
Copiapoa humilis var. tenuissima
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Sown 10/28/2016
Turbinicarpus valdezianus
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Echinocereus pulchellus 'amoenus'
growths were really uneven between individual seedlings
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Sown 10/29/2017
Epithelantha micromeris
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Matucana intertexta
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Matucana madisoniorum
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Ariocarpus fissuratus
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Sown 11/05/2016
Ariocarpus agavoides
germination rate was poor
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Ariocarpus kotschubeyanus 'elephantidens'
also germinated poorly for some reason
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Note: All Ariocarpus were overexposed soon after germination which lead to red/purple seedlings that grew slowly. I have been covering them with tissue paper starting about 3 months ago, didn't seem to help that much #-o

Sown 02/04/2017
Obregonia denegrii
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Strombocactus disciformis
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Note: I intend to keep them in these bags for as long as possible, but am starting to worry about CO2 depletion. Is this a valid concern? If it is, what should I do? :-k

Sown 02/22/2017
Mammillaria herrerae
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Mammillaria humboldtii
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Mammillaria guelzowiana
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Mammillaria zeilmanniana
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Note: It boggles me that Mammillarias germinated so poorly. Out of the 10-15 seeds I've sown for each species, only 2-4 germinated, any advice? They were all MG seeds by the way. ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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7george
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by 7george »

Your topic reminded me to go and water my own seedlings.
It boggles me that Mammillarias germinated so poorly.
Well, it happens. Seeds can be old or not well preserved or our conditions could be not the optimum ones for the species. I had pure germination even for seed collected by my hands in the collection or far away from here. Actually you will need just 2 - 3 survivors of each kind for your own collection if not intending to open an online shop, are you? From other side, too big germination or too many seedlings for the pot could be a trouble as well.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
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Robb
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by Robb »

Great seedlings; I'm jealous of your Ariocarpus; they look so much nicer than my 7 month olds! Plus you got agavoides to germinate, which is a feat I'm still trying to achieve! Don't worry about CO2 depletion in the bags, I remember reading that those bags are designed to let CO2 molecules in. Either way; it works.
Buying a cactus a day will keep the madness away.
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mdpillet
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by mdpillet »

Were these seeds from Mesa Garden? I don't have the greatest success with their Mammillaria seed.
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Don't worry about CO2 depletion in the bags, I remember reading that those bags are designed to let CO2 molecules in. Either way; it works.
That is very interesting Robb! I've always thought ziplocs are air-tight. A quick google search yielded no concrete evidence that carbon dioxide diffuses across polymeric material. If anyone can link me the actual article confirming such property, that'd be awesome.
Were these seeds from Mesa Garden? I don't have the greatest success with their Mammillaria seed.
They are indeed from Mesa Garden. Besides their Mammillarias, I've also got 0% germination of their Matucana aureiflora and Strombocactus disciformis (The strombos in the picture are from cactusstore.com) . Despite of the disappointment, there had been a pleasant development today. Another Mammillaria herrerae germinated 2 weeks after I took them out of 100% humidity.

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Edit: On closer inspection, the new seedling was already there in the previous photo and for some reason evaded my eyes, but it definitely wasn't there when I took the batch out of the bag.
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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kristian_Fossmo
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by kristian_Fossmo »

I did also experience low germination for my Ariocarpus. Seeds from succseed. And I also managed to give them a nice tan as small seedlings, seems to affect them to this day. But they grow, and thats the important aspect of it :).
"When the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again."
William Beebe, 1906
Armen Tsirunyan
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by Armen Tsirunyan »

What an awesome sowing adventure! Do keep us posted. Wonderful seedlings and beautiful photos!
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