The windowsill adventure of my seeds

All about seed grown plants. How-to information, progress reports, show of your results.
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Thank you for your kind words Robb. I keep most of my seedlings under growlight, with heat mat underneath and light fertilization every watering. That's probably why they are all fat and spoiled.
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 seedlings look great! I'm jealous too.

Even Lophophoras grow as expected. Tops of my lopho-seedlings went underground this summer and still do not appreciate waterings maybe feeling too hot or too sunny.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Here goes another photo dump.

Please scroll up to previous posts if you wish to observe growth overtime.

I won't be updating all seedlings under my care, more will come as soon as I muster the time.

Pseudolithos cubiformis
sown August of this year, only 4/5 seeds from MSG germinated. Not so happy as, for more than 1 dollar per piece, I had hoped germination rate to be better (i.e. 100%)
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Astrophytum asterias 'Super Kabuto'. I am no Hanazono so don't judge the poor germination rate, at least they're growing reasonably fast. For some reasons only the seeds sown near the edge germinated. :x
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Strombocactus disciformis
I can finally say with confidence that I could observe some kind of growth over the last few months. I think they are quite fast once they grow pass certain sizes.
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Turbinicarpus swobodae
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Mammillaria pectinifera. Such beauties.
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Astrophytum myriostigma 'quadricostatum'. Nice.
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Lophophora williamsii 'Big Bend'. Green pumpkins.
Then...(Late 2016)
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Now...(Today)
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Matucana madisoniorum. Rapid growth. Love the velvety texture. I am more interested in the spineless ones, so just go bald already :mrgreen:
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Turbinicarpus pseudomachrochele 'krainzianus'
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Obreginia denegrii. Slow...
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Matucana intertexta. I had to transplant them into individual pots since the last update. I really didn't expect these to grow like weed. I hope I'm not over fertilizing them.
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I suck at identification :dontknow:
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mmcavall
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by mmcavall »

Congratulations! Neat seedlings, good pictures...the Astros, Strombos and Matucana...cool
I would be very happy with 4/5 pseudolithos. Take care of them. Mine were eaten by slugs in the day I opened the bags.
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Thank you mmcavall. Have you managed to sow another batch of pseudolithos?
I suck at identification :dontknow:
the_cheshirecat
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by the_cheshirecat »

WOW your babies are beautiful!
Congrats!
I have planted a few seeds 2-3 weeks ago, but nothing's happening just yet.
Can I ask you how many days/weeks it took between sowing the seeds and actually seeing anything?
I wonder if I'm just impatient or if I have dead seeds...
Ty the cheshirecat
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ElieEstephane
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by ElieEstephane »

Great progress! Those obregonia seedlings are heavenly!
I had one instance of seedling growing only at the edges and it was because there wasn't enough humidty in the bag. So the seeds grew only where the moisture was dripping from condensation on the bag to the sides of the pot.
May i ask why you chose the big bend variety? Im looking to start growing lophophora and don't know whoch locality or variety to start with.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Can I ask you how many days/weeks it took between sowing the seeds and actually seeing anything?
I wonder if I'm just impatient or if I have dead seeds...
Across my short experience most species such as turbinicaepus and astrophytums will germinate within 1 week provided 100% humidity, heat, and some light. Some species such as mammillarias might take up to 2 weeks for more, and I tend to find results to be all over the places for this genus. some opuntioids will take up to months to sprout roots (I had no experience with this family of cacti though).
May i ask why you chose the big bend variety?
I grew this variety for these reasons:
1. It's a variety that can no longer be found in the wild where it originated (Big Bend National Park, Texas)
2. It's one of the most cold hardy variety
3. It has claimed to have one of the most intensely pink flower (in lophophora standard) among the williamsii varieties.
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Matucana madisoniorum continues to be a joy to watch while they inflate exponentially, too quick for my grow space in fact.
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Now the turtles...
A. fissuratus
Then...
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Now...
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A. agavoides
Then...
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Now...
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A. kotschubeyanus 'elephantidens'
Then...
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Now...
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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 mesemb sowings of 2018. Will be updating these regularly as they inflate.

Lithops
Sown 01/14/2018
L. Dorotheae C124
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L. Dorotheae cv. 'Zorro'
(sown 01/17/2018)
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L. Hallii var. 'green soapstone' (only 5/8 germinated)
Worst germination success among all :idea:
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L. optica var. rubra
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L. viridis
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At this stage they all look virtually identical, thus it would be interesting how they change and differentiate over time...fingers crossed.

--------------------

Meanwhile, I'm cooking some Dinteranthus pole-evansii...
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So far 6 out of 20-something seeds germinated, although it has been almost 2 weeks.
I heard conflicting protocols for this genera. The majority think a bright steam bath (40+ celsius) is the key, while a few growers swear by keeping them cool. In this case I guess I'll play with both sides by heating them up under light during the days, and bring them to a drafty window at night. :-k :-k :-k We'll see.

--------------------

Some miscellaneous progress updates
one of the many Matucana intertexta
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I hope it's getting big enough to flower soon.

Conophytum burgeri...these are babes.
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I suck at identification :dontknow:
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7george
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by 7george »

Good progress indeed! Are the grownups still under lights this time of year?
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Good progress indeed! Are the grownups still under lights this time of year?
Sorry for replying so late, I've been AWOL
Yes for the first 2 growing seasons and winter I kept them under light if I have the space, just to speed up their growth. They'll be graduated to my windowsill starting this growing season.

Now for some Lithops updates, same plants, same order, now 2 month old

Sown 01/14/2018
L. Dorotheae C124
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L. Dorotheae cv. 'Zorro' (sown 01/17/2018)
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L. Hallii var. 'green soapstone' (only 4 survived :| )
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L. optica var. rubra
Image

L. viridis
Image
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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Licespray
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by Licespray »

Just read the whole thread - fantastic! Loving the constant updates.

Where does one get Lophophora seeds? What happened to them in Big Bend NP!?
Ferocactus best cactus :mrgreen:
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MagiCarpus
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by MagiCarpus »

Hi Licespray,
Thank you for hopping along my humble journey, I’m glad that you enjoyed the updates so far.

L. williamsii is not too endangered in the wild, the population is classified as vulnerable on IUCN, if I recalled correctly. It’s however a highly variable species with subtle physical permutations scattered along Texas/México. The big bend variety is simply one of the many varieties that were found within a small area in the park. According to the grower who sold me the big bend seeds, the plants have vanished from its original type locality. The reason that happened was not clear but one can make reasonable conjectures (grazing, development, etc.)

I got my seeds from a fellow Canadian cacti aficionado. Here is his website.
http://www.magicactus.com

P.S. my username has no connection with his website at all, just a coincidence :p
I suck at identification :dontknow:
maurozzz
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Re: The windowsill adventure of my seeds

Post by maurozzz »

Love this thread! I hope you had great luck with them.
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