6 months of work...gone

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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MagiCarpus
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6 months of work...gone

Post by MagiCarpus »

About 2 weeks ago I transplanted my 5 month old Melocactus matanzanus seedlings, now I'm regretting ever doing so. I believe I have suffered 100% loss for this species. What have I done wrong? I held off water a couple days after pricking them out. Now the the bases of all plants (the part below the surface) look like this. This is a huge blow to my confidence for raising cacti from seeds. ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

Image
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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greenknight
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Re: 6 months of work...gone

Post by greenknight »

Maybe you could save some by grafting them.
Spence :mrgreen:
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kristian_Fossmo
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Re: 6 months of work...gone

Post by kristian_Fossmo »

Sow them further apart and do not repot them so early. Mine grew a year before I repotted them and all mine luckily made the transplant.
"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
Pushrestart
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Re: 6 months of work...gone

Post by Pushrestart »

Gah losses are difficult especially if you got them this far. Dont be too upset, everyone has made mistakes in order to learn along the way.
For right now, the idea of grafting is not a bad way to save what you can.

I dont do much cacti but I try to wait to the year mark before doing a first transplant of seedlings, some people even recommend transplanting with a fungicide to ensure a higher success rate. You'll be fine.
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MagiCarpus
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Re: 6 months of work...gone

Post by MagiCarpus »

Thanks everyone, I'm recuperating. It really was a bummer but a lesson learned. Luckily I still have dozen of seeds left so I will sow a new batch, and this time they will stay in there until 2018.
I suck at identification :dontknow:
ricelg
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Location: South Central Texas 8a/8b

Re: 6 months of work...gone

Post by ricelg »

Yeah, I tried my first batch of sowing and killed some by repotting too soon also. Still feel terrible about it. I'm hoping the experiences will make me smarter next time - hopefully next week! Best of luck and hang with it!
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Aiko
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Re: 6 months of work...gone

Post by Aiko »

I keep my seedlings in the same pot I sowed them in for at least two years, many times even three years, until they start to crowd eachother. My plants grow real slowely, I "grow them hard".
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MagiCarpus
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Re: 6 months of work...gone

Post by MagiCarpus »

Reviving this post after almost one year for some update. This time around everything went smoothly. I think that the secret with Melocactus is to keep their roots warm during the critical adjustment period after the transplant.

In addition, I'm using a much more porous mix this time around, and it has been an all round success.

Photo taken the same day as this post

Image

Much credit to this community for pointing me in the right direction.
I suck at identification :dontknow:
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