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iann wrote:Looks like you got nearly as good germination from E. polycephalus as E. xeranthemoides?

I got a very good germination rate with xeranthemoides because 7 seeds out of 10 sprouted

mikey wrote:

iann wrote:Looks like you got nearly as good germination from E. polycephalus as E. xeranthemoides?

I got a very good germination rate with xeranthemoides because 7 seeds out of 10 sprouted

Wouldn't expect anything less But what about the E. polycephalus?

Polycephalus germinated very well (about 70 % ) !!!

mikey wrote:Polycephalus germinated very well (about 70 % ) !!!

That is quite unusual. Were the seeds night-and-day different from the E. xeranthemoides seed? Sparkly and faceted as opposed to smooth and dark? Also quite a bit bigger:

wow I can't hardly get Horizonthalonius to germinate.

I chipped some seed at the edge last night with a xacto knife , planted it and left the pot in full sun with a plastic bag over the top to heat it up.

It went into a pot that had echinomastus mariponsenis seeds which failed to germinate after 3 weeks. so I dried it out and am starting again. This somtimes works- the wet dry wet again.

Maybe something will sprout now ? I put some bokeii in there also at least they usually germinate and the full heat for the first day or so often jump starts them. Then it cools off at night to around 70F if I bring it inside, 50F if I leave it out.

these are my own seeds so it only costs me time. I get these jumbled pots after 5 year sor so with different small cactus in them but I really hate one pot with 2 seedling staking up space.

excellent work though I like that propagator

Bought some horizonthalonius seed from Alplains this March -- had 90% germination

Thats excellent ! I chipped the seed coat on about 20 E. Hor. seeds and got 0% germination.


The seed looks good just doesn't like to germinate. Oh well

Don't know what method you used, Keith. I used the classic Baggie, heat pad (started in March & house still cold then; ranged 85 - 65F), 16 hr light cycle, 20% potting soil with NAPA 8822 for "soil", soaked, nuked, sprinkle & sealed bag.

keith wrote:Thats excellent ! I chipped the seed coat on about 20 E. Hor. seeds and got 0% germination.


The seed looks good just doesn't like to germinate. Oh well

Chipping is not needed. Maybe that's the reason for 0% germination?
As often, sometimes you have a high germination rate, and sometimes nothing is just going to happen. Or only when you retry the same pot with the same seeds a year later (from my experience, one or two out of every ten failed pots do however germinate after a retry a year later).

Just try again if you are unsuccessful. I have tried sowing Dinteranthus vanzylii for many years, with no germination at all, or just a few seedlings dying on me soon after. Without changing strategy this spring, I tried again and I now have a pot really filled with little thriving seedlings. Same for Echinocactus horizonthalonius.

Chipping is not needed. Maybe that's the reason for 0% germination?"

yea maybe I killed them. I've tried without chipping, same poor results maybe 1 out of 100 germinate. I will keep experiminting around. I mailed some of the same seeds to a Indonesia grower who claims he only got 40% so I guess its not the seed

Thanks

Some update :

some more . . .

Beautiful Seedlings,what is the wattage of the grow lights on the first page and what was the distance between the baggies and the lights?I am asking this because my Echinocactus seedlings are long and slender while yours were the perfect shape.
Thanks

Hello Alber,
I don't think wattage makes difference . . .
Distance does !!!
I think It shouln't be higher than 20 cm !!!
If it's less even better ( just make sure seedlings are big enough ),
shorter distance after a couple of months should be fine !!!

My bulbs are quite near to the seedlings,less than 12 inches.