MrXeric's seedlings 2021 (and beyond...)

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MrXeric
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

Post by MrXeric »

keith wrote: Wed Mar 23, 2022 10:30 pm Dinteranthus vanzylii: very low germination' I sowed tis species and every time I watered them they would die and more would sprout so finally I stopped watering them , or watered very little. 2 made it .
Maybe I should sow and keep these outside the bag in the future. Start letting the pot dry sooner too. The high humidity doesn't seem to improve germination anyway..
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MrXeric
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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Here is the next batch of seedlings at 1 year old.

Ariocarpus bravoanus subs. hintonii. It had been months since I last checked on these when I finally took a look last November to find them dwindling.
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So I pricked them out and 11 of the original 29 seedlings survived and I was glad. :)
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Ariocarpus fissuratus. These were not as bad as the other pot, but some seedlings did damp off so I pricked the healthy ones out while I was at it.
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Unfortunately, only 3 seedlings survived that transplant and I was sad. :(
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Aztekium ritteri. I think I see some areoles forming. :D They have this funky coating of algae on them so maybe I should keep these out of the bag now?
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Discocactus horstii. These showed little growth since the last update in June so I also pricked these out last November with the Ariocarpus and put them in a mostly mineral mix. Over the next three months there was no improvement and 3 seedlings died off, while the rest became slightly shriveled and brownish, despite being in low light. I transplanted the 4 surviving seedlings again in February (hardly any roots!), but this time I mixed in some peat (about 30% of the whole mix), thinking the last mix dried too soon. Lo and behold, they plumped and turned green and growth really kicked off not even a month later. Not sure if either the extra moisture retention or increased acidity helped. Maybe both?
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Cochemiea (ex Ortegocactus) macdougallii. I've decided to adopt the most current classification, though I'm not 100% convinced. I think these, together with ex. Neolloydia, flower apically, which is not seen in other Cochemiea/Mammillaria? For now, I'll continue using the Cochemiea genus name until someone publishes something that convincingly explains why it should remain Ortegocactus. Anyway, these seedlings have been so well behaved, with only 1 seedling lost (and another two failed to take as grafts). Growth speed was faster than expected too.
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I have failed to keep the following alive up to this point:
Neoporteria napina 'duripulpa' (ex N. reichei f. duripulpa): I completely killed off the seedlings soon after germinating with a too-hot halogen lamp.

Strombocactus disciformis: Last November I noticed that the seedlings were completely drowned by green algae, though their round shape was still discernible. I spray the pot with hydrogen peroxide, but the algae was persistent so I took the pot out of the bag and let it dry. Over the next several weeks, the seedlings slowly flattened and damped off until all were gone.

Turbinicarpus jauernigii: Never germinated despite drying the pot several times over many months. Pot was eventually discarded.
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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MrXeric wrote: Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:29 am

Strombocactus disciformis: Last November I noticed that the seedlings were completely drowned by green algae, though their round shape was still discernible. I spray the pot with hydrogen peroxide, but the algae was persistent so I took the pot out of the bag and let it dry. Over the next several weeks, the seedlings slowly flattened and damped off until all were gone.
That's too bad! Let me know if you want to try again, I recently pollinated my Strombo disciformis and hopefully will have lots of seed
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

Post by Fatich »

I think its better to keep the Aztekium in bag for a few months for faster growth.
They do fine out of the bag too.
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MrXeric
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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A_G_R wrote: Tue Mar 29, 2022 5:13 pm That's too bad! Let me know if you want to try again, I recently pollinated my Strombo disciformis and hopefully will have lots of seed
Thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind!
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MrXeric
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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Fatich wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 3:16 pm I think its better to keep the Aztekium in bag for a few months for faster growth.
They do fine out of the bag too.
Thanks for the advice Fatich. I will keep the Aztekium in the bag and just keep an eye on that algae.
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

Post by Fatich »

Here is one of my Aztekium ritteri seedling that i grow out of bag. ~2 years old.
The paper behind is 10 mm.
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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Strombocactus disciformis: Last November I noticed that the seedlings were completely drowned by green algae, though their round shape was still discernible. I spray the pot with hydrogen peroxide, but the algae was persistent so I took the pot out of the bag and let it dry. Over the next several weeks, the seedlings slowly flattened and damped off until all were gone.
Yes seedling of Strombocactus disciformis is very small and grow very slowly.
I sowed seeds on 13th November 2018.
Repotted them into 10 cm square pots on 8th October 2019 and 1st Feburary 2020, 100 seedlings in total.

92 seedlings have survived. Large one is 17 mm and small one is 10 mm in diameter.
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MrXeric
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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Fatich wrote: Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:29 pm Here is one of my Aztekium ritteri seedling that i grow out of bag. ~2 years old.
The paper behind is 10 mm.
Good reference photo, thank you.
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MrXeric
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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Hanazono wrote: Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:26 pm Yes seedling of Strombocactus disciformis is very small and grow very slowly.
I sowed seeds on 13th November 2018.
Repotted them into 10 cm square pots on 8th October 2019 and 1st Feburary 2020, 100 seedlings in total.

92 seedlings have survived. Large one is 17 mm and small one is 10 mm in diameter.
Great looking seedlings, Frank. Certainly slow though!
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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1 year update on the third batch of seeds I sowed in 2021

Copiapoa calderana 'lembckei' KK 70 100-200m Caldera, Chile [MG85.71] (sold by Mesa Garden as "Copiapoa lembckei"). These 2 seedlings (plus a third that was grafted) survived a fungus attack that killed off the rest of the seedlings. :) I'm not sure if I'm giving these too much light by keeping them behind some window screen outdoors.
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Coryphantha echinoidea 'schwarziana' [MG135.4]. Can you spot the imposters? :wink:
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Other than the two mystery Mammillaria (the second seedling is blurred to oblivion in the background) that germinated together with the Coryphantha, you can see two Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus seedlings that didn't germinate together with the rest. My then 1 year old pot of T. pseudopectinatus was scorched in October when I put it in another location. The seedlings were used to sun from above rather than from the side and their "necks" were bleached and I lost many seedlings. Some seedlings did not die right away and I tried to graft them. Only 1 took and another rooted and pushed itself away from the rootstock. Amazing to me how the tiny thing below grew roots!
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There was one seedling left in the pot (that I thought survived the ordeal unscathed) and when I unpotted it, I found that it lost its taproot but rerooted sometime later.
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At the time I had just finished pricking out the Coryphantha seedlings, so I decided to put the 2 Turbinicarpus survivors in the same pot.
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That last picture was taken in November and the Coryphantha seedlings were not yet 9 months old. Amazing how much they grew in the last 5 months or so.

Echinocactus horizonthalonius SNL 94 White City, New Mexico, USA [MG171.3]. I started keeping these outdoors in direct sun last summer and allowed them to have a dry winter rest. All of them came back in the spring. :D
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The picture below was taken early In March this year when they were still dormant. Notice how most of them sunk into the pot.
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Gymnocalycium schickendantzii P 17A Sierra de Velasco 1600m, La Rioja, Argentina [MG487.78]. I had difficulty getting these to germinate. After repeated wet/dry cycles, these 3 finally germinated 10 months ago. I like the mottled, grey-brown color they have going on. :) They seem slower than the other 2 Gymnos I sowed.
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Mammillaria pectinifera [MG827].
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...or not! These are actually Mammillaria pachycylindrica Nazas, Durango, Mexico [MG822.7] (though I have them labeled as "M. grusonii subs. pachycylindrica" to follow the latest classification). I was curious about the picture that was shown for the M. pectinifera 827 listing (and the fact that the seedlings weren't looking anything like M. pectinifera...), so I eventually asked Mesa about it and they responded:
Yes there was an error when the label was transcribed. 827 had 822.7 seeds in the packet. So unfortunately if you bought 827 it was not the right seeds but now everything is set correctly, 822.7 has the right picture, name and data.
Not quite what I was expecting, but if my seedling eventually look like the listing picture I'll be happy! Also, I think some of the seedlings are variegated? The middle seedling has a color gradient of white at the base, turning to yellow going up, and green at the apex. Hopefully not diseased?

Pediocactus knowltonii SB 304 San Juan County, NM, USA [MG1148]. I'm surprised I managed to keep these 2 (plus another that was grafted) alive until now, since I lost over half of the seedlings pretty early on. These went outdoors in direct sun together with the E. horizonthalonius last summer and also gave them a dry winter rest. They responded to water in March within a couple days. I've been reading up on them and they're not quite summer growing like other cacti. They are most active in the spring and fall, and go into dormancy both in the summer and winter. I've also been reading on the efforts to conserve the species; they're desperately endangered and grow pretty much on a single hill in New Mexico. Very interesting and concerning.
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Rapicactus booleanus Municipio de Galeana, Nuevo Leon, Mexico [MG445.8] (Mesa has them under "Turbinicarpus booleanus Mp Galeana"). The two larger seedlings have a habit of flopping down on their sides when they're thirsty and I assumed the worst when I first saw it. :lol: They become erect soon after watering. I use their floppiness as an indicator to water the other seedlings of similar age inside my prop box. :)
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I failed to keep the following alive up to this point:

Lobivia haematantha 'albolanata' R 585A Santa Victoria to Quebrada del Toro, Salta, Argentina [MG539.23]. Sold by Mesa as "Lobivia haematantha v. rebutioides". Only 3 seed germinated. I attempted to graft all three and two grafts took. You can see the larger graft here.

Pelecyphora strobiliformis [MG1173.4]. Same thing, only 3 seeds germinated and I attempted to graft them. Only 1 graft took.

Sclerocactus papyrancanthus RP 50 South of Holbrook 5100ft, Navajo, Arizona, USA [MG1280.2]. Only one seed germinated and eventually damped off. The remaining seeds were covered by a white bloom and I discarded the pot.

Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus v. flaviflorus Santa Rita [MG1284]. 5 seeds germinated. I got overambitious with the grafting and kept going after each scion failed to take. I eventually ran out of seedlings ](*,) .

Turbinicarpus valdezianus v. albiflorus SB 205 Santa Ana, Nuevo Leon, Mexico [MG1302]. Only one seed tried to germinate, but it never made it past the radicle poking through the seed. Tried drying and rehydrating, but I eventually gave up and threw out the pot.
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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Here's the next batch after 1 year sown, a small one this time. :)

Frailea cataphracta subs. duchii CS 668.1 334 (OR) Pirareta, Paraguari, Paraguay. These guys suffered root rot back in March of this year. I first noticed it when they remained shriveled despite watering. I pulled them out and 4 had completely lost their roots, while the 5th seedling disintegrated into "dry" gel-like particles, not unlike those water gel beads sometimes used for Lucky Bamboo plants, but tiny. Odd. I cut above the rot until the flesh was free of any discoloration and allowed the seedlings to dry for about a week.

8 days after cutting                                                     and potted                                                                 12 days after potting, showing signs of new roots
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and 3 weeks later (6 weeks from cutting)
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Mammillaria haudeana [GK/92] (I am following the most recent classification and labeled it as Cochemiea saboae subs. haudeana). The only seedling that germinated. I tried drying and rehydrating the other seeds, but they refused to germinate and ended up being covered by a white bloom. Since it seemed to have been etiolating, I acclimated this seedling to full sun last summer and allowed it to get a dry winter rest.
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Mammillaria schumannii var. globosa [DH 626/90] (I labeled the pot as Cochemiea schumannii 'globosa'). I killed most of these by overheating them (I grafted 2 survivors), but I saved the seeds that didn't sprout and 3 germinated some months later, so these three are 10 months old rather than 1 year.
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I failed to keep the following alive (or on their own roots) up to this point:

Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus v. macdowellii [SW 9008/91]. I was intent on having at least a pair of these grafted for future seed production and ended up trying to graft all the seedlings before 2 grafts successfully took. See them here.

Blossfeldia liliputana RH 2054b Tojo 3000m, Aviles, Tarija, Bolivia. All seedlings slowly damped off a few months after germination.

Lobivia famatinensis v. bonnieae [GK 9267/01]. Very sad about this one. Only 4 seeds germinated, 2 soon damped off, and of the 2 that remained I grafted 1 seedling. The fourth seedling was with me until 2 months ago when it rotted away. :(

Yavia cryptocarpa [ADBLPS 2619]. 3 of 5 seeds germinated and since I wanted at least 2 for seed production, I grafted them all. Luckily 2 grafts took.
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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Turbinicarpus valdezianus v. albiflorus I have seeds of these if you want to try again. Sold by Mesa as "Lobivia haematantha v. rebutioides" I sowed these also I had poor germination maybe 2 are up hard to tell germination so bad I combined a bunch of other Mesa seedlings plus some of my own seeds.

Your small seedlings look good you have some hard species . =D>
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MrXeric
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

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keith wrote: Wed Apr 27, 2022 1:34 am Turbinicarpus valdezianus v. albiflorus I have seeds of these if you want to try again. Sold by Mesa as "Lobivia haematantha v. rebutioides" I sowed these also I had poor germination maybe 2 are up hard to tell germination so bad I combined a bunch of other Mesa seedlings plus some of my own seeds.

Your small seedlings look good you have some hard species . =D>
Thanks keith! I am making a list of all the seeds that failed last year and this year to retry next year. Just waiting to see what gonna fail for this year's sowing..but I'll keep your offer in mind, since it seems mesa doesn't have the albiflorus seeds anymore? last time I checked anyway. Maybe by then I'll have something to trade with you. :)
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021

Post by Hanazono »

G'morning MrXeric,
Turbinicarpus valdezianus v. albiflorus SB 205 Santa Ana, Nuevo Leon, Mexico [MG1302]. Only one seed tried to germinate, but it never made it past the radicle poking through the seed. Tried drying and rehydrating, but I eventually gave up and threw out the pot.
I sowed seeds of T. valdezianus v albiflourus before and the germination rate was very good.
Seeds were harvested from my cacti.
I assume your seeds were too old.

My seedlings have reached to the flowering age.
T. valdezianus is a small cactus. They are in 5 cm square tubes.
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