MrXeric's seedlings 2021 (and beyond...)
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2021 5:26 am
Hi everyone!
I've been lurking on this forum for several months now (pretty much since the pandemic started) and have been absorbing (or trying to anyways) the wealth of information available here. I've been inspired by all the seed propagation posts and decided to start my own as my first post here! I have sowed cactus and mesemb seeds before (with varying degrees of success...) but this year I will be sowing over 50 (!) different species with the majority of them being the first attempt for me. So hopefully this will be as much as a learning experience to others as it will for me!
I have been sowing the seeds in batches and plan to periodically post updates here.
The first batch was all mesembs and they were sown on February 16. The following species were sown:
Purchased from Mesa Garden
Conophytum Mixed species
Conophytum bilobum 'brevisectum' (RR1136)
Conophytum calculus ssp. vanzylii (SH434)
Conophytum herreanthus ssp. rex (DH637)
Conophytum ratum
Cheiridopsis peculiaris (SB770)
Didymaotus lapidiformis
Diplosoma retroversum
Mitrophyllum grande
Purchased from C and D Plants
Dinteranthus vanzylii
Lithops gracilidelinaeta waldroniae
Growing Conditions
Substrate:
7 parts pumice (1~2mm)
3 parts decomposed granite (1-2mm)
small amount of pine bark fines and coco coir (<5% of entire mix)
Top Dressing:
A 1~2mm layer of fine pumice sand (<0.5mm)
Both the substrate and the top dressing were sterilized in the microwave and then inoculated with mycorrhizae before the seeds were sowed directly on the surface.
The pots were placed 10in. (~25cm) under fluorescent shop lights (40W, 5000K tubes) in the garage where the temperature has been a consistent range of mid 50's to low 70's (around 13-23C).
Here are some of the seedlings at 10 days old!
These tiny Conophytum ratum looking a little leggy.
Little green blobs of C. herreanthus ssp. rex
Cheiridopsis peculiaris
Mitrophyllum grande
I've been lurking on this forum for several months now (pretty much since the pandemic started) and have been absorbing (or trying to anyways) the wealth of information available here. I've been inspired by all the seed propagation posts and decided to start my own as my first post here! I have sowed cactus and mesemb seeds before (with varying degrees of success...) but this year I will be sowing over 50 (!) different species with the majority of them being the first attempt for me. So hopefully this will be as much as a learning experience to others as it will for me!
I have been sowing the seeds in batches and plan to periodically post updates here.
The first batch was all mesembs and they were sown on February 16. The following species were sown:
Purchased from Mesa Garden
Conophytum Mixed species
Conophytum bilobum 'brevisectum' (RR1136)
Conophytum calculus ssp. vanzylii (SH434)
Conophytum herreanthus ssp. rex (DH637)
Conophytum ratum
Cheiridopsis peculiaris (SB770)
Didymaotus lapidiformis
Diplosoma retroversum
Mitrophyllum grande
Purchased from C and D Plants
Dinteranthus vanzylii
Lithops gracilidelinaeta waldroniae
Growing Conditions
Substrate:
7 parts pumice (1~2mm)
3 parts decomposed granite (1-2mm)
small amount of pine bark fines and coco coir (<5% of entire mix)
Top Dressing:
A 1~2mm layer of fine pumice sand (<0.5mm)
Both the substrate and the top dressing were sterilized in the microwave and then inoculated with mycorrhizae before the seeds were sowed directly on the surface.
The pots were placed 10in. (~25cm) under fluorescent shop lights (40W, 5000K tubes) in the garage where the temperature has been a consistent range of mid 50's to low 70's (around 13-23C).
Here are some of the seedlings at 10 days old!
These tiny Conophytum ratum looking a little leggy.
Little green blobs of C. herreanthus ssp. rex
Cheiridopsis peculiaris
Mitrophyllum grande