MrXeric's seedlings 2021 (and beyond...)
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
A couple more seedlings reached flowering size.
Mammillaria bocasana 'roseiflora' 3 months away from being 2 years old. The only surviving seedling, seems to grow pretty fast. I also sowed cream-colored flower bocasana and those are not even half the size of this seedling (in a 2.5in pot).
Mammillaria zeilmanniana (open pollination), about 1.5 years after sowing. I dropped the pot just after taking the picture. I repotted the seedlings and they've recovered now, but no more flowers.
Mammillaria bocasana 'roseiflora' 3 months away from being 2 years old. The only surviving seedling, seems to grow pretty fast. I also sowed cream-colored flower bocasana and those are not even half the size of this seedling (in a 2.5in pot).
Mammillaria zeilmanniana (open pollination), about 1.5 years after sowing. I dropped the pot just after taking the picture. I repotted the seedlings and they've recovered now, but no more flowers.
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
Here's this year's update for the seedlings I haven't shown yet, now nearly 2.5 years old. Lots of pictures incoming
Cochemiea macdougallii. (=Ortegocactus)
Copiapoa calderana 'lembckei' KK 70.
Gymnocalycium schickendantzii P 17A. I am really liking the spines.
Back in February I repotted several plants, including some seedlings. Most, like the Gymno above, were unaffected, but some plants did complain. I think I was too heavy-handed with the water during a cooler than normal spring.
Here are some casualties:
Geohintonia mexicana. Survivors and dead seedlings. I am waiting on Pereskiopsis cuttings to be ready so I can graft the survivors.
Frailea cataphracta subsp. duchii CS668.1 334OR. Just before unpotting.
Clean roots. None survived.
Thankfully, those set fruit last year and the seeds I sowed are now working on the next generation themselves. They will be 1 year old in August.
I also repotted my Frailea castanea parent plants, and all 3 died. I am thinking Frailea don't like to be disturbed in the winter, so future repottings will be done in the spring.
More casualties.
Rapicactus booleanus Galeana, NL, Mexico. Pic from February. I was so proud of them with their odd growing habit.
...and a couple months later
Only one seedling survived, and of course it was the smallest one.
I was quite sorry to lose these, but I do have one degrafted plant and one more grafted plant, so I have the material to try again without needing to buy more seed.
in the pic with the dead seedlings, you can see a dead Echinocactus horizonthalonius. I lost two seedlings, but repotted and trimmed off the rotted roots from 3 other seedlings. I think I caught the rot in time to save them.
Similar story with the seedling on the far left:
Mammillaria lasiacantha SB 1063. Unpotted in February.
2 died before I unpotted again. One more I tried to graft, but it failed because the Pereskiopsis was not yet actively growing. The last seedling I cut off the roots and let it be to see if it would root. And to my surprise it actually did. A tiny little thing, not even 1cm in diameter.
This was the most upsetting loss.
Eriosyce villicumensis DJF 362. These were not repotted. Very odd decline. Almost overnight, there was discoloration of the epidermis. If it wasn't overcast at the time, I would have assumed they were sunburned.
The stems were firm. I removed the top dressing to take a peek at the roots. The top of the taproots were all firm, but were an odd pink color and appeared to have bled some red fluid.
after several weeks, the plants shriveled up.
Doubly upsetting is that Mesa Garden just increased the price for these from $3 to $8 for 10 seeds (and believe or not, they're now sold out!)
Not pictured is Aztekium ritteri. The seedlings just kept dying one by one until none were left. Anyway, enough with death and on to more livelier things...
The next two species were hitchhikers that came together with the M. lasiacantha seeds from Mesa Garden.
Mammillaria sp. (aff. karwinskiana?) 2 plants, 1 double-stemmed.
and what I believe to be Mammillaria spinosissima 'rubrispina'.
and a larger one
Funny how these were sown together and received the exact same care.
I also repotted these in February, Gymnocalycium spegazzinii 'recii' JO 820. Nice parsnip roots.
Now starting to grow big spines.
Unlike the Rapicactus, these didn't complain! Kadenicarpus pseudomacrochele subsp. minimus FO 259. Fat roots.
here they are currently
These were untouched. Frailea mammifera 'atrobella' VoS 08-322.
and their offspring at 1 year old (with grandchildren )
size comparison between 2 and 1 year old plants
Leuchtenbergia principis 'trachythele'. I think they're due for a repot...
Aylostera pygmaea 'albidula' RH 1098.
Weingartia kargliana M 48. W. neumanniana? Some say it's W. fidana now
You can tell the two above have large taproots because they are pushing out the pot walls that should be square.
Cochemiea macdougallii. (=Ortegocactus)
Copiapoa calderana 'lembckei' KK 70.
Gymnocalycium schickendantzii P 17A. I am really liking the spines.
Back in February I repotted several plants, including some seedlings. Most, like the Gymno above, were unaffected, but some plants did complain. I think I was too heavy-handed with the water during a cooler than normal spring.
Here are some casualties:
Geohintonia mexicana. Survivors and dead seedlings. I am waiting on Pereskiopsis cuttings to be ready so I can graft the survivors.
Frailea cataphracta subsp. duchii CS668.1 334OR. Just before unpotting.
Clean roots. None survived.
Thankfully, those set fruit last year and the seeds I sowed are now working on the next generation themselves. They will be 1 year old in August.
I also repotted my Frailea castanea parent plants, and all 3 died. I am thinking Frailea don't like to be disturbed in the winter, so future repottings will be done in the spring.
More casualties.
Rapicactus booleanus Galeana, NL, Mexico. Pic from February. I was so proud of them with their odd growing habit.
...and a couple months later
Only one seedling survived, and of course it was the smallest one.
I was quite sorry to lose these, but I do have one degrafted plant and one more grafted plant, so I have the material to try again without needing to buy more seed.
in the pic with the dead seedlings, you can see a dead Echinocactus horizonthalonius. I lost two seedlings, but repotted and trimmed off the rotted roots from 3 other seedlings. I think I caught the rot in time to save them.
Similar story with the seedling on the far left:
Mammillaria lasiacantha SB 1063. Unpotted in February.
2 died before I unpotted again. One more I tried to graft, but it failed because the Pereskiopsis was not yet actively growing. The last seedling I cut off the roots and let it be to see if it would root. And to my surprise it actually did. A tiny little thing, not even 1cm in diameter.
This was the most upsetting loss.
Eriosyce villicumensis DJF 362. These were not repotted. Very odd decline. Almost overnight, there was discoloration of the epidermis. If it wasn't overcast at the time, I would have assumed they were sunburned.
The stems were firm. I removed the top dressing to take a peek at the roots. The top of the taproots were all firm, but were an odd pink color and appeared to have bled some red fluid.
after several weeks, the plants shriveled up.
Doubly upsetting is that Mesa Garden just increased the price for these from $3 to $8 for 10 seeds (and believe or not, they're now sold out!)
Not pictured is Aztekium ritteri. The seedlings just kept dying one by one until none were left. Anyway, enough with death and on to more livelier things...
The next two species were hitchhikers that came together with the M. lasiacantha seeds from Mesa Garden.
Mammillaria sp. (aff. karwinskiana?) 2 plants, 1 double-stemmed.
and what I believe to be Mammillaria spinosissima 'rubrispina'.
and a larger one
Funny how these were sown together and received the exact same care.
I also repotted these in February, Gymnocalycium spegazzinii 'recii' JO 820. Nice parsnip roots.
Now starting to grow big spines.
Unlike the Rapicactus, these didn't complain! Kadenicarpus pseudomacrochele subsp. minimus FO 259. Fat roots.
here they are currently
These were untouched. Frailea mammifera 'atrobella' VoS 08-322.
and their offspring at 1 year old (with grandchildren )
size comparison between 2 and 1 year old plants
Leuchtenbergia principis 'trachythele'. I think they're due for a repot...
Aylostera pygmaea 'albidula' RH 1098.
Weingartia kargliana M 48. W. neumanniana? Some say it's W. fidana now
You can tell the two above have large taproots because they are pushing out the pot walls that should be square.
-
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Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
Those Cochemiea macdougallii look very clean. I didn't have any luck this year with the seeds i've sown.
Strange that those repotting with big roots didn't survive. Did you have unusual cold or hot temps?
Strange that those repotting with big roots didn't survive. Did you have unusual cold or hot temps?
- Aztekium123
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2022 2:55 am
- Location: Shandong Province, China
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
Hello, I would like to know how many small plants you planted in 2021 are still alive?
Yavia cryptocarpa,This variety。
Yavia cryptocarpa,This variety。
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
I lose seedlings and even older seedlings I blame some bad soil I got . "There was discoloration of the epidermis" that's common here, roots Ok but top of the cactus burnt looking with a fast decline. I think its rot in a dry soil .
Last edited by keith on Wed Jul 26, 2023 2:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
Unfortunately, only one grafted plant survived. I posted an update with more details here: https://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 59#p402059Aztekium123 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 12:53 am Hello, I would like to know how many small plants you planted in 2021 are still alive?
Yavia cryptocarpa,This variety。
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
Thanks! We did have a cooler than normal spring, but I was probably just careless with the water on plants that had not yet established themselves.LateBloomer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 7:53 pm Those Cochemiea macdougallii look very clean. I didn't have any luck this year with the seeds i've sown.
Strange that those repotting with big roots didn't survive. Did you have unusual cold or hot temps?
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
I did mix in some old peat I had so maybe I could blame that. The other plants I repotted are OK, but I stopped using peat just in case.
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
I’m really enjoying your Cochemiea macdougallii’s…
What type of substrate do you use to germinate your seeds.?
Also do you use that across the table ?
I ask due to your seedlings look awesome.!!
What type of substrate do you use to germinate your seeds.?
Also do you use that across the table ?
I ask due to your seedlings look awesome.!!
Growing cacti is fun..
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
Thanks!
I originally sowed these in a mix of pumice, decomposed granite, scoria (red lava rock), and whatever smaller particles sifted through (minus dust) from Bonsai Jack's Gritty Mix (calcined clays and pine bark fines). It's what I would call "course sand" size.
Last year I tried a 50:50 peat and vermiculite mix, but I had too many problems with it so I went back to my original mix.
Once the seedlings are big enough that they need a larger pot, I use the same mix I use for almost all my cacti. It's the same material as the sowing substrate, just larger in size. In fact, the sowing mix is what sifts through from this mix.
I add organic material to that, 15-20% of the whole mix.
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
I repotted some of the seedlings I showed above. They had nice, thick roots.
Leuchtenbergia principis 'trachythele'.
Aylostera pygmaea 'albidula'. I had all the seedlings unpotted in bright shade for a week. Apparently that was enough for them to bend towards the light!
They even started to etiolate.
I potted them with their roots vertical into the pot. The stems are nearly horizontal on the surface. I'll post a before and after comparison after phototropism has done its job.
These started to do the same, but to a lesser degree. Weingartia kargliana. That bottom worm-looking seedling had its root longer than the pot it was in.
Leuchtenbergia principis 'trachythele'.
Aylostera pygmaea 'albidula'. I had all the seedlings unpotted in bright shade for a week. Apparently that was enough for them to bend towards the light!
They even started to etiolate.
I potted them with their roots vertical into the pot. The stems are nearly horizontal on the surface. I'll post a before and after comparison after phototropism has done its job.
These started to do the same, but to a lesser degree. Weingartia kargliana. That bottom worm-looking seedling had its root longer than the pot it was in.
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
Thank you very much for sharing your mix info. Greatly appreciated. I’d like to start using that mix to hopefully have awesome seedlings like you have shared here.
Growing cacti is fun..
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
These 2 year old Drosera spatulata have reached flowering size.
I split the seedlings in two pots: one plastic, deep 2.5in square pot that I left open to the air and the other a 2in round, shallow ceramic pot that I put into a large jar, resting on rocks and a bit of water for extra humidity, with the lid open. The substrate for both is long fibered sphagnum moss.
Here's the pot in the jar:
I didn't think the plants in the plastic pots would form dew, but they did! I didn't see a difference in amount of dew between the plastic pot and the pot in the jar. The pot in open air predictably caught more insects.
The tiny flowers.
They are self-fertile and the seeds are ready for harvest in about 3 weeks from blooming.
This seedling has yet to flower but I wanted to share it anyway, Pediocactus knowltonii SB 304.
Apparently these flower when they reach 10mm in diameter, and this one is just a bit larger than that. We'll see if it sets buds later in the year. Here it is compared to a larger grafted plant and a US penny (19mm) for scale.
I split the seedlings in two pots: one plastic, deep 2.5in square pot that I left open to the air and the other a 2in round, shallow ceramic pot that I put into a large jar, resting on rocks and a bit of water for extra humidity, with the lid open. The substrate for both is long fibered sphagnum moss.
Here's the pot in the jar:
I didn't think the plants in the plastic pots would form dew, but they did! I didn't see a difference in amount of dew between the plastic pot and the pot in the jar. The pot in open air predictably caught more insects.
The tiny flowers.
They are self-fertile and the seeds are ready for harvest in about 3 weeks from blooming.
This seedling has yet to flower but I wanted to share it anyway, Pediocactus knowltonii SB 304.
Apparently these flower when they reach 10mm in diameter, and this one is just a bit larger than that. We'll see if it sets buds later in the year. Here it is compared to a larger grafted plant and a US penny (19mm) for scale.
- jerrytheplater
- Posts: 1165
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:38 pm
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- Contact:
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
I like your sundew. They are cool plants.
In 2020 my wife and I spent a week in the Pocono's in Eastern PA. I borrowed a Kayak and went out looking for carnivorous plants along the edge of the shore and on the edge of the bog mat. Here's a shot of Drosera rotundifolia hidden down among the Sphagnum moss, along with other bog plants. I had to wedge the Kayak into the shore and use the paddle to hold me still while I grabbed the camera and composed the shot as best I could. All while hoping I didn't capsize and get soaked.
And here it is in a pot of one of my Sarracenia pitcher plants.
In 2020 my wife and I spent a week in the Pocono's in Eastern PA. I borrowed a Kayak and went out looking for carnivorous plants along the edge of the shore and on the edge of the bog mat. Here's a shot of Drosera rotundifolia hidden down among the Sphagnum moss, along with other bog plants. I had to wedge the Kayak into the shore and use the paddle to hold me still while I grabbed the camera and composed the shot as best I could. All while hoping I didn't capsize and get soaked.
And here it is in a pot of one of my Sarracenia pitcher plants.
Jerry Smith
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
Re: MrXeric's seedlings 2021
jerrytheplater wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 12:07 am I like your sundew. They are cool plants.
In 2020 my wife and I spent a week in the Pocono's in Eastern PA. I borrowed a Kayak and went out looking for carnivorous plants along the edge of the shore and on the edge of the bog mat. Here's a shot of Drosera rotundifolia hidden down among the Sphagnum moss, along with other bog plants. I had to wedge the Kayak into the shore and use the paddle to hold me still while I grabbed the camera and composed the shot as best I could. All while hoping I didn't capsize and get soaked.
Thanks Jerry. I bought the mother plant on a whim one day, but these little sundews are definitely growing on me. I like that little D. rotundifolia. Even to my untrained eyes, that leaf shape is quite distinctive! I would like to grow that one day.