Transitioning out of the baggie

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zpeckler
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:46 pm
Location: Butte County, California, Zone 9b

Transitioning out of the baggie

Post by zpeckler »

Hello all!
I tried sowing cactus seeds for the first time in April of last year. I tried a bunch of different varieties, but the only two that survived were a single Echinocactus polycephalus and three Ferocactus viridescens. They were sown in 50% potting soil, 25% Turface MVP, and 25% 1/8" pumice, and I kept them in a ziplock for the last year. Never had any problems with mold, fungus, or anything else like that. They've been inside at room temp under a grow light through the winter.

Now that they're a year old I guess it's time to start transitioning them out of the baggie. My concern is that they're still awfully small. Way smaller than I expected from seeing other members yearling seedlings. Plus, the Echinocactus and one of the Ferocacti are red-colored, which I understand indicates that they're stressed.

The Echinocactus:
Echinocactus polycephalus.jpg
Echinocactus polycephalus.jpg (135 KiB) Viewed 1397 times
And the three Ferocactus:
Ferocactus viridescens.jpg
Ferocactus viridescens.jpg (223.59 KiB) Viewed 1397 times
With them being so small and stressed is it even appropriate to start the transition out of the baggie?
I'm not sure what's causing them to be so stressed out and small; is there anything I can try to get them healthier?
What about fertilizer at this point?
If I can start getting them out of the baggie, should I keep them under the grow light or try moving them outside?

Thanks,
Zac
--------------------
Zac

Butte County, CA, USA
USDA Zone 9b
Mediterranean climate; hot, dry, sunny summers with rainy, moist, mild winters.
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mmcavall
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Joined: Tue May 17, 2016 11:54 pm
Location: São Carlos - SP, Southeast Brazil, Cerrado Region

Re: Transitioning out of the baggie

Post by mmcavall »

Hi Zac. They are indeed very small for one year old seedlings, and they look stressed (too much light I think).
It is complicated to give you an advice because there are many variables..But I use to take lots of seedlings smaller than your out of the bag. I believe they are strong enough to survive outside the bag and perhaps they will find better conditions and start to grow.
But lets see what other members have to tell
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jerrytheplater
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Location: Bloomingdale, NJ (USDA Zone 6b)
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Re: Transitioning out of the baggie

Post by jerrytheplater »

If you haven't used fertilizer yet, it is time to start. I started at the first true leaf on my Euphorbia tulearensis.

Seeds fell into the pot of my Frailea parviflora and grew. They never saw a baggy and they got fertilizer along with the mature plant. They are really crowded now. I'll be transplanting the whole pot because they are wedged into it. They are less than a year old now.
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.
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zpeckler
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:46 pm
Location: Butte County, California, Zone 9b

Re: Transitioning out of the baggie

Post by zpeckler »

Thanks you both of you for your quick replies! Oh yeah, they're hella small for their age. I sowed a bunch more E. polycephalus, F. cylindraceus, and F. viridescens on 3/1/2023 and not only did a ton more seeds germinate then last year, but at only a couple weeks old all those seedlings are bigger and healthier looking than these ones are. I guess it wouldn't matter if these year-old ones didn't make it because I have replacements, but I hate to give up on any plant under my care.

My grow light is LED and has a dimmer switch. I had it on 40% power so I turned it down to 20%. I also watered them with the DynaGro All Pro + K + CalMag regimen that Steve Johnson has described at length over in the Cultivation board, which is what I've been using for all my grown up cacti.

I'm going on vacation for the next week and a half so I'll hold off on taking them out of the bag until I can be home to keep an eye on them. It seems like they'll desiccate if I take them out cold turkey and then not water them for all that time.
--------------------
Zac

Butte County, CA, USA
USDA Zone 9b
Mediterranean climate; hot, dry, sunny summers with rainy, moist, mild winters.
User avatar
zpeckler
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:46 pm
Location: Butte County, California, Zone 9b

Re: Transitioning out of the baggie

Post by zpeckler »

It's been a bit, so here's an update. I had both species out of the baggie basically since the last update. I've been watering/fertilizing them once a week using Steve Johnson's DynaGro AllPro+K+CalMag regimen. They've been under my grow light at 20% power.

The F. viridescens hasn't changed at all. I'm not too worried about this because I ended up sowing more of them and got much better germination rates, and the new seedlings look a lot better than these three do. I've got F. viridescens to spare at this point!

My single E. polycephalus perked up and is actually showing some new green growth! It's still struggling, but at least there is a little improvement.
E. polycephalus seedling
E. polycephalus seedling
PXL_20230419_230744576.jpg (229.55 KiB) Viewed 1193 times
Apologies for the shitty pic; my phone wouldn't focus any closer so I had to crop the pic pretty drastically.

I also sowed a lot more E. polycephalus this year. I've got 25 seedlings out of 100 seeds sown. It's crazy, these month-old seedlings are bigger and and greener than the year-old seedling is! I guess I'm starting off in a better place with those ones.
--------------------
Zac

Butte County, CA, USA
USDA Zone 9b
Mediterranean climate; hot, dry, sunny summers with rainy, moist, mild winters.
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