Reproduction of cacti by seeds at home

HomeCactusReproduction of cacti by seeds at home

To grow a cactus from seeds, as practice shows, it will take a lot of time and patience. But your efforts will be rewarded: knowing how to sow cacti with seeds and how to care for seedlings, you will get a strong, healthy plant of the variety you need, which will become a worthy decoration for your collection. Check out the recommendations on how to germinate cactus seeds and in what conditions to keep sprouts.

What do cactus seeds look like?

Many novice cactus growers are interested in whether it is possible to grow a cactus from seeds? The answer is unequivocal: it is not only possible, but also necessary, because seed propagation is the most complete way to replenish the collection, but it requires a lot of time.

In addition, this is the cheapest option to create your own collection. Of course, you can buy already grown plants, but here a lot of pitfalls and disappointments await the novice cactus grower. Purchased specimens can be affected by pests and rot, and cacti grown with fertilizers stubbornly do not want to grow in ordinary soil. In addition, in cacti that have been in stores for a long time, with a lack of light, the stems are often hopelessly damaged. Finally, the attitude towards these cacti will be completely different than to plants grown by one’s own hands. Before planting cacti, seeds need to be obtained somewhere. The acquisition of planting material will not cause great difficulties. They can be bought from cactus clubs, borrowed from friends, ordered from private catalogs, and finally purchased online.

So what do cactus seeds look like? According to the existing definition, a seed is a fertilized mature ovule that has an embryo, reserve nutrients and a protective shell. In the embryo of the seed, an embryonic root, a hypocotyl knee (hypocotyl), which is part of the stem, an embryonic bud and cotyledons, the number of which in cacti is usually equal to two, are isolated.

The rest of the seed is filled with a nutrient called endosperm. On the shell, one can distinguish a scar – the place of attachment of the seed and a micropyle – a narrow channel through which the pollen tube penetrates and fertilization occurs. When seeds germinate, the root elongates and penetrates into the soil. At the beginning of germination, all cells of the embryo divide, but after the formation of the seedling, cell division is localized at the tips of the shoot and root.

The lifespan of plant seeds, including cacti, varies greatly. For example, there is a known case when the seeds of lupine from the Arctic tundra, having lain in frozen silt for about 10 thousand years, germinated well. Cactus seeds have different lifespans.

The seeds of rebutia, ailoster and some other genera have a short life. The period of germination of cacti from such seeds is limited to approximately one year. Conversely, in representatives of the genus Cereus and Mammillaria, the life span of seeds can reach 7–9 years. More long-lived seeds are also known. In addition to biological reasons, the lifespan of seeds depends on the conditions of their storage. There are two independent rules for seed storage: 1) with an increase in water in the seeds by 1% (with an optimum of 5-14%), their lifespan is reduced by 2 times. At the same time, the oxidation of seed fats occurs below the optimum, and the damage by fungi occurs above; 2) with an increase in temperature for every 5 °C (in the range of 0–50 °C), the life of seeds is also reduced by 2 times. In other words, so that cactus seeds do not lose their germination, it is desirable to store them in the optimal range of temperatures and humidity, without changing these parameters if possible. For cactus seeds, a good place to store seeds is a shelf on the door of a home refrigerator.

Next, you will learn how to plant cactus seeds, and how to care for the sprouts.

Is it possible to grow a cactus from seeds and how to do it?

Before planting cactus seeds, certain conditions must be created. Among the most important factors for germination are water, temperature and, to a lesser extent, light. To come out of dormancy, the seeds must absorb a certain amount of water.

At the same time, the physiological processes that ensure their germination are resumed. Lack of moisture inhibits seed germination and reduces germination. In the future, the growing seedling requires a much larger amount of water than for the germination of the seed.

The temperature range of seed germination is usually quite wide, but rapid germination requires a certain optimum, which can vary even in plants of the same species. Empirically, it was found, for example, that the seeds of cleistocactus, unlike most other species, have the best germination at a temperature of only 11 ° C. Most seeds can germinate well at a constant temperature, but diurnal fluctuations are still desirable, as occurs naturally.

It is believed that the seeds of most plant species do not need light to germinate, and only a few species require some light. This also applies to cacti. For photosensitive species, a certain photoperiod is required, that is, a change of day and night. It has been experimentally established that the seeds of many plant species are sensitive to light of a certain wavelength. Thus, illumination of seeds with red light of different wavelengths stimulated their germination. Cactus seeds may be dormant at the time of sowing. Before sowing cacti with seeds, you need to get them out of this state. The simplest and most reliable way to bring seeds out of dormancy is to soak them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for one day at room temperature. To do this, the seeds are poured into loose paper bags that pass water well and are immersed in the solution. Appropriate labeling of sachets can be done with a simple pencil or ballpoint pen.

Growing cacti from seeds at home: planting dates

Before you grow a cactus from seeds at home, you need to have an idea about the timing of planting. You can sow seeds at almost any time of the year, but the most suitable time for this is still spring. March crops make it possible to grow by the end of the year quite large viable plants that easily tolerate wintering.

But even knowing how to sow cactus seeds correctly, do not forget that the germination time for different species is not the same. Usually most seeds germinate within a week. The rate of germination depends on the quality of the seeds and how deep their dormancy was. During perennial spring sowings, one of the large-flowered species of the genus Acanthocalycium was the record holder in terms of germination rate. Soaked seeds sprouted in about 12-13 hours. Unfortunately, among the purchased seeds, there are absolutely dissimilar ones.

The germination of seeds of cacti of the vast majority of species is quite high. The table “Germination of cacti seeds” shows data on the germination of seeds of some types of cacti. Most of the seeds sown had 70 to 100% germination, including the difficult-to-grow genera Ariocarpus and Roseocactus.

Only a few species had very low germination. These include Aztekium ritterii and Brasilicactus haselbergii. The latter was sown for several years, and at best it was possible to get one plant from the sowing. It should also be noted that usually well-emerging species in some years can give zero germination.

Obviously, this is due to the poor quality of the seeds. A sufficiently high germination rate of seeds shows that if the cactus grower has no claims to create a cactus greenhouse or a cactus company, a relatively small amount of seeds will be required to obtain a decent home collection. The task is greatly facilitated by the exchange of grown seedlings with fellow hobbyists.

Table “Germination of cactus seeds”:

View

Sown, pcs.

Ascended

PCS.

%

Acanthoclicium violocium

10

7

70

Ariocarpus furfuraceus

5

2

40

A. trigonus

9

9

100

Astrophytum asterias

10

10

100

A. capricome

5

5

100

Aylostera muscula

10

5

50

Bartschella schumanii

20

5

25

Brasilicactus graessneri

5

0

0

B. haselbergii

20

1

5

Cleistocactus strausii

30

15

50

Copiapoa montana

5

4

80

Delaetia wontersiana

5

3

60

Discocactus horstii

11

7

64

Dolihothele longimamma

5

4

80

Echinocereus viridiflorus

10

4

40

Echinomastus durangensis

5

4

80

Epithelanta micromeris

5

5

100

Eriocactus magnificus

10

2

20

Ferocactus glaucescens

5

5

100

Gymnocactus knuthianus

5

2

40

Hamatocactus hamatocanthus

10

8

80

Islaya islaiensis

5

5

100

View

sown,
PCS.

ascended

PCS.

%

Leuchtenbergia principis

5

4

80

Mammillaria microchelia

10

8

80

M. Candida

5

3

60

Melocactus bachiensis

5

4

80

Neogomesia agawoides

10

8

80

Obregonia dencgrii

5

4

80

Parodia subterranea

5

3

60

Rebutia krainziana

10

5

50

Solisia pectinata

5

3

60

Thelocactus hexaedrophorus

5

5

100

Wigginsia sellowii

5

4

80

How to plant cactus seeds correctly: the substrate in which plants reproduce

Another important condition that must be taken into account before planting cactus seeds correctly is the selection of a special substrate that is different from the substrate used for growing adult plants. There are many recipes for preparing substrates for sowing, starting with clean sand and fine brick chips (it is argued that germinating seedlings do not need food at all) and ending with sufficiently nutritious soil mixtures of various compositions.

Many years of sowing experience has shown the effectiveness of using for growing cacti at home from the seeds of the sowing substrate of the following composition:

  • leaf ground – 1 part;
  • fine washed sand – 1 part;
  • finely crushed charcoal – 1/2 part.

This soil composition is used for sowing and the first picking of seedlings. With subsequent picks, the composition of the soil is gradually brought closer to the composition recommended for adult plants. A large amount of coal is justified by the fact that it absorbs excess moisture, is opaque and prevents the appearance of algae on the surface of the substrate, as well as the decay of seedlings. The soil prepared for sowing must be sterilized in a closed glass jar placed in a larger vessel with water. A liter jar is aged 10-15 minutes from the moment the water boils. After sterilization, the jar is cooled without removing it from the water.

How to sow cactus seeds correctly: seedling registration

When growing cacti from seeds, seed crops must be registered. To do this, you can use a small notebook with the alphabet. Each type is written under its own letter. A possible variant of such a record when sowing cacti with seeds is shown in the table below. You can keep more detailed records if you wish. The numbers of the sown species are transferred with a simple pencil to pots of seeds.

Table “Option for registering seedlings when growing cacti from seeds at home”:


p/n

View

Sowing date

Sown, pcs.

Up, pcs.

1998

1

Mammiliaria bocasana

4.03

10

8

2

Mediolobivia pygmaea

7.03

10

5

2004

1

Ariocarpus trigonus

7.03

5

4

2

Ariocarpus retusus

9.03

5

3

How to grow a cactus from seeds at home: sowing utensils

Knowing how cacti reproduce by seeds, you need to choose the right dishes for sowing. It is possible to make mixed crops in more or less large pots, but such crops create significant care difficulties. It should be borne in mind that, in addition to possible confusion in large pots, seeds of different species do not germinate at the same time.

The gap in time can be significant. It is best to sow the seeds of each species in a separate small pot with a volume of 40-50 cm3. This volume is quite enough for growing seedlings before the first pick. Before sowing, the pots are disinfected by soaking for a day in a solution of potassium permanganate.

To grow a cactus from seeds at home, a small sterilized drainage is placed on the bottom of the pot and covered with earth flush with the edges. The earth is lightly tamped, the surface is leveled and the soaked seeds are laid out, placing them as close as possible to the center of the pot.

During sowing, the cleanliness of hands and tools should be observed. Such caution is not excessive, it will reduce the likelihood of fungal infections, which will greatly simplify the further care of the crop.

After planting the cactus seeds, the pots are placed in a prepared wide container with a flat bottom and poured with fresh boiled water at room temperature to ‘A’ of their height or a little more. Remove the pots from the water immediately after the appearance of wet spots on the surface of the soil. The collected water is sufficient for uniform impregnation of the entire laid substrate. Saturation of the soil to full moisture capacity creates stable conditions for seed germination for a long time.

How to germinate cactus seeds in a greenhouse

To successfully obtain seedlings of cacti from seeds, certain conditions must be created. This task is greatly facilitated if there is a special greenhouse. For its manufacture, you can choose a plastic box of a suitable size. These boxes can be sold in hardware stores.

A ceiling cartridge for a 15-watt electric lamp is installed in the box, and a transparent eye is made on the side so that its performance can be monitored. When propagating cacti with seeds, the top of the box is covered with a tin lid (you can use ordinary tin from a large tin can).

Tin has better thermal conductivity than plastic. A glass cap with a removable lid and a thermometer is placed on the tin. The height of the cap is about 2.5-3 times the height of the pots with sowing. You can glue the cap from plexiglass or window glass using adhesive-sealant.

For window glass, you can also use epoxy resin with a filler, such as aluminum powder. It will not be superfluous to automatically control the temperature in the greenhouse. To do this, you can use a mechanical or electronic thermostat, used in aquariums, or any other relay that meets the requirements.

The relay maintains the temperature inside the box, and at the same time in the greenhouse itself. Such a greenhouse will allow you to clearly control the temperature and humidity in automatic mode.

A greenhouse is installed next to the window, but so that direct sunlight falls on it. Scattered sunlight contributes to the good development of seedlings and inhibits the development of rot. If the sun still illuminates the greenhouse for some time, it can be covered with a sheet of white paper. Growing seedlings of this light will be quite enough.

If necessary, several greenhouses under the same conditions can be connected to one relay. It is known that heating the sowing from below creates favorable conditions for the growth and development of seedlings. Humidity in the greenhouse is maintained by evaporation of water from the soil surface.

To prevent mold in the greenhouse, the temperature should be high enough – 27-30 °. Daily temperature fluctuations in the greenhouse, as it happens in nature, contribute to the full development of seedlings, so the greenhouse is turned off at night.

When planting cacti at home, good quality seeds usually germinate within a week, but you have to wait another week before deciding what to do with non-sprouting seeds. Various manipulations with seeds that do not germinate (raising the temperature to 40°C, cooling in a refrigerator, etc.) most often produce a weak effect. In addition, as practice has shown, single seedlings that have appeared from low-quality seeds are mostly defective.

They grow slowly and die more easily, so it’s best to reseed an unfortunate species next season. To germinate the seeds of tephrocactus and prickly pear, their very hard shell is subjected to scarification (surface damage) with a sharp instrument or gently rubbed with sand between two planks.

In addition, it is recommended to freeze the seeds of tephrocactus for germination at a temperature of -10-20 ° C for two weeks, immediately before sowing. Without this procedure, they do not germinate.

In the process of growing a cactus from seeds, the root appears first from the seed, which is introduced into the soil. After that, the stem begins to grow and pushes the seed coat off itself. There may be complications in this process. Sometimes the spine is sticking up. In this case, with a pointed match or a needle, a small depression is made in the surface of the soil, into which the root is lowered, and the soil is carefully poured.

In some seedlings, the peel pinches the top of the stem and prevents it from growing. You can try to carefully remove the peel with a needle, and then plant the seedling in place. The peel that has fallen from the cactus sprouts from the seeds is collected and thrown away so that mold does not develop on it.

Germinating cacti from seeds and caring for seedlings

Excess moisture in the greenhouse often leads to rotting of the seedlings. The most dangerous and most common is the wet rot of seedlings, caused by the cactus phytophthora fungus (Phitopftora cactorum). With the disease, the seedlings become transparent and quickly become limp, turning into a transparent bunch of cells.

Such seedlings must be removed as soon as possible along with a lump of soil, and 3% hydrogen peroxide or another fungicide that kills fungi should be dropped into the hole. The appearance of wet rot is facilitated by the long-term preservation of an excessively humid atmosphere in the greenhouse, so it is ventilated for a short time 2-3 times a day.

It is very useful to periodically spray the seedlings, but before closing the greenhouse, it is necessary to let the water droplets dry on the stems of young plants. To reduce seedling waste, regular spraying with 0.3% hydrogen peroxide gives a good result. In addition, watering the seedlings with the same hydrogen peroxide at intervals of one week gives a good result.

Such watering not only effectively preserves seedlings from rot, but also significantly stimulates their growth. Seedlings are watered when the soil from the surface begins to dry slightly. It is impossible to overdry the soil – it is detrimental to very young plants. Watering should be careful, especially at first, when the roots of the plants are small. As a tool for watering at the first stage, a medical pipette is quite suitable.

How cacti grow from seeds and picking sprouts

In order to stimulate growth, regular picking of cacti from seeds into fresh soil is carried out. The first picking is usually carried out when the first thorns appear on the seedlings. Here you can not do without a device. The device is a kind of soft rubber tweezers, such as a school eraser.

To keep the tweezers constantly open, a piece of a match is inserted into the incision. Do not try to take seedlings with your hands or with ordinary tweezers, even with soft nozzles. Most likely, they will be dented, no matter how carefully you do it. Another necessary device is a picking stick.

One end of this stick is made in the form of a spatula, it serves to dig up seedlings. The other end is pointed and serves to pierce the hole for the spine. Seedlings dive from slightly moist to moist, but not wet soil.

Long roots are slightly shortened (pinched), which stimulates their branching and growth, and hence the growth of seedling stems. The dug seedlings are planted so that the cotyledons are above the soil level. After picking, seedlings can be sprinkled with hydrogen peroxide, dried and put in a greenhouse. Like sowing seeds, picking is carried out with the obligatory observance of cleanliness.

Transplanted seedlings do not water for 2-3 days. The first watering is best done with a 0.3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Already after the first pick, the seedlings are gradually accustomed to open air, leaving a small gap in the greenhouse at first. Gradually, the gap is enlarged and left permanently.

Normally developing seedlings should be light green in color. When the soil is too dry, they become darker, as a result, growth is stunted.

Before the first wintering, seedlings dive 4-5 times. The last pick is carried out in ordinary soil intended for adult plants. Starting from the first pick, different types of seedlings can be planted together, in larger pots or specially made shallow boxes.

They are planted in rows, and against each row on the wall of the container they put down the number assigned to this species during sowing, or stick the appropriate tags into the soil. The distance in a row between seedlings should be at least one stem diameter. The next picking is carried out when the plants close in a row.

It is noticed that seedlings grow more intensively in groups in large containers. In practice, it is easy to see that in any sowing, seedlings of the same species have different growth energy and, accordingly, different sizes. Different growth energy is probably genetically determined and is usually clearly noticeable even in mature plants. With this in mind, it is better to form a collection from the largest, well-growing specimens.

How to sow cacti with seeds: caring for seedlings in the fall

In autumn, with a reduction in daylight hours, seedlings of the first year need additional illumination, and later a complete transition to artificial lighting. For artificial lighting, fluorescent fluorescent lamps of the LB or LDC type are best suited. The first ones are preferable, the spectral composition of the light emitted by them is close to the light of a sunny day. Depending on the type of lamps, a greenhouse of the appropriate size is made.

The most convenient for sowing cacti seeds and caring for them are U-shaped lamps with a power of 30 watts. They are compact and in their characteristics are close to lamps with a power of 40 watts. The lamps are placed above the seedlings at a height of about 2 cm, without fear that they will burn. The illumination time of seedlings should be 8-10 hours a day.

Under the lamps, seedlings are grown until the new year. At this time, they need regular watering and spraying.

How cacti grow from seeds in winter

Before transferring to wintering, watering is gradually reduced. After the last watering, the soil is dried and the seedlings are placed in a cool place designated for wintering. The top additional shelf on the window is best suited for this. On such a shelf, a higher temperature is provided than on the windowsill, which is important for young plants.

Seedlings should be kept on trays covered with glass caps to prevent excessive water loss and dust contamination. At first, especially on sunny days, the caps may fog up in the evening, as the plants have not yet completely entered a state of rest, and there is residual moisture in the soil. Misted caps must be removed to dry.

Wintering of seedlings lasts two months – January and February. In the first year of life, this is quite enough. It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the seedlings in the winter, and if some of them are too wilted, the soil is slightly moistened. As a rule, such wintering does not cause problems. In March, with an increase in the number of sunny days and the temperature on the window, the seedlings begin to be sprayed, and with the advent of fresh thorns, they are watered. Seedlings that have begun to grow are transplanted into fresh soil. Good results are obtained by growing young plants in the second year of life in common boxes.

When grown together in a large volume of soil, they grow more intensively than plants planted in separate pots. Large specimens of individual species by the end of the growing season may be quite suitable for transplanting into individual pots to replenish the collection.

Another method on how to plant a cactus with seeds

In addition to the method described and widely used in various variations, there is at least one more original method for growing seedlings. The essence of this method is to grow seedlings before the first picking on a nutrient substrate in a hermetically sealed glass jar.

At the same time, infection of crops with algae and fungal spores is practically excluded. For sowing, glass jars with a volume of 0.75 to 1 liter are used, closed with glass lids with rubber gaskets and metal spring fasteners. A glass tube with a diameter of up to 1.5 cm and a height of 4-5 cm is placed in the middle at the bottom of the jar. Then, as a drainage, a layer of small washed pebbles is poured.

A layer of seed substrate 3 cm thick is poured onto the pebbles. The seed substrate consists of finely ground peat chips, sand and brick chips in a ratio of 2:1:1.

The surface of the substrate is divided into sectors using small glass plates into 10-12 parts. Before sowing, the prepared jar with the substrate, the lid, the rubber gasket, the clasp and the planting tool are sterilized in boiling water (do not pour water into the jar).

A pressure cooker is best suited for this. After sterilization, the jar, closed with a lid with a gasket, is cooled. The seeds pre-soaked in potassium permanganate or another fungicide are dried, then sown from a spoon into each sector over the surface of the substrate. A 0.5% nutrient solution prepared in advance on boiled water is poured through a funnel into a glass tube.

The liquid must reach the surface of the substrate. Then the jar is closed with a lid with a gasket. It is very important that all work be carried out quickly and with meticulous cleanliness.

The sectors on the outside are marked with numbers corresponding to the sown species. January, February and March are the most favorable times for such sowing. The jar at room temperature is placed in a bright place, in winter it is possible in the sun.

All care consists in adding boiled water, if necessary. After about five months, the seedlings reach a size sufficient for picking. About a month from this moment, the seedlings are accustomed to fresh air by temporary ventilation – until the cover is completely removed. The substrate for the first pick should be similar to what was in the bank.

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