Absolutely love your videos! I used to watch them many years ago and you still have some of the best videos. Anyway I'm trying to let go of having to keep my seedlings humid for a long time and am trying your method of transplanting them into open air earlier than I normally do. Really hoping I am able to keep them going - my substrate is a little different and I'm not too sure how often they will want water. I've had some success with cacti and succulents from seed but I want to confidently get pots of seedlings that look like yours every time! Also I've been using your Sclerocactus germination technique and been having some success (still kind of low germination %, but germination!) so thank you again! The local cactus society recommends starting them outside and using the freeze/thaw cycles to germinate them but it's not the right time of year and is tedious so I'm thankful for an alternate method. Good vibes from New Mexico
DRCEVNL, Thank you so much for this video and industriously answering all of our questions. I just want to say how helpful these are. I’ve been researching for two days now, a complete beginner. And this single video and the comments answered all of my questions. The video was so heart warming. Thank you.
VERY interesting. I have been sitting there trying to worry about soil sterilisation and fungicide and vermiculite negates those problems! Glad I watched!!
Such a fantastic video :-) I LOVE growing cacti from seeds :-) thanks so much for sharing and sending tons of love and Cactus Power from Ireland for a wonderful weekend XXXXX
hi sir, firstly thanks for the guidance. I have successfully grown mamillaria, melocactus, and golden barrel from seed. I have been successfully so far.
Hi Fher. Sometimes a month, sometimes 6 months. Depends on the size of the container that is used and how fast the seedlings grow (and if you have time to transplant them). If you keep them in the container for more than a month you may lift the lid of the container a little to give them some fresh air and spray them with water with a little bit of fertilizer
do the plastic containers to begin with need any holes for water drainage? is it bad to keep the box fully closed apart from when watering, i mean will the seedlings ‘suffocate’ 😶
I did cacti from seeds they grow well but in later stage they die. I didnt change them though. What age do you repot them? I did this year again with my own parodia seeds. They just sprung. Going to follow your tip. Thanks ever so much.
What a fantastic and easy way of germinating cactus seeds. And very beautifully made video. Thanks so much. Regards the fertilizer you use for the small seedlings, could you please let me know which type to use and how much ? Thanks so much! Warm regards from India!
After closing the plastic lid, do you grow seeds without watering them? When do I ventilate it? What should I do if there are water droplets in the box? Does it matter if there's water droplets? How long can you grow it in plastic?
Why do we need the vermiculite step to germinate first and then transplant? Could we just use a mix of minerals and vermiculite and just let them grow without moving them for a year or when they're much bigger?
Yes, you can do that but you would need bigger containers to give them more room. That will take space. Transplanting is not a big issue for the small seedlings.
Thank you for sharing your process! I don't know that soil (vermiculite) you use, but it looked good in the video. Baby cactuses look so cute, I would like to grow them now. :)
Would love to know, what type/wattage of lights you use, how long you keep the seedlings covered under artificial lighting and what was it is you mixed into the substrate before transplanting.
I really appreciate this video! One question: after the seeds begin germination, should I be opening it up every day once in awhile to give some fresh air?
@@TrevLove That is possivle. Some people take them out for grafting after 3 months. As long as they develop well you can keep them in the same container. As soon as you think that you can handle them with your fingers you could transplant them
Great video! I did 10 lophophora seeds with this method last year and they're doing great! 7 survived after transplanting, which isn't too bad since it's the first time I grew cacti seeds :) Now I got some fresh lophophora seeds from my adult plant and I was wondering if I can germinate them in wintertime on a south-west facing window sill (I live in Belgium) on top of a heating pad? Or do I really need some grow lights to germinate them you think? Thanks!
About how long should you let the cactus grow before transplanting them to the volcanic sand? Also, while they are in the container do you ever open it to give them air or anything?
As soon as you can handle them you can tranplant. But as long as they are ok and growing you can keep them in the container. You can open de container if a fungus is seen or if you want to spray them with some water with nutrients to give them some food. Else you can keep the container closed so you will not loose water from the container
great video! Thank you for posting. I love towards the southern part of Texas. Do you think the seedlings would grow well outside without a cover over top or do you think it would be best to still have a cover over them? It get's rather hot during the day.
Hi Yellow Vespa. I think a cover would be needed. If you look around in Texas, you will not see young seedlings exposed to the sun. They all hide under (nurse) plants, along stones and rocks. Love Texas!
Watering depends on the other conditions like temperature, substrate. Soilk for cacti should always be loose and allow it to dry in between water gifts
Helpful video, sending thanks from Canada. I’m a beginner at succulents and I’m over buying seeds so I’m planning to harvest my echeveria’s one flower. U think it’ll work?
Hi, i do not know if Ecgeveria is self-pollinating. For most species two clones are needed for pollination to set seeds. But the method shown here will work once you have seeds
Greetings from Ukraine. Please tell me after what time the first shoots of cacti appear. I sowed astrophytums 6 days ago and so far nothing happens. how long do you need to wait? thanks.
Beautiful video sir. How long will it take for a gymnocalycium hybrid to germinate? It has been more than 3 weeks that none of them sprout but some among my echino grussoni sprouted within a week.
Depends on the specie. Epyfitic cacti like Schlumbergera can be put right into your favorite mixture for these type of plants (but not too coarse at the start)
The vulcanic flour is nice, but it will also work without. There are many other ingredients you can use to put your succulebts in. What is available depends on where you live. Some people use seramis, pumice, zeolite sometimes mixed with other ingredients. The more 'difficult' species are in general grown more easy in a mineral substrate
People use all kind of substrates, but the organic ones are more prone to fungi unless the substrate is sterilized or an anti fungi is used. If possible use a mineral alternative like loose volcanic sand
Great video. I've never seen seeds germinated in vermiculite like this. I guess in the early stages of germination all a seedling needs is the energy in its seed? Then when they are easily picked up, that's when you move to a free draining soil, approximately how long or what size is this? I've just ordered some seeds and going to try this method. What is the diameter and height of the pots ?Thank you once again for making such a great video x
The size is a couple of centimetres, but you can use also bigger sizes. The height should be enough to support a layer of vermiculite + the height of the seedling. So it also depends on how long you want to have them grow in the container. Number of seeds is not so important, as long as the seedlings have space to grow a little after germination
How often should I water the seedlings? I have a couple of them, but one is turning brown and doesn't look so good. I don't know if I'm giving them too much water or if they are receiving too much sun... :/
At low temperatures in winter they do not need much. If they are small you keep them in the shade in first instance. They will turn red if they get to much sun to handle in relation to their root system (no balance). I fyou keep the seedlings at some higher temperature they would need some more water (but one or biweekly should be enough)
I was unable to tell In the video but when using this method with SOIL specifically for cacti do the containers need drainage holes in the bottom or do they NOT need any?
Once the soil is humid enough and you cover them or keep them in a humid environment you do not need to apply water again. In this case you do not need drainage holes. If you work in another way and need to wet the containers or if you want to keep them in same container for a long time, you would need drainage holes so you can supply water from the bottom. Watering on the top would maybe flush the small seedlings out of the soil (unless you spray gentle)
Hi, good results obtained (especially freedom from algae) for mamillaria and astrophytum. I am attempting now to use the same method for ariocarpus trigonas seeds. Will the method be helpful with ariocarpus? Thanks in advance
Excellent video ... but ..... I suggest wetting the vermiculite before placing it into the container and mix and wet your substrate before potting it into the pot
No comprendo que tipo de subsidio usó. El primero cuándo puso las semillas me pareció vermiculita, pero y después al hacer en transplante que es lo que usó??
@DRCEVNL: sir, would you happen to know if the desert area around El Paso, Texas, USA is suitable for transplanting williamsii in an effort to help repopulate this species?
thank you for your reply. i'll find that book one way or another - i'm good at research. i have 6 3yo cactii ready to transplant and i have a nice spot picked out, under creosote bushes, far off the beaten path, so they have a good chance of seeding out.
Hi, I read through all your answers to the previous questions and they have been helpful. I was wondering if you can answer one of mine. I have a batch of 2 month old (3-5 mm diameter) strombocactus disciformis just moved to the transplanted phase (i.e. the volcanic rock phase in your video). How should I monitor the moisture?
That is pretty large already. In general small seedlings should not dry out.The risk of getting to dry is bigger than the risk of being just wet. As long they are in the growing mood is would the soil not dry out completely. But it also depends on the other growing conditions like light, air, temperature, how fine or coarse the soil mixture is.
For 'normal' seeds we use the method in our other video about cleaning seeds. If you buy seeds, you may expect them to be cleaned already and you can go through the procedure for cleaning seeds only once: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zk2aVLSplcc.html
When the seeds are cleaned well, you gnerally do not need a anti-fungi. What i use sometimes is a biological solution made of of herbs against soil fungi. But i do not think it is needed
So I see that your answering comments and I have one of my own I just got cactus seeds and I'm planning to start growing them during spring (of course becuase its winter and it's cold were I live) and im wonder how you know when do water a cati seedling or how often I water it as its growing ir just in the beginning
As long as they are small in the container you keep them moisture. Because the container is closed it will only need a small bit of spray now and then. Once they are in the open air it is better not to let the substrate get completely dry until they go into the winter and you can keep the temperature low. It is always a balance between how much moisture the seedling losses due to wind/temperature and how much to supply. If it is warm in winter (above 15 Celisus) i would still give them a bit of water so the substrate does not dry out completely
Thanks for the great video! I have learned a lot from you. Could you tell me where you got the tool for transplanting seedlings? I have been looking for something like this for quite some time but could not find one.
@DRCEVNL, Hi, what is the alternative for bird sand that can be used forthe seedling? What ratio do we need to mix the volcanic sand with the bird cage sand? TIA
Hi Karan. It is just for desinfection and I have used it only for very hard to grow species like Sclerocactus. Seedlings will grow in your normal cactus substrate
