Cactus seeds and seedlings
Last November, I ordered seeds of 12 different Echinopsis/Trichocereus hybrids from Patrick Noll, a German hybridizer who runs a popular YouTube channel under the name Cactus Jerk. Unlike most growers who sell live plants, Patrick offers seeds of his own hybrids on his website, Trichocereus.net. While the parents are clearly stated, there’s no sure-fire way of knowing what the flowers of these hybrids will ultimately look like. If you’re interested, check out my August 2023 post to “meet” the parents.
I started with approximately 240 seeds and ended up with the 82 seedlings you see below. Some have grown much faster (and larger) than others even though they have all received the same water and fertilizer – genetics at play! My goal is to grow these seedlings on until they flower for the first time. Then I’ll decide which ones to keep.
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I'm hoping that at least a few of these hybrids will be as beautiful as this one, Echinopsis 'Paul Ehrlich' |
As if 80+ seedlings weren’t enough, I’ve also been collecting seeds from my own cacti. Not any cacti, just ones I really like. Below are a few examples.
Note that I did not pollinate these cacti myself. Some are self-fertile (i.e. they can pollinate themselves), others aren’t and require pollen from another plant to set seeds. At the height of the cactus bloom, there was a lot of flowering going on, with bees and other pollinators busy flitting back and forth. For this reason, it’s quite possible that at least some of the seeds I’m collecting are hybrids. But that’s OK. I’m not trying to propagate pure species; I just want cacti with beautiful flowers.
⤥ Echinocereus dasyacanthus
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Echinocereus dasyacanthus fruit |
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Echinocereus dasyacanthus in flower |
⤥ Echinocereus reichenbachii.
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Echinocereus reichenbachii fruit |
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Echinocereus reichenbachii in flower |
⤥ Echinopsis ‘First Light’
Echinopsis ‘First Light’ and ‘Flying Saucer’ flowered at the same time back in May (see this post). My hope is that the fruit I collected from ‘First Light’ is actually the result of ‘First Light’ hybridizing with ‘Flying Saucer’. I think that could be something special. I’ll let you know when the seedlings flower for the first time – in five years or so.
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Echinopsis ‘First Light’ fruit |
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Echinopsis ‘First Light’ fruit split open |
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Partially dried up Echinopsis ‘First Light’ fruit |
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Echinopsis ‘First Light’ in flower |
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Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ in flower |
⤥ Cleaning the seeds
The cacti above produce wet seeds that need to be separated from the fruit flesh before they can be sown. I simply scooped the pulp into a small bowl, added some water, and squished the pulp with my fingers until the seeds came loose.
I poured the pulpy water onto two or three layers of paper towels, let the seeds dry, and then used my fingernails to scrape the seeds from the paper towels. VoilĆ !
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38R23ACFz9zru4ZmnkswMdiYgzfK19vwuvEtfkGeSVvghJp4pnwkKnBR4NEJfVIdt4y71jxhlwe0ErL_10Z4G67C2XOqET9cVBstg_hfTQHKTP4QtBonxlG-8n-jnZW7y2dY2NItcAxtcmvcGukWyz7Mczoo6Q_vSywZF-FoFWEt0pyXzR4CWg316S5Rl/w640-h424/PXL_20240630_165631191.jpg)
⤥ Starting the seeds
I usually grow succulent seeds in small pots sealed inside a plastic baggie or in plastic containers with a tight-fitting lid. In the example below (Echinopsis ‘June Noon’), I repurposed a food takeout container. I also tried a new two-layer mix: commercial seed starter mix (well moistened and sterilized in the microwave for 5 minutes), a very light sprinkling of Osmocote 14-14-14 controlled-release fertilizer, and a thin layer of vermiculite.
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Seed starter mix plus Osmocote 14-14-14 |
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Vermiculite on top |
I scattered the seeds on top of the vermiculite and sprayed them with a fungicide. Then I snapped on the lid. Since the seed starter mix was damp, there’s enough moisture in the sealed container for several months.
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June 30 |
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July 10 |
After 3-4 months I’ll slowly acclimatize the seedlings to outside air. When they’re about an inch in height, I’ll transplant them to individual containers. The slow-release fertilizer I added should provide enough sustenance until then. It’ll get crowded in the container, but cactus seedlings seem to like growing in close proximity.
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I AM so impressed! I'm bookmarking this page for some future date when I might get around to attempting to grow my own cactus seedlings.
ReplyDeleteIt's not hard. Describing how to do is more complicated than doing it :-)
DeleteI think I need to use this method with even my noncactus seeds. Which fungicide did you use? Also, have you ever had to use gibberelic acid to get germination? Baby cactus germlings are cute. There’s that sense of hope and joy when seeing a batch of them all growing together as their tousled head of spines start to grow out.
ReplyDeleteI used Daconil spray because that's what I had. Typically I use Physan 20, but I was too lazy to make up a batch.
DeleteI haven't used gibberellic acid. I've had good luck with germination on everything I've tried. Knock on wood.
I have tried many seeds but I don't seem able to grow many on. Sometimes they get to a certain size and then they die. I don't like that obviously. I try to refrain from starting any more seed at this point. They are fun to watch though!
ReplyDeleteIt's really important (I learned the hard way) to sterilize your seed starter mix. Otherwise, damping off can be a problem. Whenever I see the first signs of mold, I spray with fungicide. Once the seedlings are large enough, they can fend for themselves.
DeleteThanks, Gerhard. I do know about that. My Cactus Society runs classes on starting seed and I have gone several times. It is not at that stage I lose them. It is later when, for whatever reason, they just dry up and die. I probably am not watering them properly at that stage. Too many plants to deal with I guess!!
DeleteWow, I'd love for our cactus society to do something similar. I'm still learning, the hard way.
DeleteThis is so timely, thank you. I have collected fruit from my favorites this year, and will definitely be giving this a go.
ReplyDeleteGerhard, I'll have to buy fungicide, sinceI've had many seedlings die. About how many years doesittake for Echinocereus to flower from the time the seed is sown?
ReplyDeleteI'd say about three years. Not super fast, but not as slow as some.
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