Cactus seed!

[Spectabilis73]

Hey,

I just harvested a TON of cactus/succulent seed! The plant is kinda like an aloe (same shape, etc) only half of them are viable though (one half is white, the other half is dark brown) How rare is this? And how do i go about germanating them? There are still many flowers to ripen, so I'll have tons of seed!

 

[Vertigo]

Sow on the same soil as the mother plant, or I like to use cactus mix with an extra handful or two of sand, and sprinkle the seed on top. Usually with cactii and succulents you also sprinkle a little bit of grit on top of the seed as well (not deep at all really).

Keep them damp and humid 'til germination and start cutting back on watering.

Everything else usually depends on species and native habitats.

Keep us posted, i'm actually going to sow an assortment of cactii/succulents/mesembs tonight.

 

[superimposedhope]

I have a germination recipe that I use. It is close to what Vertigo said. What I do is: I use the new gerber tuperwares (they use plastic instead of glass for the fruit now) Take however many that you will need. I sow 4 to a gerber thing. Coincedentely they come with a clear lid as well (thats a plus). Keep the lid. I do the same as Vert. with soil thing. Main thing is lots of mineral and moisture with very well draining. I like to sow 1/8 under the top sand line, but they can as easily be on top too. Keep the lid on until they sprout then punch 1 hole a day with a sewing needle until acclimated. You can also wait until you feel they are strong and healthy but it becomes cramped quickly with the Gerber things.

Joe

 

[pond boy]

Agave are fairly common although you don`t see them too much around here! But down in texas they are every where and reach a diameter of 8-10 feet!