Update on cactus seedlings and semps

That "best of the year" post I did the other day took a lot of time, and took a lot out of me. So today it's short and to the point. Time for another update on the cactus seedlings and sempervivum.

The cactus are really starting to look cactusy, not in overall form, but definitely in the spine department.

***

It's really interesting to see how these are developing. The spikes on top are starting to separate into groups.

I'm certain this next one on the left is a different type now, as it doesn't have the reddish spines of the other green  one (in the earlier image):

The exciting news is that something germinated in the final pot -- the one that just had the "big" seeds in it:

I don't remember planting one of the seeds in that position, so it's possible this is another type of seed that got in there without me noticing. I could be wrong about the positioning though, so time will tell. I hope some others start germinating soon so I'll know for certain.


The sempervivum are all doing quite well. Last time I mentioned that some of the offsets were dying, and I actually lost one entire plant (a variety called 'The Platters'). I still don't know what was different about the ones that died. I've  been afraid to give these much water, as I know that too little water is better than too much.

Some are getting quite large:

A few more are producing "chicks" now:

Many of the colors are still changing, and quite nice (they look more colorful in person -- I'm having a hard time getting the color balance correct under these lights):

I'll be transplanting these into larger pots and moving them outside sometime soon, but I don't want to do it until temps are staying above freezing. Although sempervivum are quite cold-hardy, these plants are acclimated to the 70-80ºF (21-26ºC) temperature under my lights, and I don't want to kill the tender new offsets by freezing them outside. Maybe I'll see what Don at Squaw Mountain Gardens says about that.

I love the progress all of these plants are making, and really enjoy checking their progress every day, but I need to get the semps off of the seed starting table. I'll need the room quite soon now!

.