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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Tiny cactus, again

Remember last winter, when to help fend off the I-can't-do-much-gardening doldrums I planted some cactus seed, and raised several tiny cactus? It certainly was fun and interesting, but as you may also remember I ended up giving those spiny seedlings away -- they were not cold-hardy varieties and I don't have room for overwintering more indoor plants. Especially the potentially painful ones.


What I didn't tell you is that last spring I ordered some cold-hardy cactus seeds, and a few months ago I sowed them. Here's an update on a project that you didn't even know was taking place.


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I have no idea what species I have here yet, but they definitely look different than the previous batch. I've got at least three different varieties here.


I suspect I'll be able to identify these once they get a bit larger.


I think there were about 15-20 seeds that I sowed, but only about half a dozen have germinated.


So far that is. I suspect some of them may take quite a while to wake up -- a year or more!

I believe this one just recently germinated:


I'm not sure how long I'll leave these in the little tray they call home, as it doesn't have drainage holes. It definitely can't go outdoors as-is.

For a sense of scale the inside of this tray is about 5" (13cm) wide.

Perhaps I'll just drill some holes in it -- might be less traumatic than repotting each of these. We'll see though.


So I've got small spiked seedlings to care for again. Fun!

I wonder how large each of these will eventually get?

.

4 comments:

  1. Rock rose February 19, 2012 at 9:44 AM

    How exciting. Did they tell you what might be int he packet? WHat medium did you use. Spines so early in their life is amazing. How long to germination. I have an outdoor hedgehog cactus which produced masses of seeds this year but they are still encased in the fruit. I removed some and tried to dry them out. Very sticky. Just planted them a few minutes ago so your post was timely. I would love to have more of this cactus because it is cold hardy and produces masses of yellow flowers.

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  2. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)February 19, 2012 at 10:43 AM

    They look great! I'd drill holes in the tray and leave them in there until they're at least a couple of inches tall.

    Of the ones you sent me, only two are still alive. I overwatered the others :-(.

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  3. AlanFebruary 19, 2012 at 2:37 PM

    L rose: They did not list what the species could be. The first ones germinated pretty quickly -- a few days to a week or so if I remember correctly. They produce spines so early, it really amazed me too when I first saw it.

    Gerhard: two is probably a better survival rate than they would have had with me.

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  4. danger gardenFebruary 20, 2012 at 12:03 AM

    So Cute! Especially the one in the 3rd and last picture, just a perfect little miniature!

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