Experienced flower growers prefer not to buy ready-made cacti in stores, but to grow them themselves from seeds. Thanks to this method of reproduction, you can get flowers of a particular variety or acquire a truly large collection, and for little money. You will learn how to grow cacti from seeds at home from this material.
When to plant flowers
Seed germination remains equally high throughout the year. Nevertheless, it is better to sow cacti in late autumn. Then the seedlings have time to take root well by the next cold period and calmly endure wintering. But keep in mind that during autumn sowing, it is important to ensure maximum illumination for planting. And to do this without special greenhouses equipped with photo lamps will not work.
Is it possible to grow cacti from seeds without additional tools? Of course you can. But inIn this case, it is better to transfer the sowing to the beginning of spring. Then the plants will have enough sunlight.
Preparation of seed equipment
Before planting cactus seeds, it is important to choose the right container for them. If you grow several types of flowers, then sow them in a separate container. For cactus seeds, a plastic or ceramic bowl at least 3 cm deep is suitable. If you wish, you can grow plants even in a cake box. Most importantly, do not forget to make some drainage holes at the bottom.
Before sowing, be sure to wash the container with soap and treat the walls with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. If you grow flowers in ceramics, then it is advisable to boil it.
Soil
For growing cacti from seeds, breathable soils with a slightly acidic reaction and good drainage are suitable. To create such a substrate, mix equal parts sifted leafy soil and coarse sand that does not contain lime. Add some charcoal and sifted peat to these ingredients.
Before sowing, be sure to disinfect the soil. To do this, pour 3 liters of the substrate into the pan and moisten it well. Put the container in the oven, preheated to 200 ° C, and bake the soil for 1-1.5 hours.
Pebbles, sand or broken bricks that you will use as drainage and the top layer of planting must be boiled for 5-10 minutes. Sterilize also the spoon and the tip of the pencil used for sowing.
Preparationseed
Before planting cacti, the seeds of these flowers need careful preparation. Indeed, without it, future plants will suffer from microbes and may not even take root. To begin with, carefully inspect the grains and remove damaged and moldy ones. Rinse the seeds in boiled water.
To pickle the seed, hold it for 2 hours in a solution of chinosol (1 g per 1 liter of water). If this drug is not available, then use potassium permanganate. True, it is necessary to withstand the grains in this solution for 12–20 hours. If you are in a hurry, then dilute 40 g of hydrogen peroxide in a liter of water. Soak the seeds in this liquid for 10 minutes, then rinse immediately in boiled water.
How to plant cacti from seeds
Sow flowers as follows:
- Lay a layer of drainage at the bottom of the planting containers. Use small pebbles or expanded clay as this material.
- Pour the prepared substrate onto the drainage so that it is slightly below the edges of the containers.
- Compact the soil. To do this, knock on the walls of the dishes, and then carefully level the surface of the soil.
- Cover the substrate with a thin layer of broken brick or quartz sand and sprinkle the soil with boiled water from a spray bottle.
- Slightly moisten the tip of a pencil or needle, hook the grain with it and gently deepen it into the substrate. If the seed is small, then just lay it on the surface.
- Cover the crops with polyethylene and place in a suitable place.
If you grow astrophytums, then lay them out with a "rib" up. Other seedsplant so that this side looks down. Then the roots of sprouted seedlings will grow exactly into the ground.
Irrigation
The basic rule of how to grow cacti from seeds is regular irrigation of the planting. Please note that it is advisable to water these flowers from a pallet. That is, for irrigation, lower the greenhouse into a container of water and wait until the soil is saturated with moisture through the drainage holes. If in a hurry, then moisturize with a spray bottle. But make sure that the grains do not move from their place under the pressure of water.
Moisten your plants regularly, making sure the soil doesn't dry out. For irrigation, use distilled, rain or melt water. In extreme cases, boiled is suitable. But it needs to be softened with 2-3 drops of boric or oxalic acid. Use such water only after settling the turbidity. Don't forget to sterilize watering and water storage utensils.
Lighting and temperature
Give them 12-14 hours of daylight to sprout. If you grow cacti in autumn or winter, then highlight the planting with a phytolamp with a power of 5 thousand lux. Have you planted flowers in the spring? Then place the greenhouse on the windowsill near the east or south window. But do not forget to shade the planting from direct sunlight. To do this, use tulle or a piece of gauze.
Continuing the topic of how to grow cacti from seeds at home, it is worth mentioning the temperature in the greenhouse. In order for the flowers to germinate, maintain for planting from +20 to +25 ° C during the day and about + 16 … + 18 ° C at night. At a lowertemperature, crop growth slows down. But the heat is unacceptable for them, because already at +26 ° C, the germination of seeds is significantly reduced.
2-3 weeks after planting, when germination is coming to an end, raise the temperature in the greenhouse to +40…+50 °C for 1-2 hours. Repeat this procedure the next day. Thanks to this “heat shock”, sprouts that have not hatched before often wake up.
Seedling care
Only emerging flower seedlings need special attention and care. First of all, help the sprouts that have not shed their shells to get rid of the remnants of the grains. Otherwise they will die. But remove the shell carefully, because the plants are still very weak, and you can damage them. If the roots of newly emerged plants are exposed to the air, then make a depression in the substrate with a clean stick and gently push the seedlings into the hole.
Basic rules on how to grow a cactus from seeds and care for sprouts:
- Young plants need frequent watering just as much as seeds. But when they reach the age of 1 month, reduce irrigation and accustom the flowers to regular watering and short-term drought. To start, moisten the planting every other day, then after two, and so on.
- Keep the temperature within +28…+30 °C. At the same time, try to avoid sudden changes. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, keep them close to light sources.
- Regularly ventilate the landing and remove condensation from glass or polyethylene. Remove cover when there are enough plantsget stronger. As a rule, this occurs at the age of four months. At the same time, accustom the seedlings to "clean air" gradually. That is, shoot the film first for an hour a day, then for two, and so on.
- Feed crops occasionally with organic fertilizer. But do not force things and do not use growth stimulants. This weakens the immunity of cacti, and they begin to get sick with fungal diseases.
Often, when growing cacti from seeds, alkalization of the soil occurs. This phenomenon can be recognized by the slow growth of seedlings and the formation of limescale on the walls of the greenhouse. To correct this problem, spray the substrate 2-3 times with water containing citric acid (1-2 drops per liter of water).
Seedling picking
This procedure should not be rushed, because most seedlings do not tolerate transplantation well. But if the planting is infected with mold or algae, or the substrate is sour, then start picking immediately. And also this event is necessary for normally developing sprouts, which have become crowded with each other. How to perform the procedure:
- Prepare and sterilize the substrate. Put a layer of drainage on the bottom of the new container and cover it with soil.
- With a small spatula, carefully remove the plants along with the clod of earth. Using a soft brush, wash the roots in a solution of chinosol or potassium permanganate.
- Make indentations in the substrate. Between plants, keep a distance equal to their diameter.
- Carefully place the cacti in the recesses.
Water planting 2-3 days after picking. When the plants become crowded again, hold the event again.
Wintering crops
In order for young plants to calmly survive the cold season, install them on the windowsills of the eastern and southern windows. At the same time, try not to let the hot air from the batteries go to the flowers and they do not suffer from drafts.
It is desirable that young plants be warm, and the temperature fluctuates between +18 … +20 °C. Lowering to +12…+15 °C is allowed. But at such ranges, crop growth and development will slow down.
Water the seedlings once every two weeks, but be sure to warm the water to room temperature before watering. If you notice that the condition of the sprouts has worsened, then return them to the greenhouse under the lamps.
Planting in a separate container
Let's finish analyzing the topic of how to grow a cactus from seeds, the rules for transplanting plants into separate pots. It is desirable to plant grown and strengthened sprouts in a permanent place in the second spring of their life. Prepare suitable pots for plants. Remember that cacti do not like a lot of free space, so pick up containers with a slightly larger diameter than the "spiky balls" themselves. Buy soil from a flower shop or mix the following ingredients:
- 1 part coarse river sand;
- 1 piece of garden soil;
- 1 piece of leafy turf;
- ½ pieces of peat.
Be sure to disinfect the substrate in the oven or keep it under steam. Put a layer on the bottom of the containerexpanded clay or small pebbles. Cover the drain with substrate and lightly tamp it down. Make a hole in the soil and plant the seedling in the hole. To avoid injury from cactus needles, put on mittens before planting or wrap the flower with thick paper.
After planting, move the pot with the prickly "pet" to a shady place. Do not water the crop until it is established. When the sprout takes root, move it to a sunny place. In the future, water the plant every 2-3 days with settled water and, as they grow older, reduce watering to once a week.
Growing cacti from seeds at home is not that difficult. The main thing is to provide comfortable conditions for planting, and the grains will quickly take root and grow. And after a while you will get a lot of beautiful exotic flowers.
