Hi from Italy

Hi, my name is Davide and I am new here. I'd like to introduce myself showing you some seedling of one of my prefered genus: astrophytum (the other ones are copiapoa, turbinicarpus and melocactus. I gave up buying plants 5 years ago. Now I buy only seeds.
These asrterias and myriostigma have been sowed in oct 2006 and oct 2007:


Rgds
Davide

G'day Davide, and welcome.

Those are some really terrific little seedlings there. I love Astrophytums, and I would love to have a go at growing them from seed. Can you desribe how you go about growing them to this stage?

I am about to give up buying seeds and just buy plants

Hi Davide, wonderful collection you have there!

Olga wrote:

I am about to give up buying seeds and just buy plants

Hi Davide, wonderful collection you have there!

Thanks Olga

Lachy wrote:

G'day Davide, and welcome.

Those are some really terrific little seedlings there. I love Astrophytums, and I would love to have a go at growing them from seed. Can you desribe how you go about growing them to this stage?

Hi Lachy and thank you for the compliments!
Well I usually sow in october (this means in autumn in our side of the earth!). I use three selfmade germinators coming from two old refrigerators and an old aquarious. like this


I fill 7x7 pots with normal dry soil and a thin layer of sand, then I let fall the small seeds down on the surface while the bigger ones must be covered with sand of the same diameter. The pots are placed in a container with 10 cm of distilled water and I wait untill the soil is wet. Then I remove almost all the remaining water and let only 5 cm of water on the container. I switch on the lights fo 12 hs an of during the night. This ensures about 30-32 °C without additional heating.

The astro seeds germinate in 3-4 days. I live them in 100 % umidity condition for 5 months then I remove the top of the big container and in april I move all the pots in the GH in a shade place.
I hope these informations can be useful for you and that you can understand my poor english!
Rgds

That's a fantastic setup that you have there. I was contemplating something similar a little while ago, but my non-cacti life got in the way...

Quote :

and that you can understand my poor english!

Mate, your english is excellent.

Hey Davide, Great little plants Thanks for showing us them.



Olga, Don't give up on seeds they are so rewarding !

Oh HN I'll be more cheerful when I move into my house and have room to set up a propagator, I still have a lot that haven't germinated with this erratic weather.
My astros, however, are going really well
I can see why you like them Davide. I did purchase one at the C&S Society show last year and it's just flowered, they're awesome little plants!

Hi Olga, Hellonasty and Lachy. Sometimes I permit to these little stars to see the friends outside!

Hello mate, I am new here and 2 years newbie into cacti.

These are some great photos, great setup too, thanks for the inspiration!

I sure could use your experience as I got Turbini and Astro seedlings going.. - I intend to graft some, but I will sure leave some own rooted as I did with the first, hard grown batch

Great variation on the astros too! Almost everyone is a top specimen!

Welcome!