Hana's cactus seedlings in 2015/2016

The rotation of pots for seedlings is critical in this season.
I have quite many pots but they are limited.

I started repotting of 2 and 8 months old Astrophytum asterias cv miracle kabuto in 10 cm square pots yesterday.
Pots will be washed by diluted bleach and be used for 1 year old asterias.

My main collection is A. asterias and I have plenty of seedlings.
The photo is seedlings of miracle kabuto on a pad, in 6 pots.
Although I have 4 pads, I just started 1 pad only.


Miracle kabuto had the flecking mutation and started from just 1 plant.
Since various kabutos were crossed on the original one, seedlings show various faces.
You can not judge true miracle kabuto when seedlings were 1 year old but it is possible to judge with this age.
A true miracle kabuto has white dots line along ribs.


Seedlings were picked up and washed.
The growing speed of these seedlings were bit slow and I could not repot last spring.
Becase of that, they still have tap-roots.


I cut tap-roots. I will dry them several days and repot in 5 cm tubes.

It was cold and windy morning but I tuned off the heating pad and moved 6 pots into a wet-box as planned.
Seeds were sown on 23rd July, 1st batch.
The germination rate was normal.

Astrophytum asterias cv super kabuto

Astrophytum asterias cv miracle kabuto

Cool technique hanazono. In the agricultural seed industry we call this scarification. I tried this once with some dormant bahia pensicola seed (lawn grass) but the acid was miles to strong and I ended up destroying nearly 10kgs worth.
It is tricky to get right but it is essentially supposed to weaken the chemical bonds in the seed's husk which will then allow the moisture in to activate the kernel.

It seems the concentration of standard hydrochloric acid in market is varied in each country.
I referred to the information on the internet.
According to his information, the shell of E. horizontharonius is melted down with 30 minutes process time by 37 % hydrochloric acid.

I did pretest by using 5 seeds before the main trial.
I could not see any melting down of seed shells with 60 minutes testing.

Actually I found the liquid which I used was 32 weight % hydrochloric acid after the trial.
The result of the process should be similar to his report but the liquid was not so aggressive by some reasons.

The wettablity of seeds after processed seems to be changed.
Almost all seeds after processed sank into normal water.

I can not estimate the result but I sowed seeds in this morning, 3 pots each, processed and unprocessed.

Hi Hanazono,
I have been following your progress with much interest. I have started my first attempt at germination now, following your recommended seed soil mix. My question is now, how long do I leave them before opening to refresh the air and or re-mist? Currently it has been 1.5 days, containers look moist with plenty of condensation. Nothing's changed, no mold, no seedlings.

To prevent condensation droplets damaging seed I'm gently tilting container to run the droplets off down the side. Next time I will try the bag method so I don't have to worry about drops.

Anything I need to watch for and any crucial steps coming up that I need to be aware of? Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

G'morning Convergence,

I do not know what species you sowed but it will not happen anythings in 1.5 days.
Some Astrophytum may start germination from 3rd days.

Yes, plenty of condensation will be formed.
I flip condensation out every morning and return lid again, once per 24 hours.

The bag method will also form the condensation.
We need 100 % of humidity to germinate seeds.
This means the condensation should be formed with any methods.
I inspect seeds every day, one per day and flip condensation out at that time.

Hanazono

6 of 10 cm square pots were available in the afternoon and so I repotted 1 year old super kabutos and  miracle kabutos, 3 pots each.

Super kabuto
Before repotting: Super kabuto shows the character in early stage even 1 year old.
Seedlings with white lines will be good super kabutos in future.

After repotting: 25 seedlings in a 10 cm square pot


Miracle kabuto
Before repotting: Miracle kabut does not show the character in young age. I repotted all except yellowish ones. They are called as "twilight variegation" which have hybridization problem and can not expect long life.

After repotting: 25 seedlings in a 10 cm square pot

I repotted 35 of 2 and 8 months miracle kabuto seedlings in this morning.
Their Photo was posted once on 5th in this month.
Tap roots of all of them were cut.

Tubes: 50 mm square x 140 mm height
Potting mix:
2~7 mm pumice sand-3
Cactus mix in market included organic material-2
Manure: matured chicken manure pellet: 2~3 pellets in bottom
Top dressing: 2~4 mm zeolite
Zeolite is relatively heavy. It is possible to minimize the floating of organic material to the top during watering.

I selected similar sizes, around 20 mm and repotted.

how much water do you have on the capillary mat inside the wet boxes?
Do you take the lid off the wet boxes every day and tip the condensation from the lid off?

Thanks
David

David

I water over the capillary mat until it is wet completely.
When the capillary mat was dried completely, I will water over again.
The watering frequency is around every 6 month, just twice per year.
Since the box has a lid, inside of the box is wet almost all times.

I do not open the lid every day.
I open the lid when it is only necessary e.g. inspection of seedlings.
I return the condensation over the capillary mat when I opened the lid.

Hanazono

I have continued to repot 2 years and 8 months old kabuto seedlings.
I repotted 159 miracle kabutos and 16 ruri kabutos so far.

Repotted kabutos, 175 in total


Ruri kabuto
Ruri kabuto is not nudum asterias.
It is a cultivar and mixed the gene of A. senile.


Miracle kabuto
A good miracle kabuto shows white dot line along ribs.
The miracle kabuto shown on the photo will be a good one in future.

I repotted 1 year old Ariocarpus seedlings between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning.
I repotted 18 pots, 25 seedlings per pot, 450 seedlings in total.
They are:
Ariocarpus bravonus-3 pots
Ariocarpus agavoides-3 pots
Ariocarpus fissuratus-3 pots
Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Suguri cauliflower-3 pots
Ariocarpus bravoanus v hintonii-3 pots
Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Daruma Seiji-2 pots
Ariocarpus retusus v elongatus-1 pot

Unrepotted 1 year old Ariocarpus seedlings have been remained a lot. I have to continue the repotting.

The photo is repotted seedlings in a wet-box.


The followings are typical seedlings:
Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Suguri cauliflower, before repotting

After repotting


Ariocarpus bravoanus v hintonii, after repotting

2 years old hintonii, grown well in last 1 year
I hope repotted seedlings in this year grown as same.

The germination process of the 2nd batch was completed and 12 pots were moved from the heating pad to a wet-box in the afternoon.
These seeds were sown on 31st last month.
The followings are some of pots:

Astrophytum myriostigma cv kikkou, khoyo

Astrophytum variegated asterias
I can see many variegated seedlings.

Ariocarpus bravoanus v hintonii
All Ariocarpus seeds were old, 2 yeas after the harvesting but the germination rate was not too bad.

Ariocarpus retusus v bicolor

I sowed cacti seeds in 12 pots as 4th batch yesterday afternoon.
Seeds were:

Astrophytum asterias cv miracle kabuto-3 pots
Astrophytum myriostigma cv kikkou, khoyo-2 pots
Astrophytum red flowering asterias x hanazono kabuto-1 pot
Ariocarpus fissuratus-1 pot
Ariocarpus bravoanus v hintonii-1 pot
Ariocarpus retusus v elongatus-1 pot
Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus v elephantideus-2 pots
Ariocarpus retusus v furfutaceus v Daruma royal

Some seedlings grow in a good speed and you have to repot with an appropriate timing.

The photo is Thelocactus hetarochromus sown seeds in 2013, 2 years old.
They have pushed the pot out.
I have to repot them soon.


On the other hand, variegated seedlings grow slowly.
The photo is a (varigated asterias x ruki kabuto) sown seeds also in 2013.
I repotted 5 seedlings in the morning.
The degree of variegation is balanced well but it is just 20 mm in diameter.

Thank you for sharing very interesting.

I moved 6 pots from the heating pad to a wet-box yesterday.
Seedlings are Echinocactus horizontharonius sown seeds on 5th in this month.
The germination rate was not good, 10 ~ 30% as normal.
There was no different of germination rate between standard and acid washed seeds.

One of pots, 30% germination rate


A pot sown seeds last year
Quite slow growing speed


2 years old seedlings
It is still very young but the body color has turned to a mature one.

I sowed E. horizontharonius seeds in 6 pots again yesterday.
A half quantity of seeds were rubbed by silica sand.
This will be the last cactus seed sowing in this season.

This is such a fantastic thread. Great job hanazono. The E. horizontharonius seedlings look amazingly healthy.

Do you have any advice on how to handle Aztekium seeds? I have a few but I have never had good results. Maybe 1 in 100 germinate for me.

G'morning SneakyCuttlefish

The germination rates of both species, ritteri and hintonii are not too bad if seeds were fresh enough.
No organic materials should be top of soil, around seeds.
Complete sterilization of seeds and topsoil is essential.
The setting of temperature and lighting is same as any other cacti.

Seedlings will be 2 mm in diameter 1 year after the germination.
You will loose seedlings during this time, between the germination and 1 year old if the sterilization of seeds and topsoil were not good enough.

I have gotten a good result with hintonni only.
I grafted a 2 mm diameter seedling.
It has been 3 cm in diameter and I will degraft it and try the rooting soon.

I sowed ritterii seeds on a pumice block as a trial.
The germination rate was good but seedlings died later.
I need further trial.

Hanazono

I have moved 12 pots from the heating pad to wet-boxes.
Seeds were sown on 13th in this month.

Astrophytum red flowering asterias x hanazono kabuto


Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus elephantideus
Seeds were harvested in 2012 and kept in a fridge.
These are quite old but I sowed as a trial.
The germination rate is not high but it is an acceptable level.


Both of Ariocarpus and Astrophytum seedlings grow slowly but there are many seedlings growing slower than them.

Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Sugri cauliflower
Sown seeds on 13th November 2012
The growing speed is not too bad.


Uebelmannia buiningii
Sown seeds on 17th October 2010, 20 mm in diameter currently
I repotted 6 seedlings in this morning.


Pelecyphora aslliformis
Sown seeds on 28th September 2012
Seedlings grow slowly and are hard to be thick bodies.

I selected 20 of asterias seedlings for the repotting last evening.
They are in 50 mm square tubes, sown seeds in 2011.
They are 5 each from left to right, miracle kabuto, super kabuto, royal super kabuto (ruri kabuto x superkabuto) and red flowering asterias.
Some of them were in flower last year.
I will repot them into 65 mm square pots.
20 of 65 mm square pots can be accommodated in a plastic pad.
There is no clear age span of "seedlings" but I stop to call them as seedlings when they were repotted into 65 mm square pots.

Those Astros are gorgeous.

Wonderful!! Do you keep everything you germinate or do you select for the best ones and dispose of the rest?

I do not keep every germinated seedling.
I select good ones by 2 steps.

Japanese asterias cultivars were started from "one plant" and mixed various forms in history.
Even you sowed seeds made by super kabuto x super kabuto, many of seedlings will not be super kabuto.
I remove seedlings not showing the character of cultivar at first.
Some of seedlings show the character but they may not be significant.
I remove them in the 2nd step.

Very young seedlings do not show the character of cultivar.
I have to keep all of them until they reach to specific ages e.g.:
Super kabuto: 1 year
Miracle kabuto: 2 years