Growing cacti from seeds at home. We grow cacti at home from seeds

Buy cactus seeds with delivery to affordable prices offered by Seeds Exotic. Our catalog presents a large assortment of seed products from world breeders from Australia, the Czech Republic, South and North America. All products have a high germination potential and are excellent for home grown. We do not recommend buying seeds from non-trusted sellers, as well as in China from Aliexpress.

cactus seeds

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We work directly with leading breeders, nurseries and manufacturing companies from all over the world. Therefore, we offer a large assortment of cactus seeds for every taste. With our products you will definitely add new ones to your collection exotic plants. Order cactus seeds in our store and receive a guaranteed gift.

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This is the most troublesome and most interesting way reproduction of cacti. It is from the seeds that the strongest and most beautiful specimens grow.

When to sow cacti

Theoretically, it is possible to sow cacti all year round, it all depends on how and how fully you can provide the seedlings with necessary conditions- light and warmth. Therefore, with technical point In terms of view, it is most convenient to sow cacti at the end of winter, beginning of spring: the days are longer, there is more sun, the heating is still on, which means the room is warm and you can use radiators to heat the crops.

Where to get cactus seeds

1. In normal flower shop mixtures of seeds of various types of cacti are sold, for example, from the company Gavrish "Cactus Fidget". Suitable for beginner cactus growers, because it’s cheap and cheerful - the mixture contains the most unpretentious species(mammillaria, rebutia, echinocacti, parodies).

2. Online stores sell seeds in mixes and different kinds separately. By appearance seeds it is usually impossible to determine their authenticity or freshness. And since many suppliers have rather high prices for seeds, you should only purchase them in online stores with an impeccable reputation (read reviews of stores). When ordering, pay attention to the minimum order amount (if you cooperate with friends, you can save on delivery).

3. Get the seeds yourself if you already have flowering cacti of the same type.

How to get seeds from your cacti

To carry out cross-pollination, you need to have two cacti that are unrelated to each other, i.e. those that were themselves grown from cuttings or from seeds different plants. The flowers from which the pollen will be taken must be fully bloomed, the pollen should be very easy to separate, so that it can be collected on a cotton ball or brush. Pollen from one flowering cactus is transferred to the flower of another, as a result, after some time a berry is formed in the place of the flower.

To obtain high-quality seeds, the berry must ripen. Then they carefully break it and take out the seeds, which can be stored in a paper bag, not forgetting to sign the name of the cactus and the date the seeds were received.

How to germinate cactus seeds

Conditions for germination of cactus seeds

For successful germination of seeds of many types of cacti, a daytime temperature of about +26°-30°C is required, and at night it is 7-10°C lower. Moderate soil moisture (not damp, not dry, but slightly damp) and high air humidity.

But as soon as the seeds germinate, there is an urgent need for the third and main growth factor - lighting. And the lighting must be very good!

Growth stimulants that have proven themselves very well in rooting cuttings and germinating seeds of other indoor plants, are rarely used for cacti, since their effect on these plants has not been fully studied. If you want to try such a remedy, it is better to apply it to one cactus, and not to the entire collection.

What and where to sow seeds

To germinate and grow seeds, it is better to use a special greenhouse, which you can purchase in a store or make yourself. But if there is no opportunity to make or buy a greenhouse, then the seeds are simply sown in a bowl.

To the bottom of the bowl ( wide tray, low box) drainage is poured, approximately 7-10 mm high. Then a layer of loose leaf soil about 2 cm high and a layer of well-washed river sand, about 1.5-2 cm high. The drainage is pre-drained with boiling water, and the soil and sand are fried in the oven or heated in the microwave for disinfection. Sand for sowing is suitable only from river sand, not from a sandbox and must be sifted to remove dust. It is desirable that the particle sizes be 1-3 mm. Unwashed and/or very fine sand, after getting wet, cakes, sticks together and forms a dense crust. This does not allow the nuts of the seedlings to breathe; they quickly die.

Before sowing, cactus seeds must be disinfected. The easiest way to do this is to use 3% hydrogen peroxide; just soak the seeds for 5-10 minutes.

Seeds are sown at a depth recommended for a particular species. Seeds up to 3 mm in size, especially small, dusty ones, are not sprinkled with sand; they are sown directly on the surface. Larger seeds can be sown in furrows no more than 3 mm deep. You have to sow cacti either by hand, selecting each seed individually, or sprinkle very small seeds on the surface of the sand with a pinch. It is advisable to sow seeds with a pinch, of which there are a lot and during germination it is not a pity to thin out the seedlings. If the seeds are rare or have a limited number, plant each one separately.

By the way, the most experienced cactus growers on our forum have already shared their secrets.

Caring for cactus crops

Now the seeds have been sown, now they need to be sprayed with a spray bottle. It should be adjusted so that no stream of water is formed, but only the smallest droplets. When moistened from a sprayer, the seeds naturally go deeper into the sand, and the soil does not erode.

In the literature, there are often recommendations to water crops or seedlings by immersing a bowl in water; this recommendation is usually reprinted from old books published in those days when flower sprayers were not yet on the shelves of flower shops, and watering from a watering can threatened to wash away all the work and hope. Therefore, forget about regular watering - it is best to spray cacti once or twice a day.

The bowl or box with the crops should be covered with glass or cling film so that the air humidity remains high enough. Ventilate at least twice a day. Regular ventilation is a prerequisite for normal germination and growth of seedlings. During ventilation, condensation from the film or glass must be removed. The fact is that humidity needs to be high, but not 100%, and condensation can lead to a short circuit if the lamp is inside the greenhouse.

By the way, with high humidity, which is created in a greenhouse or glass-covered bowl, blue-green algae inevitably appears. It looks like greening of the sand or the walls of the bowl. Blue-green algae itself is not harmful, but it can form a thick crust on the surface of the substrate, cutting off oxygen, and is simply an irritant. To reduce the formation of greenery (it is almost impossible to get rid of completely) you need systematic ventilation. You can loosen the sand between the rows of crops. If there is a lot of greenery, it is easier to plant the cacti in fresh soil.

The time it takes to germinate depends on the type of cacti. Some take a few days, others will take a month or even several months to germinate. The timing of germination also depends on the storage period of the seeds. Typically, fresh seeds germinate faster than seeds that have been stored for more than a year. After the seeds sprout, they are seedlings with two well-defined cotyledons, characteristic of all cacti, so it is very difficult to immediately determine from the seedlings which cactus it is.

If you know that the seeds should already sprout, but this does not happen, the seeds are strong and healthy in appearance, then you can use the method that is practiced by many cactus growers. The bowl with the seeds is moved to a cooler place and not watered until the soil dries out. After two weeks or more, the seeds are again taken to a warm place and watered. This procedure stimulates seed germination. In some cases, you should forget about the seeds in a bowl for six months or a year and put them in a dry place with a moderate temperature. To retry next spring. Some of the seeds may sprout, although less strong plants will grow from this batch.

Growing cacti from seeds requires bottom heating (soil heating); most require a temperature of about 30°C for germination. The easiest way is to place the bowl with the seeds on a heating pad. It is also possible to use a battery if sowing is carried out in heating season. But as soon as the seeds germinate, install lighting above them. There is another option - a thermal mat for a terrarium, or a thermal cord. There are thermal cords for completely dry terrariums, 3 meters or more in length. This is convenient if the crop plantations are large. The only note: you should play it safe and regularly check the soil temperature with a thermometer.

Lighting cactus seedlings is very important point. All seedlings, without exception, are very demanding of light. If it is not enough, the babies stretch out, become weak, get sick, and die. Even on a southern windowsill, in most cases there is not enough light for seedlings. Think ahead and stock up on lamps or lamps. They need to be placed so that the distance from the crops to the fluorescent lamp(s) is no more than 10 cm. It is better to use tube lamps - with them the lighting is more uniform. Illumination duration is 8-12 hours.

Possible difficulties with crops

Sometimes the emerging seedling seems to lie on its side, and the young roots stick out to the side. You need a thin stick, you can use a pencil to make a hole under the roots, and lift the seedling so that the roots are in this hole, there is no need to press it with earth, it will fix itself in the soil or sand.

The seedling has appeared, but the stuck seed shell does not want to separate from the sprout - this happens quite often - you must carefully remove the remaining shell, if it holds on too tightly, then the seedling may have to be removed from the soil to remove the shell.

One of the seedlings has rotted - urgently check all the remaining seedlings, and remove the dead one along with the lump of earth or sand that surrounded it. If another seedling dies, then all remaining seedlings must be immediately planted in new, disinfected soil.

Picking cactus seedlings

The question of when to make the first pick is quite controversial among cactus growers. Some advise diving after the first thorns appear, others set the time - after a year or two. The fact is that cactus seedlings grow differently - some species grow very slowly, others by leaps and bounds. In addition, the growth rate depends on the conditions - those grown in a greenhouse in warmth, with good light and high air humidity grow much faster than without heating and additional lighting. Well, manual skill (delicate work) is also an important factor. Children are easily injured and are more likely to lose some crops. Therefore, sometimes it is better to endure slow maturation, but keep the crops intact.

I follow the advice of experienced cactus growers and pick my seedlings for the first time after something that looks like spines or even hairs appears between the cotyledons. Frequent picking, on average, after one and a half to two months, significantly accelerates the growth of cacti. Thus, I picked my cacti 6 times in the first year of life, and the next year they were already almost mature plants, and it was no longer picking, but rather transshipment into fresh soil in the spring and mid-summer. But sometimes, due to the rampant growth of blue-green algae, it was necessary to dive unscheduled.

Rules for picking cactus seedlings

1. You cannot pull seedlings out of the soil by the crown. They carefully dig up, but it is better to hold the seedling with your fingers rather than with metal tweezers. You can use tweezers if you put rubber tubes from a dropper on the ends. Seedlings must be handled with extreme caution; every wound, even a microscopic one, can be disastrous for it.
2. Before picking, the soil is moistened and depressions are made in it. The removed seedling is transferred to a new place along with a lump of soil. The soil is not watered, but only sprayed. The bowl is covered with glass and is in the same conditions, i.e. on heating and light, as before.
3. If you want to remove seedlings from heating, then this should be done no earlier than two weeks after picking.

Despite a large number of For plant lovers, sowing cactus seeds is challenging. This happens due to improper planting, during which they rot. The rules of cultivation and care will help you acquire new prickly seedlings on the windowsill. This will require a little time, patience and the right materials.

Selecting seeds

Before sowing cacti with seeds, you need to decide on the method of obtaining them. Planting material can be purchased at a flower shop or extracted yourself. The first option is much simpler - you immediately begin planting the selected variety.

To get cactus seeds at home, you need to wait until the end of the flowering period. A box with seeds will remain in place of the inflorescence. The downside of this method is the long waiting time. In addition, it will be possible to grow only those plants from which the planting material was collected.

The appearance of the seeds depends on the variety. They may vary in color, shape and size. Cacti from seeds bloom much later than those grown vegetatively.

Requirements for soil and container

You can prepare the soil for planting yourself. For this you will need leaf soil, river sand, small quantity and crushed charcoal. All components must be disinfected, the sand must be washed and calcined in the oven for 90 minutes at high temperature.

However, for favorable seed germination, it is better to stock up on ready-made soil for cacti and succulents. It contains all the necessary nutrients and microelements for the seedling. Store soil also needs pre-treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate. You can bake it in the oven on a baking sheet for no more than 10 minutes at a temperature of +110° C.

Planting container

Cactus seedlings are grown in greenhouse conditions. For this a small one will do plastic container with a lid (special container, cake packaging or disposable food container).

Cactus seed sowing technology

Before planting, the seed material must be prepared. To do this, they are soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 10 hours, then taken out and dried. After this, you can begin the process.

Sowing

Stages of sowing cactus seeds:

1. Place drainage in the prepared mini-greenhouse, pour 5 cm thick soil on top and thoroughly water with boiled water. warm water. Overflow should not be allowed, otherwise you will have to wait until the soil dries out;
2. Level the damp soil and make small holes for seeds, 2 cm apart;
3. Place a seed in each hole, without falling asleep on top;
4. Close the container with a lid and place it on the windowsill.

Already in the first week you can detect the first shoots of planted plants.

You can open the container only after thorns appear on the seedlings. They really need oxygen.

Seed care rules

To obtain high germination and strong plants at all stages of growth, it is necessary to properly care for them. From the moment of planting until the emergence of sprouts, it is necessary to strictly observe the care requirements.

Watering

After planting cacti with seeds and during the period of their active growth, it is important to monitor the soil moisture, preventing it from drying out. If you overdo it with watering, the seeds may rot. Before watering, you should check the condition of the soil by touch: if it is almost dry, then it’s time to moisten it.

Under no circumstances should you pour water from a watering can or bottle. This must be done carefully, using a spray bottle or pipette (water each plant separately). Do not forget that for irrigation it is necessary to prepare warm boiled water.

Temperature

Regardless of the time of year when the cactus seeds were sown, they need comfortable temperature air. The optimal indicator varies between 23-25° C. It is very useful to sometimes reduce the temperature to 15° C, so at night it is worth removing the container with seedlings to a cooler place.

Light

Young flowers are greatly influenced by lighting, so before planting cacti from seeds, you should choose a good location.

There should be a large amount of natural light on the windowsill (daytime lamps), while the greenhouse should be protected from exposure to direct rays of the sun.

Rules for caring for seedlings

With the appearance of the first thorns, the lid of the greenhouse can be removed for several hours a day for ventilation. This important stage, during which it is necessary to carefully handle the plants. You can add watering from a watering can with a narrow spout to regular spraying. You still need to monitor the soil moisture, preventing it from drying out completely.

Requirements to temperature conditions remain the same, but now the plants feel good even at +30° C. At night, the mini-greenhouse requires a cooler room.

If the cactus was grown from seeds using fluorescent lamps, they can already be abandoned during this growth period.

Young shoots need moderate feeding and fertilizers. A product for these purposes can be purchased at a flower shop. Its composition is characterized by a high content of potassium, phosphorus and calcium and a minimal amount of nitrogen. The interval between feedings should not be from 10 to 15 days.

Transplanting and caring for a young cactus

At 3 months of age, cactus seedlings are picked. Each plant requires a separate container. While the seedlings are small, a small container is enough, for example plastic cup. The pot should have a bottom with holes to drain excess liquid. If the bottom has no holes, you need to water it very carefully.

Long roots should be pinched to speed up the growth of the seedling.

The transplant is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Pour drainage (expanded clay, small broken bricks, fine crushed stone) onto the bottom of the container, and on top a layer of soil (the same as when sowing) to the edges of the pot;
2. Make a small hole in the center;
3. Transfer the cactus from the greenhouse to the pot along with a lump of earth;
4. Gently compact the soil around it, then apply fertilizer and water.

In the first year, the plant does not require special care, except for watering, which should be the same as for adult flowers (after 6 months). The fertilizer application schedule remains the same until the first autumn month, after which it is worth reducing watering and allowing the cactus a rest period.

As a cactus grows for a long time, it needs a larger pot that matches its size. A plant grown from seeds will have to wait at least 5 years for flowering. For further replanting, it is better to purchase ready-made soil for this species. Even though the cactus is in the sand different color looks beautiful and unusual, this is not the most favorable option for further development. Over time, the sand compacts and becomes dense, thereby preventing the development of the root system.

For the experiment to be successful in how to germinate a cactus from seeds, you should carefully understand. Carrying out all the steps taking into account the advice experienced gardeners, you can get rare plant varieties at home.

Growing cacti from seeds - video

Planting cacti with seeds is a popular way to obtain viable, well-formed, adapted to room conditions plants. In order to successfully implement this idea, it is not at all necessary to be an experienced cactus grower. Alternatively, cactus seeds are available at any large seed store.

For your first experience, you can purchase a bag of mix and simply enjoy the process from the moment of sowing to the first shoots. And how interesting it is to recognize in small, not yet formed cacti that they belong to one species or another...

You can plant seeds all year round. But in spring and summer, when the climate is more favorable, it will be much easier to get seedlings.

How to grow a cactus from seeds quickly and easily

When you purchase seeds in a store, the package usually has complete instructions about how to sow. Well, if you take seeds from cactus breeding clubs, then you will have to act only based on the experience of other people. For planting, you can use any small Plastic container. The main thing is that it is washed well. Be sure to make holes to drain excess liquid when watering. Since it is waterlogging that leads to the death of seeds and sprouted plants.

Next, the prepared container is filled with special soil for cacti. A layer with a thickness of 2 to 4 cm is considered sufficient. Before planting, the soil is spilled with hot boiled water. This will create a favorable environment for further seedlings. The watered soil is leveled and furrows are drawn on it at a distance of 1.5 cm from each other.

Cactus seeds are very small. They are planted using a needle or a sharp toothpick, which is moistened in water and then a seed is attached to it. You need to leave a distance of 1 cm between them. If division by variety is important to you, it is best to use different containers or make notes.

After planting the cactus seeds is completed, the container is placed in a special greenhouse.

Greenhouse for cacti

It can be made from old box from a cake or container microwave oven. The crops are closed in a greenhouse and placed where there is a lot of heat and light. A south-facing window sill would be suitable. If the seeds have retained their germination well, in a week or even less you will be able to see the sprouts of young cacti.

Seedling care

Cacti from seeds at home sprout quite well. But, in order for each green sprout to develop into a full-fledged plant, the seedlings need to be provided with high-quality care.

Warm

One of the most important conditions for growth and development it is warmth. Cacti require a temperature of +25 degrees during the day and +20 at night. But, if you want to achieve warmth with the help of natural light, you should not place the greenhouse on the south window when the shoots have already begun. They are still too tender and will simply burn in direct sunlight.

Lighting

A sufficient amount of safe sun is the key to active and successful growth young cacti. Provide them with diffused, full light throughout the day.

Watering

Only adult cacti thrive with infrequent watering. Young plants require constantly moist, but not waterlogged soil. Stagnation of water will lead to rotting and death of seedlings. Watering is carried out from below. The water must be warm and boiled.

When cacti obtained from seeds at home celebrate a month from their birth, you can gradually begin to accustom them to more moderate watering.

Ventilation

When the container with the sown seeds is in the greenhouse, it must be ventilated regularly. At first, it should be light but frequent ventilation for several minutes. Next, you need to start leaving a small gap in the greenhouse in order to ensure a constant flow of air. And when the seedlings become stronger and larger, the greenhouse may not be used at all.

Picking

Time passes, the cacti grow. And very soon they will become cramped in the tray in which they were put. Here you will need to pick into a new container, where it is important to increase the distance between plants. Three to four such transplants may be required. When the cacti look more mature, they can be planted in special pots.

It's that simple, with minimal costs, you can grow any cactus that you dreamed of but couldn’t find for sale in the store. It is very interesting to watch the growth of a plant from scratch.

How to grow cacti from seeds? 4.08 /5 (81.67%) 12 votes

Growing cacti from seeds not only a fascinating and interesting activity for every cactus grower, it is at the same time the most accessible, in our conditions, way obtaining large, well-formed, flowering plants rare species and pure lines. To do this, sowing must be done with benign, non-hybrid seeds.

Sowing time

Sowing can be done at any time of the year, since it has been experimentally established that in culture the germination of seeds does not depend on the time of year. If there are greenhouses with fluorescent lamps It is better to sow in the fall or early winter (September-January), since in this case the seedlings have time to grow to a significant size by the next winter and tolerate the subsequent wintering well. In the absence of greenhouses, winter sowing is not recommended; It is best to produce it in the spring.

Preparation of sowing equipment

It is better to sow each species separately, or two species together in small boxes (for example, children's cubes), which are then conveniently placed in one common bowl.

You can also sow in one plastic or ceramic bowl at least 3 cm deep, which you can use to vertical partitions divided into cells. The sowing site of each species is marked with a number or name. Before laying, the dishes must be thoroughly washed and disinfected strong solution potassium permanganate, bleach or formaldehyde. It is advisable to boil ceramic dishes. All preparation is done on the eve of sowing.

Preparing the seed substrate

The substrate for sowing must be well-permeable to air and water, poor nutrients, capable of retaining moisture, having a slightly acidic reaction (pH-6) and being sterile. These requirements are met by a mixture of equal parts of sifted leaf soil and coarse washed lime-free sand, with a small addition of sifted peat and charcoal powder. More complex compositions do not have noticeable advantages.

To sterilize, the finished mixture is poured into a pan, moistened well, tightly closed with a lid and placed in the oven, where the temperature is maintained at 200 - 250 ° C. Three liters of the mixture are sterilized for 1-1.5 hours. For smaller quantities of the mixture, the duration of sterilization is reduced.

It is also convenient to carry out sterilization over steam in a pressure cooker. After sterilization, the substrate should remain moist. Sterilization is performed on the eve of sowing. For drainage, use small pebbles, well washed and boiled.

Pre-sowing seed preparation

Before sowing it is necessary:

1. Carefully examine the seeds under a magnifying glass; remove any damaged or moldy seeds. Any remaining fruit adhering to the seeds will also be removed.
2. Rinse the seeds in boiled water or in a pink solution of potassium permanganate. The washing is conveniently carried out in a test tube, the contents of which are shaken.
3. Treat the seeds in a solution of quinozol (1 g per liter of boiled water) for 2 hours. In the absence of quinosol, etching can be carried out in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 12 - 20 hours. There is a method of etching in a solution of hydrogen peroxide (40 g per liter of water) for 10 minutes, after which the seeds are immediately washed in boiled water.

For dressing, the seeds are placed on pieces of filter paper or white thick cloth and dipped into the solution, having previously written the name of the species. You can also put the seeds in small dishes, for example, cubes (each type separately) and fill them with a disinfectant.

The best method of etching is dry using the drug TMTD (aka thiuram, guerilla). To do this, dry seeds, if there are a lot of them, are dipped into a test tube, a little of the drug is added and shaken. The seeds are covered with a thin layer of the preparation and sown in this form. If there are few seeds, they can be pollinated on a sheet of paper. Very small seeds do not need to be treated to avoid their loss. The drug TMTD is moderately toxic to warm-blooded animals and therefore must be handled with caution. It is useful to add a little TMTD to the substrate (1 g per liter).

Sowing

Place drainage at the bottom of the seed boxes using a sterile spoon, and pour the substrate on top of it. compact it by lightly tapping so that the surface of the substrate is slightly below the edge of the boxes, level the surface and cover it with a very thin layer of small, washed brick, or even better, white brick. quartz sand. Dark seeds are clearly visible against a white background. Seeds are laid out on the resulting surface.

For unfolding, it is convenient to use the point of a pencil or back, to the slightly moistened end of which the seeds stick well and are easily separated. Large seeds are slightly deepened into the substrate, small ones remain on the surface. Astrophytum seeds are placed with the ridge up, the remaining seeds - with the ridge down; in this case, the sprouted seedlings will be directed with their roots down.

Hydration

The finished crop is moistened from the tray until a dark spot of moisture appears on the surface of the substrate. Crops in a common bowl can be moistened using a watering tube (a thin tube or cup with a hole in the bottom, installed vertically and reaching the bottom of the bowl). Subsequent moistening can be done from a tray or a spray bottle, but not with a strong stream, so as not to push the seeds out of their places. Watering should provide continuous and sufficient high humidity seeds

Overdrying of seeds is not allowed. For irrigation, distilled, rain, or snow water is used, and in their absence, boiled water. Water for irrigation can also be softened by adding a small amount of oxalic acid to it, boric acid, or monosubstituted potassium orthophosphate. This water can be used after the turbidity has settled. Dishes for storing water and irrigation must be sterile.

Germination of seeds

After moistening, the sowing is installed in a greenhouse with fluorescent lamps (autumn-winter sowing), or in a warm, bright place, but darkened from the sun's rays (spring sowing) and tightly covered with a plexiglass plate or a transparent cap. To ensure maximum germination The temperature in the greenhouse during the day should be between 20-25°. At a temperature of 25°, seedlings appear faster. Even a short-term increase in temperature above 25° reduces germination. For some alpine species (Rebutia) optimal temperatures slightly below 15-20°, Night temperature should not be higher than daytime, or excessively low (below 10°). It can be the kind that is installed in the greenhouse when the lamps are turned off. The illumination of the crop should be approximately 5000 lux.

The stated requirements are met in a greenhouse that has 5-6 lamps, has no side walls and is installed on open place. The chokes must be located outside the greenhouse. As a temporary measure, to lower the temperature in the greenhouse, it is recommended to turn off one or two lamps during germination.

Lighting duration is 12-14 hours a day. 2-3 weeks after sowing, when the emergence of new shoots basically ends, you can raise the temperature in the greenhouse to 40-50° for several hours and repeat the procedure the next day (heat shock). After this, several new shoots may appear. Unsprouted seeds can be collected, washed in potassium permanganate and left until the next sowing. Sometimes with such reseeding several seedlings appear.

Seedling care

Seedlings need care from the moment they are born. For seedlings whose roots are exposed to the air, you need to make a hole in the substrate with a sharp, clean stick and push them there with their roots. Seedlings that have not shed their shell need to be helped to get rid of it by everyone possible ways, even using your fingers. Seedlings that have not shed their shells die. After the appearance of the main part of the seedlings, the moisture content of the crop is reduced, and the bowl is covered with plexiglass, leaving a gap for air access. The above temperatures, which are optimal for seed germination, are not necessary for growing seedlings, but are nevertheless excessive high temperatures can cause severe tanning and stunted growth in seedlings, so the temperature should not be higher than 30 - 35 ° C. To prevent seedlings of some high-mountain species (for example, Lobivia) from stretching too much, they are placed closer to the lamps. Other types can be located at a height of 15-17 cm from the lamps. Moderate stretching of seedlings is not dangerous and is eliminated with age.

During the process of growth and development, seedlings should be regularly inspected, ventilated and watered. Sick seedlings with gray spots or transparent stem are removed. The regime of seedlings: their temperature, light, humidity and location should not be subject to sudden changes. So, for example, the complete removal of the covering glass, which can only be done for seedlings that have reached significant sizes, is not carried out immediately, but by constantly accustoming them to the new regime. Otherwise, the seedlings stop growing for a long time. Prolonged drying also depresses seedlings and can lead to their death.

At the first signs of the appearance of algae (greenery), part of the substrate where it appeared is removed, fresh substrate is added and watering is reduced. An effective remedy are sprinkling the surface with TMTD powder mixed with fine sand (95% sand + 5% TMTD). Antibiotics may be used. To do this, 1 tablet of biomycin and 1 tablet of instatin are ground with alcohol and the resulting slurry is dissolved in 100 ml of water. The resulting solution is applied to the surface with a pipette and used only for seedlings that have already grown noticeably. More dangerous is the defeat of seedlings by mold fungi. Such seedlings are immediately removed, and the surface of the substrate is disinfected with alcohol, TMTD powder or antibiotics, as mentioned above. It is also possible to use the drug “captan”. In case of repeated cases of mold damage, the affected part of the crop is immediately picked off. A 0.1% solution of karbofos is used against the skiara fly (more precisely, its caterpillars, which eat up the lower, underground part of the seedlings). Nicotine preparations are also used or the surface of the substrate is sprinkled with a layer of fine sand. Plants should not be allowed into the greenhouse with sowing. infected with nematodes, scale insects or mites.

If the growth of seedlings stops or limestone formations appear on the surface of the substrate and the walls of the boxes, which indicates alkalization of the substrate, you need to do several waterings with acidified water (5-6 drops of acid: sulfuric, nitric per liter of water, pH-4). It is also possible to use organic acids. Occasionally watering with fertilizer mixtures is allowed. But the growth of seedlings should not be accelerated by intensive feeding with fertilizers or the use of growth stimulants, since such seedlings are not able to resist infection and, as a rule, die. Seedlings that have received minor damage to the root collars can be saved by grafting, for which you need to have several growing rootstocks in the greenhouse.

Diving seedlings

For seedlings where appropriate measures have been taken to protect against the appearance of mold, algae, and alkalization of the substrate, it is better to carry out the dive for as long a period as possible. because the picking of small seedlings is usually accompanied by losses and a temporary stop in their growth. The dive becomes inevitable when repeated cases of seedlings being damaged by mold are observed, when the surface of the substrate is heavily affected by algae (especially blue-green, dark-colored and bad smell), when the substrate turns sour (takes on a sour smell), when the growth of seedlings stops, when they, having reached a significant size, begin to crowd each other.

For diving, the seedlings are carefully removed from the substrate with a lump around the roots using a small spatula. top part the coma is removed, root collars washed with a brush with potassium permanganate or a solution of quinosol and transplanted into a new substrate of the same composition as when sowing. Seedlings are planted at a distance from each other approximately equal to their diameter. The first watering is carried out only after 2-3 days. When picking seedlings from a substrate covered with greenery, the greenery in the new substrate can quickly reappear, so it is possible that there will be a need for repeated picking.

Seedlings of some difficult-to-grow species (for example, Ariocarpus) often die after diving; however, they should not be shocked at all. If further stay in the substrate becomes impossible, they should be grafted. Seedlings of some species cannot exist in culture for any length of time long time on its roots (Blossfeldia liliputana). They need to be vaccinated at the age of several days (preferably with Peresciopsis spatulata).

First summer and first winter

With the onset of warm spring, the sowing is transferred from the greenhouse to the room, where it is installed in a bright place, but protected from the sun. This should be preceded by a period of training and adaptation of seedlings to new conditions. The sowing is not covered with glass; watering is reduced; it can be done after the top layer of the substrate has dried. With the establishment warm weather seedlings can be transferred to a greenhouse outside the window, but shaded from direct sunlight. This can only be done if there is a guarantee against sudden overheating or cooling.

Otherwise, the entire crop can be destroyed. Seedlings can overwinter near a window at a temperature of 12-15°. Watering is careful, once every 10-15 days. but after preheating them to room temperature. If over time it turns out that such a regime leads to a deterioration in the condition of the seedlings, they will be removed in January-February after preliminary preparation can be placed in a greenhouse, under lamps, where their rapid growth is observed again. Plants receive a cold and dry wintering in the third year of life.