SwedishPsychonaut Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 Hello people of The Corroboree! I want to start by thanking the administrators for giving me access to this lovely forum. I have been searching for a specific thread for beginner questions but I have not found one, feel free to move this post if you want. I am a 26 year old student living in the cold north of Sweden that recently decided to try out cacti cultivation. English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for grammatical errors. In order to start my cacti cultivation I started searching the internet and found some helpful guides and tips. I had trouble finding a forum to discuss this kind of cacti cultivation, which is why I am posting here (feeling hopeful). I found a desert plant company in Sweden which I contacted and purchased 20 seeds of Lophophora williamsii ("Peyote"), Trichocereus pachanoi ("San Pedro") and Trichocereus peruvianus ("Peruvian Torch"). I went and purchased cacti soil, a small greenhouse and a combined thermometer and hygrometer. As I am writing this, I put the seeds into the soil 36 days ago. Below you can see a few pictures of how the cacti are looking right now: The Greenhouse Pots Peyote. Also peyote. The only San Pedro The only Peruvian torch So, after 36 days, the 20 seeds of peyote resulted in 6 small cactuses, the 20 seeds of san pedro resulted in 1 small cactus and the 20 seeds of peruvian torch resulted in 1 small cactus. I feel like its a pretty bad outcome, but this is my first time trying this. At this point, I want to try and make the ones that made it grow large! As a complete beginner I would like to ask some questions about my cultivation: 1. So far I have watered the pots and let new air into the greenhouse daily. I have not yet put any lights into the greenhouse, because the guide I am reading suggests lights first when the little lives look like small cacti. I live in Sweden, which at this time of year has very few hours of sun, so the only light the cacti are getting at the moment is from the lamp in my ceiling. Do you think that its time to install some lights? 2. The seeds that has not produced a small cacti yet, do you think there is still a chance that they will pop up? I would also appreciate if you would have any general tips on how to get my cultivation to go further! Thanks very much in advance for answers! Stay humle! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Genius Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Hey mate, welcome to the forum. I just took you off Mod Preview. Makes it easier to post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Genius Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I would definitely recommend that you get a different sowing soil. I use a mix of coarse sharp sand and high quality sowing soil and the percentage of mineral ingredients is quite high. Probably somewhere around 70% sand and it increases your chances of success dramatically. This soil takes too long to dry out, which causes all kinds of problems. If you have any questions or run into problems just let us know and we try to help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crop Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 On 20/12/2017 at 5:30 AM, SwedishPsychonaut said: English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for grammatical errors. Mate ya doin better than a lot of us native speakers. I'm a bit new to cactus too, but have been getting pretty good results using takeaway tek for popin seeds. Ya should be able to find info on here somewhere. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inyan Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I've always started my seeds off in full sun. Gives them a nice purple red tint for a few weeks and then they pop as you say. I also place my Trichocereus seed containers in water a few inches deep and watch them sprout like mad that way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothinghead Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Here's one of the threads on the takeaway tek, look at HolyMountain's post for a brief rundown of the tek. About your questions. I always had a light above my seeds, so though I've read that it's unnecessary I've never tried it without lights. You can just grab a fluoro tube, or even easier a cool-white energy saver bulb and fitting, and hang it right above the greenhouse. Mightn't help, but won't hurt them. There is a chance the seeds will still pop. Since you're using an organic substrate, be careful not to overwater. You also might want to put the greenhouse right next to/above your element both to increase the warmth of the soil, and to help with the soil staying damp but not wet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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