six month old seedlings

[Gunter]

these would be larger if i had sown them less thick and had transplanted sooner, so they are somewhat stunted but still growing well.

They are all just about 6 months old, give or take two weeks

these are various lophophora, max size here is 1cm across

pachanoi(Huancabamba) X SS02, max size 1.75 cm wide

BK collection 09509.2 max size 1.5cm wide

SS02 X pachanoi (as short spine KK242) max size 1.5cm wide

Juuls/peruv X RS0004 max size 1cm wide

NL 52509a (validus?)max size 1.5cm wide

they are slow because they are underpotted, but are growing fine

Edited October 22, 2011 by Gunter

[Marcel]

Wow, those lophs are big for 6 months. My 6 month seedlings look a quarter of that size.

[Gunter]

basic method followed on this batch was to sow on top of perlite/coir/potting mix,

moisten with a spray bottle

and cover with lids until first areoles show

then crack lids and feed with dilute solution and moisten when dry

then after they have a few areoles and spines lids are removed and they are watered and fertilized more frequently

when they were large enough that they could be misted with a hose without easily dislodging them; i snipped holes in the containers and fed them more often and drenched them occasionally with water, also giving them a lot of very bright light,

they show a red color but grow just fine, in fact in some of the batches the more vigorous ones that are the largest and most well established show the most red color...

seriously though they could grow a lot faster than this if i spaced them out and used a medium 10cm deep

they need lots of food water and light to do their best, but you have to be careful about heat and direct sun when they are young

Edited October 22, 2011 by Gunter

[Hellonasty]

Nice work Gunter and some good results there, looks like time to re-pot those trichos.

I see you have used perlite in your soil mix (or is that just on top), How much do you use ? and is it only with the Lophs or do the trichos have it too ?

[Gunter]

around 1:1:1 perlite:coir:potting mix, or sometimes 1:1 perlite coir

all of them have it, not just the loph, in the mix, not on top

also i take some dirt from the garden and mix it in some water and water with that to make sure that soil microbes are present, often i let the mix of dirt and water sit for a few days before i use it

I won't actually repot for a few months at least, the idea being to allow them to display a few more traits before I pick through them selecting the more vigorous and those with a more ideal spine shape and size, then i will pot up the selected ones in larger containers and then pot up the rest together or get rid of them by selling and giving them away

[tripsis]

Good results Gunter. I've found that if the seedlings are too crowded they will become stunted and cease to grow. How much more do you expect those seedlings to grow if such crowded conditions?

[Gunter]

I've found that if the seedlings are too crowded they will become stunted and cease to grow. How much more do you expect those seedlings to grow if such crowded conditions?

slowly

i have never had them cease to grow, only slow

the problem is root to shoot ratio and the rhizosphere, more crowded conditions require more water and food than less crowded conditions, of course they will grow taller easily even in the crowded conditions at a rate of at least 1cm per month assuming i keep feeding them at the same rate, but that would be greater if they were less crowded

consider the following, the cross is Kimuras Spiney Giant X PC pachanot

the small pot is 5cm square, the plants in it only grow well if i water often and feed often as well, they are about a year old...

the large pot is the same age and the same batch actually, but the container is larger, these larger specimens are fed and watered heavily and are about a year old also

the difference is large and if the plants in the second picture had been potted up one at a time they would be nearly half a meter tall at a years age, which is typical but i am working on selection not mass production

I've been growing for over 10 years and have seen plants dwarfed by underpotting many times and have seen meter tall plants from seed in under two years as well, the main growth limiting factors are N, light and water, ability to absorb them is dictated by root to shoot ratio, surface to mass ratio and other similar factors

Edited October 23, 2011 by Gunter

[Philocacti]

great seedlings

very informative thread, thanks for sharing man

[tripsis]

How often do you water/fertilise Gunter? They're some impressive results there. Good to see how fast seedlings can grow with enough attention.

[Gunter]

i water and fertilize differently according to the temp, light exposure, size of container and species

for example, with the larger pot of the KSP X PC I fertilize about twice a month, but use a granulated 16:16:16 at a rather high rate, maybe 2 tablespoons per container or so

I water nearly every day, sometimes twice a day, and occasionally skip a day or two

for seedlings i fertilize with a solution of 20:20:20 at a rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon, and give them at least a half a cup of the solution per container and do this at least twice a month

a few years back i tried to see if i could kill some san pedro type cacti by fertilizing at a very high rate, i wanted to see just how much was too much, but i didn't lose any, they just grew like mad, i learned that these cacti are hungry, like tomatoes, corn or cannabis

[tripsis]

for seedlings i fertilize with a solution of 20:20:20 at a rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon, and give them at least a half a cup of the solution per container and do this at least twice a month

What's this equate to? Half strength?

With young seedlings would you water nearly everyday too?

How old were the cacti you did the fertiliser experiment on? I wouldn't think that small seedlings would able to take prolonged, high amounts of fertiliser well.

[Kee]

Can i ask what condition you grow them in? Outside in filtered light or inside under lights?

[Gunter]

those were sown in full sun exposure in a greenhouse, likely about 70% strength lighting

the lids were tinted blue... that also shaded them a bit

[Illustro]

also i take some dirt from the garden and mix it in some water and water with that to make sure that soil microbes are present, often i let the mix of dirt and water sit for a few days before i use it

+1, I'm really into adding soil microbes as well, I haven't done it to young seedlings yet (apart from adding Trichoderma sp.) but I have been using 'live' mixes with my mature specimens (>1yo), like Ariocarpi, Turbinicarpi, Mammillari, Strombocacti, Obregoni, buttons etc for about 2 years now.

What age do you start adding your soil inoculum?

I started out by doing a bunch of research into the species of arbuscular micorrhizae (AM) and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) which associate with Mexican-American cacti several years ago, and I found about 8 AM species were pretty common across the board, as well as several PGPB. So I researched those species, and found about 2-3 of the AM spp. had extensive international ranges, but in many cases the species incidences were classified on morphology, which I believe is pretty inaccurate. Unfortunately, many of the PGPB were endemic and highly specialised. But, I found that cacti were quite opportunistic with what species they could host, with some examples of them being host commercial AM and PGBP lines.

I wondered if any of the orthodox AM spp. were found locally, and sure enough, 2 spp. were, just unsure how closely related and similar they really are to each other though. I also wondered how opportunistic local unorthodox AM and PGPB would be and vice versa; surely there would be some local unorthodox species which would be compatible and be able to withstand the arid conditions. So I decided to give it a shot, but instead of inoculating via liquid, I actually composed about 1/2 of my organic content in my mixes from rich thriving top-soil (sub-humus). I tell you what, people are always astounded by my growth rates, health, and root masses of my cacti; whenever I repot them, it is impossible to see the tap root through all the feeder roots - an average 3cm button will colonize the vast majority of a 15cm wide pot with feeder roots within a year. Never had any issues with rot either. I've told a few old-school cacti enthusiasts about my technique, they were very much visibly and vocally appalled at my naivety; we shall see though.

[Gunter]

What age do you start adding your soil inoculum?

seed stage, before germination typically

[CβL]

Great work 'Gunter'. I will adapt my fertilizing to more like this! :D

[tripsis]

Do you bottom water your seedlings Gunter? Do you not find that using 50% coir holds too much water?

[Gunter]

initially i mist with spray bottle and when they are older and have drainage i use a spray head on a hose

no problems with coir and water retention thus far

[danshaman]

am currently waiting on some loph seeds

this looks like the way to go

cheers gunter very helpful

[Gunter]

a lot of what i share here is for san pedro, i would not feed lophs as much or water them as often and would use a mineral based medium to pot them up

[planthelper]

good info here, thx gunter!

i'm motivated now, to get my fertilizer bottles out for my cacti collection, today.