Seed Propagation Of Cacti. Part 2

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Breeding cacti is not an easy task, therefore, consider the following stages of seed reproduction

Maintenance and care of seedlings

When seedlings appear, the maintenance regime changes. In order for the seedlings not to stretch, the illumination must be at least 6000 lux (all 5 lamps are turned on). Species that are particularly demanding on light are placed at a distance of 2-3 cm from the fluorescent lamp (for others - 10-12 cm). It should be noted that near its ends the illumination drops strongly. The high humidity required for germination is unsuitable for seedlings, as it can cause root rot. To reduce it, the transparent plate is slightly shifted to the side, the gap is increased as the seedlings grow. The temperature can remain the same, but its rise is also allowed (up to 30-32 °). They switch to the new regime approximately 2-2.5 weeks after sowing.

They begin to take care of the seedlings from the moment they appear. They are helped to free themselves from the seed shell, making sure that the roots do not appear on the surface. Patients (with brown spots or a transparent stem) are removed. Seedlings are regularly inspected, ventilated and moistened by blotting the substrate from below or spraying with soft water. They do not allow prolonged overdrying of seedlings and a sharp change in the maintenance regime. When alkalizing the substrate, it is watered with acidified water (5-6 drops of any acid per liter of water). Over the summer, you can feed cacti 1-2 times with a weak solution of mineral fertilizers (1 g / l). You should not overfeed the seedlings, as this can lead to their death.

Adverse events in the form of diseases

A cactus affected by a fungal disease is removed along with the roots and adjacent soil. This place is disinfected with alcohol. To destroy the larvae of leaf mosquitoes eating seedlings, the surface of the substrate is treated with a 0.2% solution of karbofos or dried, and adults are also destroyed. Algae often develop on the soil surface. They do not pose an immediate danger, but it is still best to get rid of them. To do this, reduce the moisture content of the substrate, and the "green" is carefully removed from its surface.

Transplanting (picking) seedlings

It is necessary when the development of seedlings is suspended or, conversely, they have grown and are crowding each other; if the substrate is abundantly covered with algae or sour and gives off an unpleasant odor; with repeated defeat by fungal diseases. Most often, 1-1, 5-month-old seedlings dive for the first time. When similar signs appear again, the pick is repeated. Before this, the substrate is slightly moistened, then the plants are taken out with a small spatula along with a lump of earth, and the upper part is removed. They are planted in a substrate of the same composition at a distance equal to the diameter of the seedling. After 2-3 days, watering begins.

Summer and winter maintenance

With the onset of warm weather, the covering plate is removed, the sowing is transferred from the greenhouse to the windowsill and covered from direct sunlight. Cacti gradually accustom themselves to the dry air of rooms. In the absence of sudden temperature fluctuations and cold, sowing can be kept in a greenhouse outside the window, shading from the sun. Darkening of seedlings indicates excessive lighting.

For the winter they are arranged on the windowsill, but they are not isolated from room heat. The temperature here should be around 15 ° C. Water gently 1-2 times a month. Before and after watering, the plants are kept for 3-4 days in a room at 20-22 ° and returned to their place after the substrate has dried. If their condition worsens, the sowing is transferred to the greenhouse under the lamps before the onset of spring. The seedlings are transferred to winter maintenance, typical for adult cacti, from the third year of life.