Beginner Friendly Seeds

[iaeen]

I'm fairly new to the cactus collecting hobby, but I'm interested in growing some plants from seed. Are there any species/genera that are particularly well suited to learning the basics of growing from seed? Are there any in particular that I should avoid?

I'm mostly interested in desert cacti more than epis at the moment if that helps narrow it down. I have a wishlist for MesaGarden, but I'm picking mostly based on looks/pictures from the member topics section. I'd post it, but it's getting pretty long (currently has 62 different species)...

Thanks for the help!

[greenknight]

Echinopsis mirabilis (syn. Setiechinopsis mirabilis) is exceptionally easy to grow from seed.

[toadstar]

I'd get a packet of mixed seed. It's pretty fun to see what will pop up. As a beginner it's a neat way to get a nice little variety of cacti growing.

And, as I have learned, any weaklings under your care will be quickly weeded out.

[iann]

There are plenty of "easy" cactus species from seed, but for beginners something that starts out big is always a good idea. Ferocactus and columnars are good choices. E. grusonii is also a big seedlings. So those are easy to not kill, but they won't do much except get bigger for quite a few years. For more reward, try Gymnocalyciums or Rebutias which can flower in a couple of years.

[Vipassana]

I'll echo what Toadstar said. If you're ordering from Mesa Gardens, throw in a packet of mixed cactus seed. You'll get a bundle of seed for pretty darn cheap. I got one and it appears to be mostly Ferocactus and Mammilaria so far, but there are some others.

If you're interested in desert cactus, I've found Pachycereus pringlei to be a very fast growing, easy, fun seed. Plus they're quite large seeds so they're easy to handle for those starting out. On my last batch I had near 100% germination and within 6 months, they were 0.5 to 1.0 inches tall.

Another seed source you might consider that is a bit faster than MG and cheaper for volume seeds is Cactusstore.com. I've ordered from them several times now and only gotten a couple batches of "bad" seed. Their pricing is pretty good for beginners as you get usually 25 seeds for $1.50 or 100 for $3.50. Getting the larger pack allows you to take a couple of stabs at sowing that seed allowing you to experiment with conditions, soil, etc.

One last possibility is to reach out to your local cactus and succulent society (if your location has one). Our club has a super affordable seed depot and many of the members love to share seed with beginners.

[iaeen]

Thanks for all the great advice!

It sounds like I wasn't too far off as many of the suggestions here are already on my list. I'll be sure to make them some of the first plantings.

Vipassana - I'm seeing a lot of species mixes within a single genus on MG, but I'm not seeing a mix that goes across different genera. Am I missing something or misunderstanding what you are saying?

[keith]

Vipassana - I'm seeing a lot of species mixes within a single genus on MG, but I'm not seeing a mix that goes across different genera."

I think that's right that's all I've noticed. Probably because Mesa doesn't recommend growing cactus with different growth rates in the same pot ? Big fast growers will crowd out little slow growers too quickly.

You could still do alright with their mixed species sowing a different species per pot , I think he sells mixed packs of 30 seeds ?

[iaeen]

I think that's right that's all I've noticed. Probably because Mesa doesn't recommend growing cactus with different growth rates in the same pot ? Big fast growers will crowd out little slow growers too quickly.

You could still do alright with their mixed species sowing a different species per pot , I think he sells mixed packs of 30 seeds ?

That makes sense.

[Vipassana]

Vipassana - I'm seeing a lot of species mixes within a single genus on MG, but I'm not seeing a mix that goes across different genera. Am I missing something or misunderstanding what you are saying?

Look for "5001" on MG's Other Succulents list. This is the all species cactus mix. "5002" is the succulent mix.

I just like these because they're cheap grab bags. Who knows what you'll get with MG.

[iaeen]

Ok, cool. I never would have thought to look in "other succulents" for the cacti mix.

[esp_imaging]

Great advice in this thread so far, I'd endorse the range of views put forward so far.

A few extra suggestions:
Hamatocactus (or Ferocactus, Thelocactus) setispinus has the fast growth rate of Ferocactus, but should flower within 3 years from seed.
Oreocecereus, Cleistocactus and Trichocereus are all fun columnars, and quick to get going - don't forget the south american species!
I assume Escobaria vivipara and E. missouriensis are native to Wisconsin, so should suit your conditions.
If you have space, think about Opuntia species, possibly even those that may be hardy in Wisconsin. They have a reputation (not always deserved) for being hard to germinate, but they are quick, easy and confidence inspiring once they do germinate.

Another consideration is some other succulents. Some of these (a bit like opuntias) may be erratic or slow to germinate, but often have quick growth rates and are relatively hard to kill, so they can be fun and encouraging in a way that cacti (easy to germinate, but then prone to dying at a very young age) sometimes aren't. Euphorbias can be quick and robust in my opinion, Aloes and Agaves too, some easy mesembs also (Nananthus springs to mind).

A final suggestion - don't plant all your seeds at once. Sow a batch, and give them (say) 4 weeks to get going - this should be long enough for decent germination and to start to find out if you if you have major problems with damping off of the young seedlings, and need to change your soil mix, sterilisation regime etc.

[Wilk]

I would recommend the following genera:
Astrophytum
Coryphantha
Cleistocactus
Thelocactus
Echinocereus
Mammillaria
Eriosyce
Matucana

All the above are pretty easy to germinate if seed is reasonably fresh. Astro's germinate very quickly as do Eriosyce, though the latter can sometimes be a little temperamental as they get bigger. Mammillaria is a huge range and, generally speaking, the more choice and beautiful, the less easy to grow.

I would avoid Lobivia which get very leggy and Gymno's which I find rather tricky despite their easy reputation.

If I could choose one species for ease of cultivation and beautiful spination it would probably have to be a variety of Echinocereus Chloranthus.

[iaeen]

Other succulents are in future plans, but right now I'm focusing on cacti. I would love to get into mesembs at some point, but I suspect many of those don't fall into the "hard to kill" category...

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. At this point, the majority of my wish list has shown up in one recommendation or another. Sounds like I'm more or less on the right track.