Aztekium ritteri seedlings

[dvg]

Here is an update on the two remaining Aztekium ritteri seedlings from this seed batch sown back in 2007.



These two are starting to push out differentiated growth from their crowns.



They have now grown to the 2-3 mm size, so they should be much hardier and hopefully will grow out to adulthood,



but at a growth rate of 1 mm in diameter per annum, that will take a while.











dvg

[CactusFanDan]

Cute little things, but perhaps a bit smaller than one might expect for six year old plants! They're alive though, which is better than a lot of people can achieve.

I think the trick to growing this species from seed is:
-Constantly moist for the first year or two.
-Predominantly mineral substrate.
-Contained, sterile environment.
-Slightly dimmer light than used for other cactus seedlings.
-Warm days and cool nights as for other cactus seedlings.

It's certainly something I'll be experimenting with anyway.

[dvg]

Cute little things, but perhaps a bit smaller than one might expect for six year old plants! They're alive though, which is better than a lot of people can achieve.

I think the trick to growing this species from seed is:
-Constantly moist for the first year or two.
-Predominantly mineral substrate.
-Contained, sterile environment.
-Slightly dimmer light than used for other cactus seedlings.
-Warm days and cool nights as for other cactus seedlings.

It's certainly something I'll be experimenting with anyway.

Yes they're alive still and are beginning to look like they might actually grow some now.

They're great plants to update on every couple of years - showing off another couple mm in girth.

Got a ruler out yesterday and measured these out at 3 to 3.5 mm in width and about 4 mm in height...not quite Saguaro dimensions, but I can see the growth has tripled since I posted back in 2011.

CFD, I tend to agree with your A. ritteri growing guide, although I haven't attempted germination of this species in a mostly mineral mix.

Yesterday I added a bit of coarse sand as a top dressing and made sure that the two seedlings were nicely nestled into a thin blanket of sand.

And I have to agree that in keeping a moist dim environment to grow these in the first couple years, it is very important to keep mold, algae and moss growths in check.

I've been fortunate with that lately and that may be due in part to a colony of silver springtails and numerous soil mites scavenging the media surface and cleaning up any wayward growths.

Good luck with your experimenting CFD, it sounds like you're on the right path to successfully growing these little gems.




dvg

[rtb1980]

Yes they're alive still and are beginning to look like they might actually grow some now.

They're great plants to update on every couple of years - showing off another couple mm in girth.

dvg

Any chance these little guys are still growing? I'd love to see some new pictures!!

Fantastic job, btw, I might have to challenge myself and sow some of these seeds sometime soon.