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Not really sure why I didn't ask this earlier, but would these still be viable, if I harvested them back in August?

August this year? Yes, absolutely.

Ah, that's good. Thanks. These are easy to grow, right? I've never grown cacti from seed before; I think the only seeds I've ever gotten to grow a decent amount were stuff from parakeet food (millets and grasses and stuff), and those grew way faster than a cactus would.

I have read some posts a while back about how people like to sow seeds in winter so that they have seedlings growing throughout the spring and summer and getting big enough to survive the next winter. So this would be an okay time, if I can actually get a good setup going? I really don't know what I'd do about light and heat, though; we have very limited space here, and I would probably need something cheap.



Edit: WAIT A MINUTE... did I need to pollinate the flowers? Because I'd just kind of assumed the seeds would be fertile, since the plant still made them in the first place... never thought of them like how birds can lay infertile eggs.

Rebutia minuscula can pollinate itself, so your seeds are likely to be viable. They are relatively easy, and yes they can be sown now, but you might need to provide some extra light.

Agree with Darryl yup you can still use them i even had some cacti seed that i had stored away for 2 years and sure enough tossed some in to see if they would germinate and YUP sure did..









HO! HO! HO!! We need lots of snow!

luddhus wrote:Rebutia minuscula can pollinate itself, so your seeds are likely to be viable.

Okay. I thought I'd seen something about pollinating from one flower to another flower on the same plant. Not sure what that's about, if plants either just pollinate by themselves or require another plant for it anyway.

Now, I don't actually know how I'm going to work this whole thing. I need a cheap setup that doesn't take up a lot of space, and a timer would be awesome.

And about the soil... I'm not sure what I'm going to do about sterilizing, as I have pet birds and so am afraid of fumes that may be released, since it's a non-edible item that you're sticking in the oven/microwave for a longer time than you would for most foods, and I've read that it smells (and my family probably wouldn't like that part anyway)...

And what about the soil mix itself? I finally managed to procure some coir (more like a LOT of coir) and perlite, but I've seen a couple posts that suggest coir somehow can cause damping off? Or is there no problem if it's sterilized/disinfected with the rest of the mix?

I have a lot of questions, but that's because I want these little guys to live.

Hi, seed growing of cacti is easy. All they basically need is a constant supply of humidity (Zip bag) , warmth (warm windowsill with bottom heat), and light (also windowsill). Rebutia are easy so don´t worry too much about the potting mix.
You should sterilize it for say 3x 5min. in the microwave though. If you use new plant substrate it shouldn´t smell bad.
Try it with half a cup full first and then you will see the result.
Use only cooked water (rain water is best if there isn´t too much air polllution in your area)

Each bag contains a single new pot standing in a shallow amount of water.


Example of substrate which worked good for me.
I think you can make a usefull substate with the coponents you already have.
Good luck and have fun watching the new life growing.