fruitful.......................

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jerrytheplater
Posts: 1153
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:38 pm
Location: Bloomingdale, NJ (USDA Zone 6b)
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Re: fruitful.......................

Post by jerrytheplater »

KactusKim wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:40 pm OK.....so this is my first post ever on this forum.
I am quite the introvert and do not belong to any social media at all.
But I wanted to add that you have a beautiful plant and was wondering if you got any seed from it?
I adopted a Mammillaria from Home Depot and it was absolutely stunning.
I gave the mother plant to my daughter but have TONS AND TONS of babies growing.
It gave off 6 fruits and each one was full of seeds.
I have never grown cactus from seed but I think every seed sprouted!
I have no idea what I am going to do with so many mammillaria seedlings!
Schlumbergera and Rhipsalidopsis are my thing but I am really dipping my toes into desert cactus and have (embarassingly) really developed quite a collection that I can't help but try to hybridize :)
I have a 5 shelf light stand and love starting seeds and pups. Again, all new to me and still learning.

Hope you got some viable seeds :)

I have a TON of seeedpods in the works right now. Many rhipsalidopsis crosses that have been hanging on for over 3 months now.
Still early summer here in Maine and many more warm days to come....hopefully.

Nice to meet you all and am happy to have found you :)
Kim in Maine
Welcome. You could start a member blog and show off your collection.
Jerry Smith
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
DaveW
Posts: 7373
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: fruitful.......................

Post by DaveW »

"I only have one plant, do you need more than one to get seeds?"

Some plants are self fertile and will set seed without cross pollination. Many need two of the same species that are not clones to produce fertile seeds. Obviously if you take an offset off a plant and root it down then pollinate one to the other it is still the same plant. Often many grafted plants you buy are the same clone that has been vegetatively propagated many times, therefore may not cross pollinate with other similar grafts of that species.

The problem of fruits being set in a mixed collection is that open pollination may occur by insects carrying pollen from different species, therefore the seedlings may be hybrids. Ideally you should isolate the plant before its flowers open then hand pollinate it to be sure the seeds are not hybrid. However your own seed always seems to germinate better as it is fresh.
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