pseudolithos seeds

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pokie
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pseudolithos seeds

Post by pokie »

Hello,

I managed to get a couple of Pseudolithos harardheranus to sprout, using the closed ziploc bag method. I have two questions:

1. How long should I wait before taking the pot out of the bag?

2. When is the best time to separate the seedlings into their own pots?

I didn't realize that I was supposed to use individual pots for the seeds; in general I don't know much about growing from seed or pseudolithos and would appreciate relevant advice or links to useful info.

Thank you for your time.
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Aiko
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by Aiko »

pokie wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:29 am I didn't realize that I was supposed to use individual pots for the seeds
What do you mean with this?
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pokie
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by pokie »

Aiko wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 8:31 am
pokie wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:29 am I didn't realize that I was supposed to use individual pots for the seeds
What do you mean with this?
I read an old thread on here that stated that pseudolithos should never be repotted due to their weak roots. From that I concluded that people try to use 1 seed per pot when growing them.
Jangaudi
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by Jangaudi »

I read an old thread on here that stated that pseudolithos should never be repotted due to their weak roots. From that I concluded that people try to use 1 seed per pot when growing them.
hmmmm, I did lose a pseudolithos seedling after I accidentally bumped into it a little, next day it lay down, so I guess it's true that the roots are fragile. Though I think that would solve itself after they mature. But a little hard to grow from seeds overall. I had 5 or 6 germinations from migiurtinus and cubiformis each, but I'm down to 2 each, which seem to get through the winter fine right now (warmish overwintering 16C +) so hope for the best. To my surprise whitesloanea crassa seedlings are pretty easy, 7 and a half out of 7, still kicking :D
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Aiko
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by Aiko »

The roots are not well developed, but I would not call them very fragile, or very reluctent of repotting. They don't grow that fast, so I would just sow them all in one pot, maybe just separate them from eachother a bit in the pot. My four year old ones are still less then one centimeter in size. But my conditions for these heath loving plants are not ideal where I live, with moderate temperatures throughout the year and a lot of cold nights.

Be aware of draft, by the way. And also be aware of intense sunlight. That has killed off most of my seedlings on a warm August day. Shade seedlings from excessive sunlight, or they will turn white in a few hours. Mature plants should be able to easily handle it. But small plants can not, from my experience.
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pokie
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by pokie »

Mine are in a very small pot right now. Is it best to separate them now or wait until they are older?
Is it worthwhile to consider using a grow light or should I just keep them in a shady spot?
What about watering frequency?
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Aiko
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by Aiko »

I would keep them in the pot. And grow light would not hurt them, just as long as you are not scorching them.
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pokie
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by pokie »

Alright, I took the pot out of the bag and put it a few inches from a heat pad I have a on a nearby reptile tank. Hopefully it will be comfy. I also set up a calendar reminder to water it once a month :).
For future reference, what kind of soil mix do you use for them? The seller recommended half compost half mineral mix, but I am open to other options to try down the line.
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pokie
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by pokie »

Welp, my seedlings shriveled up and died within a week of each other. I tried to only water them when the soil got dry. I wish I could get better watering instructions.

https://imgur.com/a/4zIMEpM
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Shane
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by Shane »

Sorry to hear that :( I was following your progress rooting for success
Los Angeles, California (USA)
Zone 10b (yearly minimum temperature 1-5° C)

Fishhook cacti are like cats, they only like to be petted in one direction
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pokie
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by pokie »

Thanks! I got a reserve of pseudolithos migiurtinus seeds to try soon, but I would like to get a better idea for their water regime first.
This might an expensive experiment, but I am determined to get to success eventually.
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supergodzilla
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by supergodzilla »

I can't speak from extensive experience, but I've got some Pseudolithos migiurtinus seedlings just under the 3 month mark and they're looking very healthy at this point.

They seem to have pretty simple needs at present - they're kept warm, shaded (but in bright light) and watered from below whenever I notice the pot has dried out. When winter approaches, hopefully they'll be big enough to withstand an extended drought.

Here's a photo in a 5cm pot:
1579249607279.jpg
1579249607279.jpg (152.44 KiB) Viewed 3845 times
Jangaudi
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by Jangaudi »

I lost a couple of seedlings early on in the process, and then later on one very healthy looking seedling turned weird and died. In my case I am convinced it was due to overwatering, and thus rot, even though I also kept them on the dry side.
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=43326&p=363130#p363130
I was able to keep the rest alive by changing the way I watered them, and I'm using this for most of my other seedlings now as well. I just drip water around the individual seedlings with a nozzle on a plastic bottle. So what happens is that the roots get some water, but as the soil between them is still dry, the water spreads and dries out very fast. They don't seem bothered by it, in fact, now that it's winter they have been very dry for weeks on end, and they are in good shape. They seem very resilient to drought, even small sized. So my guess is, and of course from a distance it is all I can do, that your seedlings rotted, and then shriveled, which looks like they were too dry, but in fact were not.
Jangaudi
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by Jangaudi »

...and i wanted to add:
Your frequency of watering might be perfectly right, though watering from below, and thus watering the whole soil mass will keep the soil moist for too long, which could have caused rot.
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pokie
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Re: pseudolithos seeds

Post by pokie »

I will keep this in mind. That said, roughly how often do they need water, especially in the early weeks?
Also if I were to water them from below, what pot depth/how much water is appropriate? I am not experienced with this technique.
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