Roots?

[Murph]

Well now my little Fero seedlings are about 7 months old - still alive and kicking, but extremely slow.

Anyway, their lack of root development concerns me greatly, as they dont seem to have developed anything more than a 1mm tap root.

I wouldve thought after 7 months they would at least grow some roots, but they are just little green blobs that can be easily removed from the soil without any resistance.

What can i do to make them grow roots? Dry them out? Fertilise them with a higher-phosphorus feed?

Ive been giving them fortnightly liquid feeds, but there hasnt been much of a change.

Help!!!

[Lachy]

It's my limited experience with cacti - in my case cuttings, however I suspect the same principles apply here for seeds - that if you give them too much water or food when trying to establish root growth, the plant never sends out any roots to search for nutrients as its needs are already satisifed.

I'm sure others will have more input on this, but I'd try cutting back on water and food somewhat over the next few weeks, just to see what the plants do.

[Buck Hemenway]

I don't have any magical cures, but they should have vigorous active root systems.

[iann]

Yes, they should have vigorous root systems much larger than the little green blob at this stage. Try using a more open soil, the roots may be suffocating in wet soil that doesn't contain any air. At seven months you should be drying them out fairly well between waterings.

[Murph]

Yes, they should have vigorous root systems much larger than the little green blob at this stage. Try using a more open soil, the roots may be suffocating in wet soil that doesn't contain any air. At seven months you should be drying them out fairly well between waterings.

I have been letting them dry out between waterings. Also, they are just in normal cactus potting mix (no sand), and it is very well drained. They do look very healthy, but as i said - no roots!

[GeneS]

I agree with iaan. You should have good roots by now. I would cease any top watering. Allow the pots to dry down to at least 1/2 or better depth. Then bottom water lightly. That should induce the roots to search for water, at the bottom of the pot, instead of being happily served by moisture in the top 2-3mm of the potting media. Most Ferocactus have shallow, wide spread, surface roots so this tendency is normal for them. The other option would be to pot on into a coarser, better draining mix in a shallow container, increasing the plant spacing so the roots can develop laterally.

Either should work.

GeneS