First time growing!

[OliverJ]

Hello Nexians!

I have purchased 20 peyote and 20 San Pedro seeds.

I've never really grown anything before but this is something I want to take very seriously and get it right, so whatever equipment and supplies etc are needed, I'm happy to get.


For those of you with growing experience from seed, what tips can you pass on to a first timer?

Much appreciation

 

[coAsTal]

Use the Takeaway Tek to germ the seedlings-- do a search online and you'll find the details. It's pretty bulletproof if you keep it simple. I use meal prep containers, and they're pretty hard to screw up.

I use 6500K T5 LED's for light, a $11 seedling heat pad with a $20 timer/controller to keep the tray at ~30C during the day, and let it all off at night-- these seeds germ better with a day/night cycle of temp and light.

 

[OliverJ]

Greatly appreciated!

That picture is beautiful. Is that how yours are doing right now ?

 

[coAsTal]

Yes, those are some Scopulicola's from Austrailia-- the Takeaway is really effective-- I use a rich soil that drains well. I also put a layer of pumice across the bottom so water doesn't pool but remains accessible to the soil above. Seedlings like a richer soil than they do as they get older-- so some people use up to maybe 75% soil and the rest a draining aid like pumice, coarse sand/grit, or verm. After a few months when they start to mature a bit I begin watering with a light humic/fulvic acid seaweed fert to replenish nutrients and keep the soil moist-- the thin layer of grit you see in that pic helps keep moss and stuff from overgrowing the surface as well--

 

[Wolfnippletip]

Nice, Coastal. So that's what Scopulicola seedlings look like? Good tips on soil.

OliverJ what are your goals with cactus growing? From seed you are probably 4 years or so away from harvesting for mescaline, depending on the conditions you provide them. If you are in no hurry that's fine. I have slowed down now that I have lots of Trichs, but when I first started I wanted it ASAP. I was like you, never having had a green thumb. Cacti were the first plants I ever had real success with. Be aware, while mescaline is not addictive, cactus cultivation IS. I started with just 4 cactus cuttings and 2 years later my cacti had outgrown the back room of my house and I'd built a greenhouse in the back yard.

If you want results relatively quickly lights will help you, especially in Northern Latitudes. Grafting + Lights is probably the most efficient method, like this Nexian did in this thread:

Quest for most potent cactus - from seeds with help of pereskiopsis grafting - Cultivation - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

Pete666 got serious there. He makes my methods seem lazy and sloppy. That thread is a real rabbit hole, but don't let it intimidate you. Everything he does there can be duplicated for not too much money, the skills are easily learned and there are plenty of Nexians who can give you feedback.

 

[OliverJ]

Awesome info. Thanks wolf. The fact you can graft a cactus blows my mind. What a cool little plant!

I do have a slightly addictive personality so... I can see this really taking off

I'll post up some pics once this is all up and running :thumb_up:

 

[brewster]

Good luck with your project Oliver!

While the Pedros are quite sensitive when very young, all in all, they're robust plants. My growth project went really quite well as a first try.

The only problem is that I got more than 80 cacti out of that. Now, three years later, they're beginning to get big, and I'll have to let some of them go

 

[OliverJ]

Update!

I have two takeaway-tek tubs, one with peyote and one with san pedro seeds in.

I prepared the tubs just over a week ago and have not disturbed them. They are currently by a window, catching sun in the later hours of the day.

They have a lot of water droplets that form on the lid throughout the day. I am wondering if this is normal, or if i have over watered the tubs?

I understand that roughly within a week from now I should see some little baby cactii if all is well.

 

[coAsTal]

Totally normal-- I always have condensation under my het mats-- I just tap the lids with a chopstick to "rain" it back onto the soil occasionally. Just take care that the temps don't get too high in direct sun, as that can roast your kids--

 

[Ferrum]

For trichs I've found that if you scatter the seeds directly over pure sand in a couple of inches of sand and mist heavy at first with just ordinary tap water is fine ,keep them in a zip lock plastic ware container is fine , any size is ok .

Then and here's the trick after a week in this humid environment you are going to want to fan the seeds using the lid a couple times a day for 30 seconds at least , just to start reducing the humidity some . After a couple to a few weeks you will see them pop .

I leave them in the container in a window that gets a few hours of sunlight at least a day and with the lid on to protect them from direct light , I've noticed faster growth from different factors form this .especially lid colors .

I replant them when they get about an inch to two which takes me about a year . I've about 5000 plus trich purebreds and hybrids grown this way in various sizes right now for about 10 years and it's simple and never fails unless you over spray them a couple weeks after too much after the pop or they get too much sunlight for too long .

I normally poke a few small hole s in the zip lock container to make sure they aren't sitting in water which is the worst thing initially and they shouldn't get too hot , inside is fine and not too much sunlight directly for too long .

Good luck ! The yotes are different , I raise them the same almost but im more careful about over watering. As they dont drink as much as trichs and they dont like long amounts of direct sunlight at all . Protection from cold and over water and heavy light is a must ! All my soils are at least half to 3/4 sand as well for draining . After they get about a quarter to half the size of a dime I graft them to a stock which you have some time to decide on .

And I recommend practice with a less precious cactus species first so you dont lose your cool if you most likely kill one or more grafting . I killed a couple small ones till I got it just right . It was disheartening. But you ll get it too!

 

[OliverJ]

Thanks everyone really appreciate the help!

I realised I have one tub of Peruvian torch (not San Pedro) and one tub of peyote.

Really happy to say that yesterday I could see at least one of each had grown in each tub!

I now have 80 San Pedro seeds on the way :lol: and will plant those in a few weeks too

 

[OliverJ]

Hi all!

I have 5 baby Peruvian Torch cactii... and Maybe 2 or 3 baby Peyotes..

And now 80 San Pedros planted I have used special "succulent" soil mix for these ones.

Asking for tips - my Peruvian Torch and Peyote tek was the same, however, i'm not even totally sure the Peyotes are growing. Pics attached! I have reduced the water content for the Peyote as suggested above and have kept out of direct light. Perhaps, the soil needed to be more sandy for these to grow?

 

[coAsTal]

You may have benefited from breaking up/screening the soil more-- looks just a little chunky to me-- but aside from that, you just kinda have to wait to see how they do. I've had some that take weeks to germ, and others that popped open literally overnight once sown.

Just make sure that are exposed to the light in daytime, as they are sensitive to light exposure, and remember that the day/night temp swing matters too.

 

[OliverJ]

Thanks mate.

The soil mix is pretty clumpy in my original boxes but I guess I can't play with it now. The peyotes were a bit over watered so I hope even one can make it through in time!

My new batch has much lighter grittier & finer soil, which I also sieved for the top layer so I'm hoping that'll really take off in a few weeks.

Looking at your babies in the pic earlier in the post.. I bet you're a proud cactus dad

 

[RoundAbout]

...i'm not even totally sure the Peyotes are growing. Pics attached! I have reduced the water content for the Peyote as suggested above and have kept out of direct light. Perhaps, the soil needed to be more sandy for these to grow?

Hi... hard to see what's going on in those pictures, but the peyote will probably grow in time. You might be able to see a couple bumps on the surface... those are the cotyledons just like the ones that are likely prominent on your torches. They'll probably fatten up a little and start producing feathery tufts before long.

A loose soil without clumps is probably better for seedlings, but maybe it'll be alright. They can take a fair bit of moisture initially (especially compared to when they're more mature) as long as you don't drown the roots.

I attached a picture of peyote seedlings that were planted around 2 months ago... I used regular old seedling mix (peat based) from the hardware store and sprinkled vermiculite on a couple weeks after they germinated to prevent algae from making things slimy. 90% germination rate (~80% within before two weeks), all healthy. I planted 20 bridgesii at the same time and they're... alright I guess, lol. Longer and less consistent germination, much lower germination rate, with couple seedlings just waiting to die now. Worse results than I've had in the past with the same technique.

I think another variable is also how fresh/healthy the seeds are, especially if you aren't ordering from a specialty sort of place. Just be happy for the plants you get.

 

[OliverJ]

Appreciate your advises and contributions guys. Thank you!

I'm quite confident now that I drowned all my peyote seeds to death, so i'm going to re order those and do another takeaway tek.

I have cactii soil and vermiculite, should I mix the two together prior to potting, or use cactus soil base, sow the seeds, then verm on top, then spray the tub? Also I shall sieve the upper layer of soil.

My original peruvian torch takeaway tek now has 8 baby cactii and one has its first spines there is however algae growing in places - is this a threat and if so, what should i do?

Still waiting for my massive 80 San Pedro seed bank to sprout !

 

[RoundAbout]

I'm quite confident now that I drowned all my peyote seeds to death, so i'm going to re order those and do another takeaway tek.

Some seeds might still sprout if they are dried and then wet again. I don't know though.

I have cactii soil and vermiculite, should I mix the two together prior to potting, or use cactus soil base, sow the seeds, then verm on top, then spray the tub? Also I shall sieve the upper layer of soil.

I wait, but maybe that's unnecessary and inefficient. The problems with algae and moss don't start immediately (in my case anyways), and you can let the seeds sprout and grow a bit before thinking about adding a layer to the surface to control the algae. Just don't bury/cover the plants.

The idea with vermiculite is the same as the grit described by coAsTal:

the thin layer of grit you see in that pic helps keep moss and stuff from overgrowing the surface as well--

Trout's Notes is a good reference if you haven't come across it: https://troutsnotes.com/pdf/C2_CactusCultivation.pdf

Obviously a hell of a lot more knowledge and experience than I will ever have.