I have a blooming Notocactus Uebelmannianus, I wonder if I can collect the seeds and grow them. I read somewhere at website that you will need to do these things below for seeds collecting and propagation on N. Uebelmannianus. Propagation Methods: From seed; germinate in vitro in gelatin, agar or other medium Seed Collecting: Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds Unblemished fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds. Can anybody let me know how to do both above (propagation from seeds and how to collect the seed?) I have never tried to collect or grow from seeds before. What media do I need, how much light, humidity, etc. I know nothing at all about collecting-growing from seeds. This cacti is very pretty and said to be very easy to grow from seeds. I would like to give it a try if I can start new plants from its seeds. Thanks a lot for any helps. bougainvillea

sherrih: Remember that you must keep them moist, they don't have the succulence of adult plants. They might do better in a more humid environment (but various fungal disorders find this beneficial too). Would a 5oz drinking cup be big enough to start 25 seeds? Forgot that one ... Yes, I think so, for 25 seeds I use pots about 6-7 cm in diameter unless it is big seeds like Opuntia. It should have drainage holes, which is unusual in drinking cups (at least where I live). Do not forget to shade them if you put them in strong light (even behind a window), they are easily overheated. Perhaps I should stress that I have a slightly unorthodox approach to seed raising: I start them in a mix of cat litter (fired diatomaceous earth) and pumice. To decrease growth of harmful fungi and bacteria I first add water, heat the medium in a microwave oven and let it cool down. I fill the pots, and add some coarse sand, at least on the surface, if the pores between the particles are too wide. Then I sow the seeds, soak the growing medium with Chinosol solution and let the excess water drain away. The pots are put in translucent boxes with ventilation holes, and the boxes are placed in my propagator. The lights are on during day only. I keep them in this relatively humid environment until the seedlings are big enough for the next step (about 2-3 months old). This is a difficult period, I must watch them carefully for outbreaks of diseases, and I add more Chinosol now and then. Then I transfer them to tiny (2-4 cm) pots, 1-3 plants per pot, with a more normal cactus soil - this can be difficult to do without killing them. It is not the common way to do this, most growers sow in a more nutrient-rich medium and let them sit in the original pot as long as they can. My approach works better for me, I lose fewer seedlings due to root rot and mold now. There is also the Fleischer ("baggie") method, which gives very good results for many growers, but I have never tried it. When I first tried sowing cacti I lost about 95% of the seedlings. Now 95% of them survive, it is all about finding a method that suits you.

Greetings from Poland! my new email is: chango@gazeta.pl Those are my seeds: Melocactus sp. notocactus pampeanus notocactus leninghausii notocactus ottonis astrophytum myriostigma var. nudum fishhook barrel cactus gymnocalycium ? gymnocalycium vatterii epithelantha greggii mammilaria tenvispina setiechinopsis mirabilis matucana madisoniorum ferocactus peninsulae lophophora williamsii notocactus uebelmanianus echinopsis subdenudata echinopsis aurea lobivia wrightiana lobivia densispina astrophytum asterias astrophytum myriostigma rebutia mix If you want to exchange with me? just let me know!Ok!

Hi, Anyone have some spare chiku seeds? I would love to have about 10 of them. In exchange, I could give you moringa, Rocoto chilli, Kashmiri chilli and Notocactus seed