Growing cacti from seed ~*

The best method for raising cacti seed that I've come across is The Takeaway Tek, by Reville Saw which is based on work by M.S.Smith. You can find Revilles blogs, Bulelicious and Tropical Food Forest in the links section of this blog and are well worth checking out. A veritable wealth of information.

The Takeaway Tek~ By Reville Saw.

"So take some cactus mix and sieve it to remove large rocks and (ugh) sticks and bits of wood (WFT do they put that rubbish in cactus mix?)

or use seedling mix

or cocopeat and sand 40:60

put a thin layer 2-3cm or so in a microwavable plastic takeaway container

add just enough water using a sprayer so its just damp
too much moisture is bad

put the lid on loosely and microwave for 3 minutes on high
give it another minute
then remove and allow to cool

once cool
take a plastic plant tag, write details and sticky tape it to the botton to fe that away container, later on it'll travel with the seedlings into their new home
place out seeds evenly across surface using forceps. max of say 50 seeds per tub

you can use a fungicide or mycorrizal fungal powder to assist germination by duting the seeds in it before planting

close the lid and place in a bright spot well away from direct sun
if there is any danger of direct sun at anytime
make a tend from an opaque white plastic bag and place the tub in that.

germination starts in 1- 2 weeks, spring and autumn being good times for trichs with moderate temperatures

ignore other teks that tell you to open the lids once germination occurs
not in this tek
dryness at such a tender stage is either lethal or severely stunting
leave the lids sealed for up to 6 months
it acts like a miniterrarium, recycling moisture
after 6 months itll need a drink, but then you can reseal up to the 12 month mark by which time they should be ready

only open if you see fungus starting, in which cas cracking the lid a while so excess moiture is lost can arrest fungus

or if its too dry , in which case rewet with a 1/8 strength solution of miracle gro or thrive

the cacti are ready to move on once they have a proper set of spines and a little girth.
i find small cacti grow better communally, only being divided to their own pots once about 10 -12cm tall

but that another stage and is outside the takeaway tek."

I've tweaked this a little for myself, I use ground cinnamon as an organic anti fungal, just mixed through the soil mixture and it seems to be effective so far. I don't use cocopeat, just river sand, potting mix and perlite for the soil mixture. I havn't microwaved my soil or containers as I don't own one, but other than that I follow the tek exactly, and it works for me. Also seems to be a rather stress free way of going about it. Here's some pics to illustrate, good luck growing!