Hi Cactus & Succulent Growers,
Well spring is almost here and soon we will be back in the swing of things or I should say ‘spring of things’ haha with all the spring plant jobs to do with our plants, all the repottings and thinking about giving our cacti their first watering after the winter, this time of year is also the best time of year to sow any cacti seeds that you want to sow this year, growing cacti from seed can be so rewarding and there is something extra special about watching cacti grow over the months and years from seeds we have sown ourselves.
Image above: My Cleistocactus seedlings I have grown from seed, I often use small plastic trays used for cherry tomatoes in supermarkets for containers for cactus seed sowing.
I have grown many cacti from seed over the years and in this blog I will be sharing how you too can grow cacti from seed the EASY way.
I have a few different ways I grow cacti from seed including the ‘Baggie’ method, this involves sowing cactus seeds in a ‘sterile’ type of environment by sterilising the soil first by microwaving the soil for 3 minutes to get the soil as sterile as possible and then once the seeds have been sown they go immediately into the ‘Baggies’ ( clear zip lock bags ) I have made a few videos on How I do this on my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon but I have also had great success by sowing the seeds without sterilising the soil first and this is how I am going to be explaining it here.
Image above: my Parodia cactus seedlings that are now large enough to pot on individually into their own little 5cm pots, Cactus seedlings can take many months or a couple of years before they are ready to be transplanted individually.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO SOW CACTUS SEEDS ?
The best time of year to sow cactus seeds is in the spring and summer, but you can sow them at any time of the year including the Winter if you have additional heat and LED Plant grow lights.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1, Cactus seeds.
2, An empty container with some holes in the bottom. I often use recycled small plastic trays often used for fruit and cherry tomatoes in supermarkets, these can be very good for sowing cactus seeds as they also have holes already in the bottom, another option is to use small Tupperware containers used for packed lunches and put some holes in the bottom of them for drainage.
3, Well-draining soil. I recommend using a seed-sowing soil and adding extra pumice or grit (go for a 50/50 ratio of pumice or grit to seed-sowing soil). I like to use John Innes seed sowing soil but if you don’t have seed sowing soil you can use a commercial good quality cactus soil and use 50/50 ratio of pumice or grit.
4, A little bit of sand or vermiculite just to sprinkle over the top once you’ve sown the seeds.
5, A little piece of folded-up card or paper if the seeds are very tiny, this is to sprinkle the seeds over the top of the surface of the soil.
6, Water
Image above: Echinopsis cactus seedlings, aren’t they soooooooo CUTE haha!
HOW TO SOW THE SEEDS:
- Once you’ve mixed the soil, fill the container with holes in it up with the soil. Then tap it down gently.
- Water the soil in the containers thoroughly making sure all of the soil in the containers is thoroughly wetted. (Wetting the soil before sowing the seeds helps keep the seeds from floating off over the top of the soil.)
- Sprinkle the seeds as evenly as you can across the soil surface. If the seeds are very tiny (some cactus seeds can be almost dust-like), you can put them into a little folded piece of card and then tap it very gently with you finger across the soil to sprinkle the seeds evenly. If the seeds are quite large, you can just sprinkle them across the surface of the soil with your fingers.
- Lightly cover the seeds with a sprinkling of sand or vermiculite. (If the seeds are very very small, you don’t have to cover them.)
- Label your container with what type of cactus species you are sowing and the date it’s been sown (e.g., Gymnocalycium, March 21st, 2025).
- Keep the soil evenly moist at all times, its important to never let the soil dry out because when they have germinated and when they are still young seedlings their delicate root hairs can dry out.
- Keep the seeds warm at a minimum temperature of 70˚F in a bright window but avoid direct sunshine until the seeds have germinated, once the seeds have germinated you can move them to a position that receives more sunshine but still protected from all day direct sunshine.
- Cactus seeds can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 12 weeks to germinate and patience really is the magic key.
Image above: My Echinopsis subdenudata cactus seedlings that are about 18 months old.
If you want to see a video on How to grow cacti from seed using the ‘Baggie’ method then here is a video I have made for my You Tube Channel Called Desert Plants of Avalon on How To Grow Cacti From Seed: and you can watch this video below:
Keep your eyes peeled for lots more Blogs coming up on my website and remember guys not long to go now till spring is here and we can get to enjoy all of those beautiful cactus blooms again.
Happy Growing everyone and do check out my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon for lots of growing tips and tricks on how you can care for your Cacti and Succulents.
