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[isaak]

I have recently successfully germinated +-20 L. williamsii seeds. They have been germinated on a sand-based mix on a windowsill under natural light conditions (no direct sunlight but plenty of ambient light). Unlike the Trichocereus sp. I have germinated before which present green/white seedlings, these williamsii appear to be orange/pink. All seeds have been germinated in separate styrofoam cups with a ziploc bag over each for humidity. I open the bags every couple days for FAE and to mist with a spray bottle if necessary.

My question: Is this coloration to be expected or is it a sign of a suboptimal environmental variable? Any input is greatly appreciated 

[Sunshine]

I think it means it is variegated. It could also be from excess light. I am by no means an authority on cacti. New wisdom will no doubt give you a more definitive answer.

[New Wisdom]

This happened to me with one of my seedlings recently.  I've seen it happen every once in a while with young seedlings.  It could be 1 or 2 things. They just haven't turned green yet, or they are getting too much sun.  I doubt they would be variegated if it is every single one that is this color.  Variegeted williamsii are very rare.

I'd say that they probably just haven't turned green yet.  How old are they?

[isaak]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. NW: They are only a couple weeks old at the moment. Is it usual for them to take a while to turn green?

[Shpongle Lover]

Just read a post on another forum with identical concerns brought about by the observations of orange/pink L. williamsii seedlings.  They all greened up nicely and became plump (happy ending!) after a couple of additional weeks of growth and with a slight reduction of light.  The consensus and  conventional wisdom on that forum said it was more likely the passage of time that provided the cure, so I think your seedlings will be fine.

Disclaimer:  I am only repeating what I read, and have no first hand experience with medicinal cacti except for T. pachanoi and T. peruvianus, although I wouldn't object to having some seeds to see the phenomena and decide for myself.

Give it a couple of weeks and report back.  I'm betting all is well, and it is just a stage.  Maybe the two of you have the same seed source!

S.L.

1 Like Bluesgods likes this.

[New Wisdom]

Yeah, this happens. I've had it happen.  The seedlings are still very young.  So, there's nothing to worry about.  Don't take them away from the light if they aren't even under a grow light or in direct sun. THen they wouldn't be getting enough light.

Just see what happens in the next few weeks like Shpongle said

[Sunshine]

A friend of mine uses pantyhose to filter light so that the seedlings don't sunburn.

[Shpongle Lover]

SEXY!!!   

[isaak]

Awesome, thanks for alleviating my concerns. I'll snap some photos this weekend and try to post updates along the way 

[happyconcacti]

How'd they fare isaak?

[Sherman]

I am having the same pink seedling issue. They are about a month and a half old, and about 3/4 of them are bright pink. I doubt it was too much light because All I've had them under was a 24 inch fluoro tube, about 8 inches away.

Could it be too little light? I wonder if maybe they haven't been able to generate green pigment. They were all nice and green after germinating, but more and more have turned pink.

I also read somewhere that one person's thought was it was root rot. So, just to be sure, I have cut back on watering. Is this OK to do with seedlings?

[New Wisdom]

Flouro lights are stronger than you think sometimes.  I'd say 99% of the time if all your seedlings turn red/pink it's because of light burn.  Unless you miraculously got a full batch of variegates.

If it was too little light they'd either be green and stretched out, or white and stretched out.  And cutting back on watering when they're turning red is a bad idea.  They're getting burnt and less water will just make it worse.

I might also add that if the humidity/moisture level is low they will burn a lot easier. Are they covered?

1 Like prasada likes this.

[isaak]

How'd they fare isaak?

Sorry for the slow reply happyconcafe, only just saw your post

I moved them to an area with less direct sunlight, watered more consistently, and recently added a fish emulsion nutrient solution to every second watering. They appear to be doing better now - though I did lose some along the way. Will try to get a photo in the next few days.

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[Sherman]

Flouro lights are stronger than you think sometimes.  I'd say 99% of the time if all your seedlings turn red/pink it's because of light burn.  Unless you miraculously got a full batch of variegates.

If it was too little light they'd either be green and stretched out, or white and stretched out.  And cutting back on watering when they're turning red is a bad idea.  They're getting burnt and less water will just make it worse.

I might also add that if the humidity/moisture level is low they will burn a lot easier. Are they covered?

Interesting! It may be that I weened them off of humidity too fast, increasing their sun burn. I had them in a humid box, and over a couple of weeks cracked the lid more and more, and pulled them out a few days ago. Right now they are in a well-lit but not much direct sunlight part of my house. I'll put something up to keep all of the direct sunlight off of them, even though it only amounts to about an hour per day of direct. They were also red before I moved them.  I'll give them some water. How often is it good to water them at this age?

They are all in a large, shallow clay pot. On one half of the pot are seedlings that I GA3'd and on the other half are au naturale. The GA3 ones are less red, paler, taller, and skinnier, whereas the natural ones are shorter, fatter, and most are read with some very red. It's interesting that the GA3 ones are so different than the natural ones.

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