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[cantharis]

Last week I noticed a seed pod split open on my Astrophytum Ornatum - the seeds are hybrid, but I collected them, dried them on a kitchen towel for a few days, cleaned off the pod fibres, and decided to sow them.  They might make some nice gift plants - Mrs C is always after any spare cacti I might have - to give away.  There are about 200 seeds, and I have no idea what the other parent is at present.  So I sterilised a mix of loam and sand, and sprinkled 100 of the seeds on top, covering them with bird grit.  This was Monday evening. 

This morning (Wednesday), just 36 hours after sowing, a handful had actually germinated - I couldn´t believe it - and certainly a record for me in 57 years of growing.  Currently, Wednesday evening -about a dozen are up !!!  I am gobsmacked with the speed of this !!

3 Likes New Wisdom, happyconcacti and Frog Pajamas like this.

[New Wisdom]

Astrophytum always germinate extremely fast for me. I had some A. myriostigma germinate after 10 hours once.   This was after a presoak in GA3 though.

[cantharis]

Really?  That is amazing - maybe I should have looked before this morning !!!!!

2 Likes New Wisdom and happyconcacti like this.

[New Wisdom]

Astrophytum are known for the quickest germination times for cacti.

[cantharis]

So I have read - and have grown Astrophytum seeds in the past - but they have always taken a week or so - OK but this time I used some of my own very fresh seeds.

1 Like New Wisdom likes this.

[New Wisdom]

When I do mass sowings with several genera I always see the astros pop up first. Sometimes it takes a week, sometimes it takes 12 hours.   Lophs are usually next or sometimes other random genera.