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[Buttons]

I have used this tecnique for many years now for germinating my cacti seeds , mainly as it is simple and takes up little space and is very low maintenance.
You will need,
Very small pots i use 2" pots
a jam jar with lid (pot must fit inside )
suitable growing medium for your seeds
seeds
Armillatox (a coal tar based anti fungal soil sterilizer now sold as outdoor cleaner in garden centres), Available in the US as of recent and also in the UK
 
Fill pots with your specific growing medium and then water the soil with a 50:1 dilution of armillatox.
Sow the seeds into the now sterile soil and then stand the pot on the jam jar lid and cover and screw down the jam jar onto the lid.
 label the jar (Very important!!!)
Then place in a warm place away from direct sun. the jar should steam up  if hot enough. if the soil seems to start to dry out then check the seal on the jar and water again with Armillatox.

 If the Armillatox has done its job then the seedlings wont need watering for many months and no algae or fungal problems should arise due to the sterile conditions inside the hermetic jar and the fact that Armillatox is also a fungicide. 
The plants will need potting on as it gets too snug in there or as soon as they are large enough to handle easily.

 Give it a go and let me know

[Mandrake]

Thanks for the post.

My first cacti seedlings are coming up now, so I have little experience. I am using small hermetic containers with transparent lid, placed under T4 fluorescents, and I thought some gas exchange was required every few days, but according to your method that is not necessary. For how long can you have seedlings in a small container without renewing CO2? I presume that little light reduces the need for CO2, but I didn't think seedlings could do fine for many months without air renewal, even under an opaque lid.

Cheers,

Mandrake

[PermieGing]

I hate to sound like that guy...
But..
Is there any way to acheive similar germination results with a more organic approach? Just wondering as i dream of being sustainable, and this armillotox stuff doesnt sound ideal for me

Thanks in advance, and great write up

[Sunshine]

Does the armillotox stuff continually keep the substrate sterile or is it only a one time thing?

[Buttons]

Thanks for the post.

My first cacti seedlings are coming up now, so I have little experience. I am using small hermetic containers with transparent lid, placed under T4 fluorescents, and I thought some gas exchange was required every few days, but according to your method that is not necessary. For how long can you have seedlings in a small container without renewing CO2? I presume that little light reduces the need for CO2, but I didn't think seedlings could do fine for many months without air renewal, even under an opaque lid.

Cheers,

Mandrake

Well Mandrake... A very good point and i will be 100% honest i never even gave that a thought, and thinking about it with my curiosity and opening the jars to peek at the progress ( as when they are steamed up you cant see in)  and occasionally cover roots with sand if exposed i guess i was renewing the CO2 in the jar each time so theres the gas exchange right there XD, i did use this technique before without armillatox but the algae grows faster than the cacti

[Buttons]

I hate to sound like that guy...
But..
Is there any way to acheive similar germination results with a more organic approach? Just wondering as i dream of being sustainable, and this armillotox stuff doesnt sound ideal for me

Thanks in advance, and great write up

I would say perhaps steam or boiling could be used to sterilize the substrate if you want a more organic method i guess, I have not always used Armillatox but it does cut down on the tedious job of removing algae from around tiny seedling cacti, If you need to remove the algae i found that allowing the soil surface to dry out meant that i could almost lift off a crusty disc of dry algae in one swoop.
 I will say it is a method worth experimenting with.

[PermieGing]

Just got my first cacti seeds bridgesii !

Well, i know honey and propolis is anti fungal and organic
?

[PermieGing]

Also, i recall watching a video of some organic gardeners of cannabis using honey as a rooting hormone

[nobody]

I have never had any algae or fungal growth when i sterilized my cacti medium in the oven. Although the ol lady hates it the seedlings seem to love it. A dash of cinnamon works well too.

Never used honey for seedlings, but i do use it for plant cuttings now.

[Shpongle Lover]

In what manner do you use honey as a rooting hormone?  Just dip the cut tip?  Sounds to me like an invitation for ants or other pests.

S.L.

[nobody]

I dip the cut tip and then place it in some water. Good honey will not mold and creates a barrier between the cut and any pathogens in the water. It also seems that the plant can some what feed off of the honey, the roots produced are far superior to using just water.

[PermieGing]

I wonder if honey could be used as a seed starting aid in some way??