UPDATE 11/24/2024: I am now working on repotting the Astros and found that I had swapped the labels for Uni-Gro and MG Seed Starter+Perlite in Tray #1. So the pots labeled as Uni-Gro are actually MG Seed Starter + Perlite. And the pots labeled as MG seed starter + Perlite are actually Uni-Gro. Keep this in mind as I go through the pots in the video.
You are SOoo amazing & sweet with Cookie! Tipping her bowl like that so she doesn’t have to bend down is so clever! My Lizzie is already showing signs of ‘assistance with daily functions’ .. thank you for all of your videos about the plants …& Cookie!
Awwwww you really are amazing at noticing the details, Tara! I do what I can for my Cookie to make things a bit more comfortable and easier for her little aging body. Please give Lizzie a pat for me!
All my complicated mixes also ended up doing mid or about same as my standard mix. I got a lot of Rust on my seedlings though, small spots here and there, some pots of Ariocarpus all seedlings have rust, they dont really die of it, just small rust spots on the surface. I try to open a lot of air, and use fans, so we will see. Fungicides do nothing ^^ Best regards my friend 😘😘💚💚🌵🌵
I'm so glad you shared your observations from your own experience with me. I like simple and I'm glad that simple seems to be doing well. I have weird stuff they show up on my seedlings too. One pot of Asterias based seedlings that's outside of this experiment has some weird coloring on it. I keep thinking that they're dying and they probably are but it's taking a long time lol.
@@cookiescacti Yes my simple mix are 20-30% peat sowing soil the rest is fine pumice. One thing i really like to use is a small layer of fine akadama (1-2mm of grain size) on the top of my media (2-4 mm thick layer akadama), it will show really well when it need to be watered, and also first roots will have something easy and moist to start out in. Topdressing i did tests on, and i will only use it on Astrophytum from now on, it def. kill germination on small cacti seed. On my Copiapoa it was really clear. 😘😘
As I mentioned in another video, I really like those fuzzy seedlings! 😆 I tried looking for Unigro soil mixes near me, but it looks like the east coast doesn't carry unigro products. I might just have to try east coast camanchaca's seed starting mix if I want to get nice germination and growth. Absolutely love this series! It's definitely giving me the motivation to give cacti seed starting a try! ☺
You and I have similar taste hehehe. There are so many commercial cactus mixes out there and I'm sure that many are good ones. What kinds of commercial cactus soil (besides Miracle Gro) do you have in your region? And yessss!!! I'm so excited to read that you may give growing cactus from seed a try! If you do go with ECC soil, please let me know how it goes. I am so curious to see how the results are for someone else, especially given our different growing conditions.
You must try again! I think this is my fifth or sixth time trying Ariocarpus. Some of my previous batches I got zero to grow from seed, they may start great and them completely die off at some point. Even the other genera of cactus I've grown the results have been all over the place. Some batches good, some batches terrible. Don't give up! Keep trying!
@@MandJ_MarketFarm thank you so much for you interest in the giveaway and positive feedback on this series! I will give instructions in the series finale video on entering the giveaway. I've been working on setting up a new website with a page that will contain an entry form for the giveaway. This is the first time that I'm trying this method instead of using TH-cam comments. Stay tuned!
I find myself watering the seedlings under the dome half as often as the Astrophytum that are out in the open. The dome has two vents at the top that I keep completely open, so the pots still dry out. The Astrophytum I've been watering around once a week, so the domed seedlings are being watered around once every 2 weeks.
in addition to doing a count, i'd be curious about the total weight/mass. it would be an easy way to get an average weight without having to weigh each one. average plant weight would give you a sense of how well the plants grew in each soil type (without having to measure things like circumference/diameter )
@@TKGoose that's an interesting idea. I'd have to think if there's a practical way to do this. Let me know if you have ideas. I'm also planning to ship the giveaway pots intact, so that might be a roadblock. (Because all the soils have different weights.)
UPDATE 11/24/2024: I am now working on repotting the Astros and found that I had swapped the labels for Uni-Gro and MG Seed Starter+Perlite in Tray #1. So the pots labeled as Uni-Gro are actually MG Seed Starter + Perlite. And the pots labeled as MG seed starter + Perlite are actually Uni-Gro. Keep this in mind as I go through the pots in the video.
You are SOoo amazing & sweet with Cookie! Tipping her bowl like that so she doesn’t have to bend down is so clever!
My Lizzie is already showing signs of ‘assistance with daily functions’ .. thank you for all of your videos about the plants …& Cookie!
Awwwww you really are amazing at noticing the details, Tara! I do what I can for my Cookie to make things a bit more comfortable and easier for her little aging body. Please give Lizzie a pat for me!
All my complicated mixes also ended up doing mid or about same as my standard mix. I got a lot of Rust on my seedlings though, small spots here and there, some pots of Ariocarpus all seedlings have rust, they dont really die of it, just small rust spots on the surface. I try to open a lot of air, and use fans, so we will see. Fungicides do nothing ^^ Best regards my friend 😘😘💚💚🌵🌵
I'm so glad you shared your observations from your own experience with me. I like simple and I'm glad that simple seems to be doing well. I have weird stuff they show up on my seedlings too. One pot of Asterias based seedlings that's outside of this experiment has some weird coloring on it. I keep thinking that they're dying and they probably are but it's taking a long time lol.
@@cookiescacti Yes my simple mix are 20-30% peat sowing soil the rest is fine pumice. One thing i really like to use is a small layer of fine akadama (1-2mm of grain size) on the top of my media (2-4 mm thick layer akadama), it will show really well when it need to be watered, and also first roots will have something easy and moist to start out in. Topdressing i did tests on, and i will only use it on Astrophytum from now on, it def. kill germination on small cacti seed. On my Copiapoa it was really clear. 😘😘
Astro's are looking good! Cookie steels the video at the end!
Thank you, Jeff! The surprises in variety and form is so much fun. I have to agree on the little wad of Cookie dough being the star of the show!
As I mentioned in another video, I really like those fuzzy seedlings! 😆 I tried looking for Unigro soil mixes near me, but it looks like the east coast doesn't carry unigro products. I might just have to try east coast camanchaca's seed starting mix if I want to get nice germination and growth. Absolutely love this series! It's definitely giving me the motivation to give cacti seed starting a try! ☺
You and I have similar taste hehehe. There are so many commercial cactus mixes out there and I'm sure that many are good ones. What kinds of commercial cactus soil (besides Miracle Gro) do you have in your region?
And yessss!!! I'm so excited to read that you may give growing cactus from seed a try! If you do go with ECC soil, please let me know how it goes. I am so curious to see how the results are for someone else, especially given our different growing conditions.
Great job! Can’t wait for the last episode and giveaway hehe.
Hehehehe, another chance to win, Maria! I'm planning to try another method for participants to enter the giveaway next time... Will be interesting
@@cookiescacti Ooh can’t wait to see 😏
Love the video 👌
I'm so glad you enjoy these updates, Brenda!
Hi, yes I’m waiting for the results 😢 I think I’ve done very badly like first row 😢 I lost all my seeds & hopes ❤ you’re my hero in this issue 🎊🙏🏼🍄
You must try again! I think this is my fifth or sixth time trying Ariocarpus. Some of my previous batches I got zero to grow from seed, they may start great and them completely die off at some point. Even the other genera of cactus I've grown the results have been all over the place. Some batches good, some batches terrible. Don't give up! Keep trying!
How do we “enter” the drawing? Loved the series.
@@MandJ_MarketFarm thank you so much for you interest in the giveaway and positive feedback on this series! I will give instructions in the series finale video on entering the giveaway. I've been working on setting up a new website with a page that will contain an entry form for the giveaway. This is the first time that I'm trying this method instead of using TH-cam comments. Stay tuned!
Did you find yourself needing to water your seedlings often using the dome? Hot did you water them?
I find myself watering the seedlings under the dome half as often as the Astrophytum that are out in the open. The dome has two vents at the top that I keep completely open, so the pots still dry out. The Astrophytum I've been watering around once a week, so the domed seedlings are being watered around once every 2 weeks.
in addition to doing a count, i'd be curious about the total weight/mass. it would be an easy way to get an average weight without having to weigh each one. average plant weight would give you a sense of how well the plants grew in each soil type (without having to measure things like circumference/diameter )
@@TKGoose that's an interesting idea. I'd have to think if there's a practical way to do this. Let me know if you have ideas. I'm also planning to ship the giveaway pots intact, so that might be a roadblock. (Because all the soils have different weights.)
@@cookiescacti ahhh gotcha, i didn't catch the part about your plans for these. nvmd about the weight idea
@@TKGoose no worries at all! I didn't mention it in the video. I'm going to have so much repotting to do in November!
What type of Ariocarpus did you sow? I must of missed it.
They're all retusus (I forgot to mention it!), but tray 1 and tray 2 seeds came from two different mother plants.
😂 I'm first!! Love the video
Yayyyyy!! 🎉🎉🎉 Thank you! 💚💚💚🙏🙏🙏
camel can eat cactus without hurting his mouth really ???
Oh really?? I think I've seen some video on camels eating cactus before. Quite amazing