Calling all Cactus Experts!!!!!!!!

Darling Youngest will be 9 soon, and loves Cactus. Rummaging through my seed packets I came across a packet of Cactus Seed we bought in the Canary Islands which he wants to grow.

So, as part of his birthday prezzie (not that he deserves one following his little ditty he made up about me.... :rolleyes: )I thought I could do a "Cactus growing kit" containing compost, covered seed tray (so the seeds can germinate in the boiler cupboard), Cactus book, a couple of pots, gravel, and a small very spikey one to be getting on with.

Any advice/ suggestions/ ideas would be most welcomed......

Thanks

 

Funnily enough there is a feature about growing cactus in this week's Garden News. They are not something I grow myself though, never managed to get them to flower, so not much help I'm afraid.
Good luck and a Happy Birthday to your son.

 

HB, I dont know what types of cacti you have in your packet but what I would say is many are very slow particually at first from seed, it is also a bit early to be sowing them without lighting.
The only reason I say that is that a 9 years of age you tend to want it all to happen at once, and it wont.
You do sometimes see packets of mixed cactus seed described as fast growing types, could be a good idea to try and find something like that.
As for plants, I'd go for rebutia, mammillaria, lobivia or echinopsis if your looking for easy flowerers.
The spiney ones are easy, just pick the ones you like the look of. Most cereus are good if you want fast growth next summer.

 

I got some Venus Flytrap seeds for christmas. Is it worth me wasting my time with these pete ? are they going to take forever to get to a munchable size ?

HBee, do you know what sort of cactus it is ?

 

I think the packet is mixed seeds - its in spanish with a very dodgy translation!!!!!

Thanks Pete...I did think of getting him a couple of small ones to keep him going.... he was on about the "Cowboy Cactus" (????) but I should think they are hard to get hold of, very slow growing and expensive.... but the ones you have suggested look good.

BM - oldest darling kiddie-winkie has a venus fly-trap and pitcher plant they are still going ok in the car-port - no protection at all!!!! Anyway - a few weeks, according to hear is all it takes....

Venus Fly Trap

 

I agree with Pete. Cactus seeds are not easy and could well disappoint. That could put him off for life. A better bet would be to buy very small cacti in the kind of packages they do in Focus and similar outlets. They can be grown on and will soon require potting on. I was only a lad when I got my first ones and I planted then in a well drained ceramic bowl with rocks and sand and made a kind of "cowboy" desert scene. That could really excite a youngster - he might even want to plant up a scene from another planet etc.

 

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!

 

Hi, Honey Bee. BM knows all about Cowboy Cactus.

I've just about killed off my rude-looking fly catcher, perhaps because I forget to drown it! :eek:

If you want a translation on the packet, send me a copy by e and I'll see what I can decipher.

 

Some of the cereus types could be described as cowboy like, this is me quite a few years ago, think I was older than 9 though.


BM, I've not tried venus flytrap from seed, but I would imagine its pretty slow. I have grown the pitcher plants (sarracenia) from seed and they are also slow for a year or two but get going after that.
BTW HB the pitchers are more or less totally hardy here so no troubles there, its also suprising how much cold the venus flytrap will take, especially if its allowed to get a bit dryer than during the swamp like summer conditions.

 

Yes but those so-called "cowboy cactuses" are not cactuses - they are succulent euphorbias.

 

The giveaway is the leaves. :D

 

Honey bee, try http://www.cactusland.co.uk/main.php
For info on growing cactus and easy varieties to choose.

 

i grew some in the boiler cupboard. they're still tiny little seedlings.

i used a faily sandy compost and watered it thoroughly. then put the seeds on the surface...don't cover the seeds. then put a lid over your seed tray or a plastic bag and put it in the cupboard.

make sure they get atleast 8 hours of good light each day. i had to keep the light turned on in my cupboard. if you don't, they're become really thin and long with opaque stems that are very soft to the touch. and when you try to water the next time, they're all snap and fall over.

within a few days most of them germinated.

they key is to treat them as tropical plants while they're young....so high amounts of heat, moisture and light. it's only when they're a year or so old that you could pot them up and treat them like desert cacti.

 

Looks like Pete is about to take a cutting

 

Be wary of cultivation directions on labels. I bought one of those "Cowboy Cactus" euphorbias. Printed instructions for cultivation tell me that I should "use leaf shine on it, water it well and and keep it moist throughout the winter" Seems that the idea is to kill it quickly so that I buy another!