The Tiniest Lithops: Seedlings' Progress

I ordered a mixed packet of Lithops seeds about a year ago, and this June seemed like the month to try them out. Various sites/books recommend auspicious sowing seasons, and yikes, there's very little agreement out there. Probably because different times have worked for different people and different Lithops.

Not to mention, we've got mesemb growers in the Southern and Northern hemispheres, and if we're reading about months instead of seasons, we have to remember to mentally flip the calendar 180 degrees to translate if we're in the opposite hemisphere! Some days, my sandy ol' brain has trouble remembering that, and sometimes, writers don't specify which hemisphere they are referring to....Most, however, said either summer or early autumn, so I figured I'd give it a go during summer.

These were sown June 20, and most are 1-2mm tall now. No idea about the species. I won't actually buy a mixed packet of anything anymore; I want to know the species, particularly as different Lithops species have different cultural needs. But I was young and naive (ah, youth!), so we'll see how it goes.

They are the cutest little green guys, though a magnifying glass helps to see them clearly. Already you can see the fissure in most of them, and they have the classic Lithops cone shape. Each has an amazingly long root given the size of the leaves. This germination pot is several centimeters deep, so it should last for awhile. They get morning sun outdoors, then a quiet indoors spot after about 8am so they don't scorch. Lots more water than the grownups, too, they're quite thirsty!

If you've ever grown Lithops from seed, how did your first try go?

Grow, Seedlings, Grow!

These are a few of the seedlings from a bag of "mixed cacti" seeds I planted on May 3. It was a home science project, I guess you could say. The seeds were soooo tiny, but those of you who do this sort of thing regularly know all about that! And you're probably a lot better at sowing them than I obviously was....But hey, they're growing, and have the cutest baby spines. I've never seen cacti seedlings before, so this is a lot of fun for me. So far, only one tiny spot of mold off in a corner, easy to remove, no other problems. I'm starting to give them more light and air, and I spray them twice a day with a water mister. No idea what genus/species I've got here yet, hope there are some of my favorites, the Lovely Mammillaria!

Mammillaria Crashes Panda Party!

I have one dish for leaf/offset propagation, and right now, there are panda kalanchoe leaves, and Mammillaria gracilis (Thimble cactus) offsets rooting there. They've all put out roots, and they seem to be having fun. Someone at the nursery knocked a large thimble cactus onto the ground, dislodging lots of offsets, and I asked if I could take some home to see if they grew. I dipped the ends in rooting hormone, let them dry a few days, planted them up in a mix of cactus soil, sand, and perlite, and so far, so good. Hope I have enough friends in the neighborhood to find homes for all these new plants in a few months!