Hey everyone!

Would it be easier for a new grower to buy already started plants or to try growing cacti from seeds?

I know there is a price difference but not too much.

Thanks for everyone's opinions!

Why not both?

The moar the better

And what do you mean by 'not much difference in price' ? You can get some free seeds at STS, but cuttings are generally expensive.

Exactly! Why not try both and see which way floats your boat more, so to speak!

"Propagation:

As the habitats of these marvellous and unusual plants declines each year, through agriculture and urbanization, the need to propagate and maintain these species becomes imperative. Already, many species are extinct in the wild, existing now only in cultivation. Apart from species preservation, starting new plants and watching them develop and mature fills many growers with a sense of awe and fulfillment unequalled in this hobby.

In Cultivation:

As the hobbyist can provide more uniform conditions, seedlings and other propagules have the potential for greater survival than in nature. By the same token, however, 100 per cent mortality can occur if simple mistakes are made. The same conditions which promote the best germination and growth for seedlings are also perfect for bacterial and fungal growth. To achieve maximum survival and growth, the grower may need to control temperature, light and humidity, and use fertilizers, fungicides and rooting hormones.

Raising Succulents from Seed:

Seeds are relatively inexpensive, easy to ship, and, if stored correctly, long-lived. The majority of Cacti and succulents require only general care. Seedlings are often started in aquariums or with plastic bags over the pots to hold the moisture. When provided with a constant supply of moisture, high humidity, and the right temperature, seeds will take up water and germinate. Newly germinated seeds are often very tender and quite susceptible to drought and extremes of light and temperature...

Growing From Cuttings:

While some species of succulents have proved extremely difficult or impossible to propagate from cuttings, many are quite simple. Cuttings and unrooted offsets are generally best taken during the growing season. Tools should be sterilized, to keep them from infecting the cuttings as well as the parent plant with harmful fungi or bacteria...

All but the most tender or non-succulent woody cuttings need to heal before planting. Cacti and thick-stemmed succulents, like Euphorbia, may require days or weeks to heal, since the cut end must form a hard calloused layer, which excludes pathogens. New roots will sometimes burst through this layer, even before the cutting is planted. The grower should not wait for the roots to emerge from unpotted cuttings, however, since some species will not produce roots until the cutting is planted. Cuttings are ready for planting when the callous does not crack when gently pushed with the tip of a fingernail..."

So anyway, there is some useful information to consider before choosing to grow from seed or from a cutting! I wish you the best!

SOURCE:

The Complete Illustrated Guide To Growing Cacti and Succulents
Pages: 232-235
By: Miles Anderson
Consultant: Terry Hewitt
Copyright Anness Publishing Limited 2014

Yeah you might wanna grab a cutting or two if your looking to harvest them this year and like endlessness said, get some seeds too. If they aren't free they'll be pretty close to it. They take a long time to get even a foot tall from seed but once they get bigger, like just about every plant, their metabolism will increase mainly due to increased surface area. Think solar panels. The wider the solar panel, the more light it'll able to absorb. And the more light that it "collects" for lack of a better word and photosynthesizes, the faster the plant will grow. So if you have the time/patience let em grow for a good long while. Or just grow a bunch of them, whatever works! They can get absolutely massive! And have fun with it. growing cacti is great. Even the seedlings look like little smurfy creatures.
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I've been looking on STS and I couldn't find a section with seeds or cuttings for sale/free?

I would say if you could get an already potted, growing cacti then that would be easier to continue growing than starting with seeds. Just because it has already rooted and started to grow.

That being said I definitely agree with the others in that both is the best way to go!

Whichever you do, good luck and have fun!

It also depends on what your goals are, if you want to learn or get better at growing plants, I dont know to many people that are good with plants that haven't grown something from seed, expect some failures but pay attention and learn something from the process, also read up and familiarize with the type of seed you want to grow, each different species of plant will have a different set of conditions for growing.

If you have multiple goals in mind, do both

Another vote for trying both!

Cacti aren’t the easiest things to grow from seed (not the hardest either, I’m sure), but they are definitely worth it for the experience.

How do I get them from STS?

Check the trade and giveaway sections, you may not find something straight away. Luck of the draw, really.

If you can’t wait, you can get them easily around the web with a few minutes searching.

I posted on STS for the cacti seeds. And I messaged a few people about other plants so hopefully I'll get a few. I'll start a garden log after I get the first couple seeds!

cuttings are dramatically faster than seeds
or, try grafting baby seedlings to pereskiopsis

good luck with your endevour.
i compiled quite the collection by trading with people in places like share the seeds