I was just at the garden centre picking up some potting soil to germinate some t. peruvianus IcarosDNA seeds and I happened upon this... it was cheap so I nabbed it:



But will this do the job? I know of people using sandwich bags and what not to put their trays in and was wondering if this was too big?

Ignore the crap in the green tray... far too much perlite

should be fine keep it slightly moist the humidity dome should work well for that. I used a homemade humidity dome and peat pellets for all my cacti and all of them germed. I don't think cacti are picky as most people think just don't get too wet and you should have 0 problems.

Cool.

How do you suggest to moisten it in the first place? I've heard of people saying to completely immerse the base in water until you can see it raise to the top. But then I've also heard of people saying just moisten the top soil with a fine mist.

So much confusion.

I have got exactly that model of propagator and have used it to successfully germinate my Peyote seeds...have over 60 Peyote seedlings now. The soil mix just needs to be damp, and then spray it with a fine mist if it starts to dry...shouldn't be much of a problem though as the dome keeps the humidity in...beware of direct sunlight when the cacti are very young.

Is that container not too large for creating a moist enough atmosphere for optimal germination rates? I don't know, I'm just asking. I'm told that in the wild germination rates can be as low as 1 in 1000, which makes me think that the setup for germination is worth putting thought into.

I would put the green tray in a container filled with an inch of water (assuming the green tray has drainage holes in the bottom) and take it out as soon as the top of the soil appears damp. Then put a piece of glass over the top, or I guess some clingfilm instead if necessary, and you may as well place it in your little greenhouse thing that you bought for the extra heat if you live in a cold country. It then wouldn't need any more water until the pups are tall enough that you have to take the glass/clingfilm top off. Once the top is off, after about 3 months, let the soil dry out then water sparingly as required (how to tell this I don't know!). I'm told seeds need a moist environment, but once they are older that environment would actually kill them- after 6 months from planting they should be grown in dry adult conditions. That's how I was taught to do it.

I believe that to respect the Earth you should try to stay away from plastic wherever possible. Your thing has a different handle attached so may not be recyclable if it's different materials and if it doesn't carry a recycling logo stating the material then it definitely can't be recycled. I know, it's hard to find healthier alternatives, but I'm just stating the greenest way to do things that should be stived for. Plastic is polluting to make and leaches dubious softening chemicals and doesn't last as long as natural materials. It's also ugly, gets brittle with age and breaks easily so can be a false economy if it is soon discarded.

I admit I did use plastic at first, because it takes time and effort to find alternatives, but now I wish I hadn't been so impatient and had sourced alternatives so that my cacti could've grown with more positive 'karma'. I bought some reusable microwavable takeaway transparent cartons for £1 for 6. Even better, you could just save and wash the ones you get given by takeaway places. I used the flat lids as trays, with the dish placed on top and filled with soils after being pierced to provide drainage, then another of the dishes upside down on top and sellotaped to create a mini greenhouse. I lined these up on a UK windowsill (brrr!) and got 50% germination rates. Considering how cheap my seeds were (I ordered a thousand from Peru for just a few dollars), 50% is ample for me and I don't see the point in achieving 80% if it means buying and running heat mats and CFL bulbs. I mean, where am I going to put my 500 cacti when they get a bit bigger?!!

To minimise risk of fungus and mould taking over before the cacti grow, sterilise the soil and equipment by putting it in the microwave for 10 minutes (getting your energy from one of the wind farm suppliers such as Ecotricity ). DON'T microwave the seeds! Nor put metal in a microwave... I wonder if d-limonene will sterilise metal pots environmentally, or even better vinegar?

I'm told the best soil mix for torch is:
2 parts soil (normal NOT peat based)
3 parts river/coarse sand
1 part plain aquarium gravel

My peyote and san pedro seeds did not germinate unfortunately. I'm told that torch can stand cooler climates, so I guess I'd have to get more technical if I wanted to grow peyote in the UK. I tried putting them in the airing cupboard at night for 2 weeks, to no avail. I'm going to buy a second-hand fish tank and put my pedro and peyote grow boxes in there just in case the extra greenouse effect will warm them up sufficiently.

I have bought natural ceramic pots very cheaply for when my babies get bigger (39p each from Homebase). I don't like the thought of my bables living in plastic, I'm trying to phase plastic out from my life, it feels corrupt to me, and in a world of depleting oil reserves is best used for more necessary items like medical equipment

Anyway, that's the limit of my cactus knowledge. I am a beginner too.

Yeah I was concerned of the size. I'm thinking if I use this thing I'll do away with the green tray, half fill the tub with gravel. then lightly pack soil over the top to plant seeds on.

I'm going to try a few different things anyway, like plant pots in bags takeaway trays with glass. I have 1000 seeds or so, that's plenty to play around with.