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How to...

grow cacti

Cactus being planted up

You will need:

  • Cacti seed
  • One large and several small terracotta pots
  • Free-draining compost or cactus compost
  • Silver sand
  • Newspaper
  • Sheet of glass
  • Pencil (to prick out)
  • Seed tray

Overview

Raising cacti from seed is simple and rewarding, and to add to the fun, most companies and cacti nurseries now offer seed mixtures, so you're never quite sure what you're going to grow.

How to do it

  1. Filling pot with compostFill a broad terracotta pot with a moist, gritty, loam-based compost, such as John Innes. Firm down and make the surface level.

  2. Sowing cacti seedsScatter your mixed cactus seeds over the surface of the compost, taking care not to sow them too thickly.

  3. Sprinkling sand over cacti seedsGently sprinkle a thin layer of silver sand over the seeds, covering the whole surface of the compost.

  4. Covering cacti seeds with sheet of glassLeave the pot in a greenhouse or on a warm windowsill, covered with a sheet of glass and a layer of paper.

  5. Pricking out seedlingsRemove the glass once seedlings develop - these will be large enough to prick out by next spring.

  6. Watering pricked-out cactiNext spring, gently tease out individual cacti, and plant out in a tray of gritty compost. Water well.

  7. Transplanting cactiAs they grow taller, carefully transplant some of the larger cacti into bigger pots to give them room.

  8. Planting up cactiFinally, plant individually into small terracotta pots. Water and feed, and repot annually as they grow.

Adam's Tip

Adam's Tip

"Be patient! These cacti took a year to reach this size from a summer sowing."

Comments and rating

Overall rating (from 1 ratings):

4 out of 5

4 out of 5

My teenage son has developed a passion for cacti. I hadn't thought about growing cacti from seed but having read how easy it is I shall give it a try and involve Danny too.

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