Growing San Pedro Cacti From Seed! Part 1
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Time to read 5 min
Welcome!
Hey Y’all! One of my favorite projects is starting new plants from seed! Here at Sam’s Curious Cultivars, I grow all my own plants, sometimes from propagation but usually from seed. Right now, I am working on a nice batch of San Pedro seeds. It is important to me that I grow my own plants, so I can guarantee they are grown properly and in great condition! Starting from seeds also allows me to pass on the best price to you guys and do giveaways!! Big shout-out to Pacific Cactus, they produced these awesome seeds and always offer the best prices on the coolest genetics!
Pacific Cactus
I spent a long time deciding where to order seeds this go round. In the past I just ordered open pollinated Pachanoi, Brigdesii and Terschekii seeds. This time I wanted something a little more interesting! I came upon Pacific Cactus and was blown away by their selection and prices!
My Choice In Genetics
Picking my seeds parentage was the hardest part of my order from Pacific Cactus, I knew I wanted some TPM and at least one TBM.
I chose an odd number like a fool. |
I ordered 330 seeds total and ended up with 418 seedlings! One last Big Shout Out to Pacific Cactus!!!
San Pedro Seed Starting Journey
I am starting a decent sized batch of San Pedro Cactus seeds, and it is a fascinating project! I am starting with some awesome genetics and hoping for some cool variations! Follow along to see behind the scenes of growing a nursery from scratch! Seed starting is vital to our mission at Sam’s Curious Cultivars.
Germinating San Pedro Seeds
Germination is the first phase of growing any plant from seed. San Pedro Cactus seeds like high humidity, warm days with cooler nights and 8 hours of bright light a day. I use an inorganic growing medium made up of perlite, coco coir and earth worm castings. Seed starting medium needs to be baked to 180F and cooled before seeds can be sowed. After baking I add distilled water till the soil is at field capacity.
Aluminum mini loaf pans are my first choice for San Pedro seed starting. I buy the ones that come with clear plastic lids which make awesome humidity domes. I fill the pans about 1.5” deep with my prepared growing medium, leaving plenty of space for the cacti to sprout and grow. San Pedro cactus seeds do not like to be buried, instead I just sprinkle them evenly across the surface. I also like to mist the seeds one good time before putting on the lids.
San Pedro seeds take roughly a month to germinate, this batch started popping at 20 days and continued sprouting for two weeks. A week after they germinate, I like to open the domes for 24 hours for fresh air and to sprinkle them with cinnamon. Cinnamon prevents mold, algae and other unwanted growth. Place lid back on to bring humidity back up.
Results From This Round
My first batch of Pacific Cactus seeds was sowed on 09/30/23, using the methods described below. I don’t count cactus seeds usually because they are so tiny. However, I ordered 330 seeds from Pacific Cactus, 11 different species. In my package I received 12 baggies, I got one extra TPM x LFM!! It gets even better!! It is now 11/1/23 and I have counted all my seedlings. 418!! I can’t thank Pacific Cactus enough for hooking it up!
I am super happy with my success rate with this batch! Claude x TPM and TJG x Vern's Spineless Macrogonus are the slowest going with only 16 and 18 sprouts. I do hope they will sprout a few more, they do appear to just be growing slower. With this many bonus plants I’m going to have to do some more giveaways!!
San Pedro seedlings will remain in their baking pans as long as possible, until they are 1” tall or until they NEED to be repotted because of mold/algae. I keep the seedlings under some low powered grow lights for eight hours a day. This does appear to be too much for a couple of the crosses, and I moved them further from the lights.
FAQ
Doesn’t a clean sand layer prevent fungal growth?
Yes, but! I personally don’t use the sand layer because when I’ve tried it in the past, I have had issues with algae growth. I find algae growth more difficult to manage than fungal growth.
Can I use pots with humidity domes?
Yes! You can use almost any container that has a good lid. You could even use plastic wrap and a rubber band to make a humid dome.
Should I water seedlings?
Yes! Only when it gets dry and you should mist them, don’t pour a bunch of water in them.
This seems hard, can i just buy a San Pedro Cactus?
Of course you can! I've got them for sale most of the time!
Growing San Pedro Cacti From Seeds, Quick Guide
Growing San Pedro from seed is easy if you give them proper conditions. Seeds will like high humidity and gritty inorganic growing medium. I like to use cheap aluminum baking pans that come with clear lids, they make a great humidity dome. You’ll just need a few things before you are ready to germinate grow your own San Pedro cactus seeds.
Materials
- Baking trays with lids (or anything similar)
- Distilled or reverse osmosis water
- High perlite, gritty cactus growing medium (I use perlite, coir, and silica sand)
- Grow light or sunny window.
- Patience
Steps to sprout San Pedro seeds.
- Purchase or mix your own growing medium.
- Get your medium slightly moist, put it in an oven safe container with a lid and bake it at 200F for 20-30 minutes (internal temp of 180F)
- Allow the growing medium to cool to room temperature.
- Fill your baking trays (or other) with about 2 inches of medium, make sure there is at least an inch of space for the cactus to grow.
- Make sure your growing medium is nice and moist, but not dripping.
- Spread your San Pedro seeds evenly across your growing medium.
- Place the lid on the baking tray.
- Place the lidded baking trays in a bright sunny spot or under a grow light.
- Wait patiently.
QUICK TIPS FOR NICE TIPS!
- If your lids don’t fog up it’s either too dry or too cold, try spraying your growing medium or moving your tray to a warmer, brighter location.
- San Pedro Seeds take 20-40 days to germinate in my experience.
- If your seedlings immediately turn red, they get too much light.
- Sprinkling the growing medium will slow down algae and mold growth.
- If they start to get moldy take the lids off for 24hrs
- BE PATIENT
