Expert: Greg Simpson - 11/3/2004

Question
I have a few Christmas Cactus.  It occured to me that I could try to grow them from seed.  Just for fun of course.

Can you tell me what I need to do and what to expect?

Thank you
Kristina

Answer
Dear Kristina,

I have had the best success at growing cactus seed using the following method. Go to McDonalds and have one of their salads (the grilled chicken with bacon is my favorite), then take the container home and wash it thoroughly. They make perfect miniature greenhouses.

Get some "cactus mix" soil from local nursery or department store and fill the bottom half of the salad container (the black half). Wet the soil, but make sure there is no standing water. Sprinkle the seeds over the soil and put the clear top on. Cactus seed can take up to a month to germinate, so be patient.

After the seeds have germinated they will need to be about 1/2 tall before you can remove the cover. Make sure you purchase some fungicide just in case. Sometimes I have gotten a white powdery substance that suddenly appears, and fungicide will take care of it. Make sure you keep the soil moist but not wet throughout the process.

Hopefully this helps! Good luck...

Sincerely,

Greg