I grew a bunch of cacti...now what?

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TDP Bloomington, IN Oct 17, 2014

Hi everyone,

Earlier this year, my 4 yo son and I bought a packet of assorted cactus seeds to grow. I figured that only a few would make it but as you can see from the photo, we did better than I could have hoped. Now they average just under an inch in height. I still have them helter skelter in this container that I cover with plastic and mist them every few days to keep the soil slightly moist. How long do I leave them like this? When should I start repotting them in small clusters? When do they not need to be moistened every few days? Should I do anything different over the winter? I want to give some to friends but don't want the gift cacti to promptly die.

Thanks for your guidance!

Thumbnail by TDP
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Baja_Costero Baja California, Mexico(Zone 11) Oct 17, 2014

I would not be in a hurry to repot them. Very young cacti tend to do better when they are a little crowded, and yours are spaced pretty far apart. You can begin to wean them off the moisture if you want (no rush) by taking off the lid and watering every 3-4 days.

I don't know what kind of light they're getting (plants look good) but the important thing over the winter is to make sure they continue to get good light while the days are short and the sun is less intense. When you do repot them, they will probably do better in a mix with a good amount of rock (perlite, pumice, or equivalent) up to 50% or so.

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TDP Bloomington, IN Oct 17, 2014

Thanks for your response! How long should I wait to repot them? I am not in a rush so I'll do whatever is best for the younglings.

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Baja_Costero Baja California, Mexico(Zone 11) Oct 17, 2014

I let mine get to the point where they are touching or nearly touching, but you can certainly pop a couple out to see what the roots look like, and repot them as a sort of experiment to see how they do.

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Diana_K Contra Costa County, CA(Zone 9b) Oct 17, 2014

I would start repotting the most crowded of them, and the largest.

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Vestia San Francisco, CA Oct 17, 2014

I agree with Baja, wait. The beginning of the short days is not a good time to disturb cacti. I would wait until April. If you do pop out a couple of the most crowded of them, don't count on them making it.

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Baja_Costero Baja California, Mexico(Zone 11) Oct 17, 2014

That would be my prediction too. When I sow seeds, I like to start with way too many and then count on attrition at every step along the way, ending up with just enough plants in the end. The little experiments are informative even if they are failures.

One of the hardest things about growing plants like these is the art of patience. For me, anyway.

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