Germination temperature
The RHS gives about 21 °C (70 °F); the BCSS Southampton branch 20-30 °C (68-86 °F) by day and about 15 °C (59 °F) at night.
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4 growing guides
Clean sowing, careful moisture and bright filtered light for cacti and other succulent seedlings.
Cacti and other succulents store water in their leaves, stems or roots, which lets them survive dry conditions. Cacti are one family (Cactaceae) from the Americas; succulents are a wider group that also includes aloe, agave, adenium and caudex plants such as Dorstenia. As seedlings they share one routine: tiny seed sown on or just under a clean, gritty compost, warmth around 21 °C (70 °F), steady humidity under a cover with daily ventilation, and bright light out of direct sun. Use the exact species guide when available. Sowing depth, temperature and time to transplant can vary widely across cacti and other succulents.
The RHS gives about 21 °C (70 °F); the BCSS Southampton branch 20-30 °C (68-86 °F) by day and about 15 °C (59 °F) at night.
Usually none. Leave small seed uncovered; cover larger seed with grit no deeper than its own size.
Some species sprout in one to two weeks, but germination is often sporadic; adenium is quick, some others take months.
Temperate climates: spring, indoors (RHS). India: late winter to spring or the cooler post-monsoon months, avoiding the humid monsoon.
Slow: the RHS says seedlings can take up to 12 months to be big enough to handle.
Fine seed compost with about a third coarse sand, fine grit or perlite (BCSS), or the RHS mix of peat-free John Innes No 1 with grit. Sieve coarse compost so tiny seed is not lost.
Mix very small seed with a little sand to spread it. Leave dust-fine seed on the surface; cover larger seed thinly with grit, which also discourages moss and algae.
Stand the pot in water to half its depth until the surface darkens, drain, and cover with glass or a clear bag. Remove the cover daily to wipe off condensation.
Keep the tray bright but out of direct sun; under a cover it overheats fast. Too little light gives weak, misshapen plants.
Move seedlings only when they crowd each other and can be handled, which may be the same year for fast growers or the next year for slow ones.
How to grow cactus from seed covers the classic surface sowing, humid cover and very slow first year shared by most Cactaceae.
How to grow succulents from seed and the general succulents guide cover mixed packets of rosette and leaf succulents.
How to grow desert rose (adenium) from seed covers a fast, warmth-loving seed that rots in cold, wet mix; the Dorstenia foetida and D. crispa guide covers a small caudex plant that throws its own seed.
Dust-fine seed sown deep never emerges. Press it onto the surface or cover only with grit its own size.
A covered tray in direct sun cooks seedlings. Keep it bright but shaded and ventilate daily.
Seedlings need steadier moisture than mature plants, though never waterlogging.
Many cacti and succulents take six to twelve months to reach pea size (BCSS). Rushing them into pots damages their small roots.
Sow cactus and succulent seed on clean, gritty compost and keep it warm, bright and evenly moist.
Leave very small seed uncovered. Cover larger seed with fine grit no deeper than the seed is thick.
No. The RHS warns that insufficient light leads to weak, misshapen plants. Seedlings need bright light without direct sun; older plants like a sunny spot.
Usually waterlogged compost or poor ventilation. Water from below, drain well and air the tray daily.
Open the guide that matches the seed name on your packet.