thank you so much for watching. we really appreciate it

thank you for watching :)

thank you for watching!

Omg thanks

Thank you

thank you! :)

thanks for watching! yeah, this pandemic really has taken a toll on us. Please do take care :)

hello sir thanks for watching! taking care of astrophytums requires more effort because they are more prone to problems as compared to gymnocalyciums and other cacti. what i would suggest for your seedlines would be: 1. regularly check them for problems like at least once a month 2. at this stage, the previous nutients avaialble during the sowing process have been depleted so you can apply minimal amounts of ferts. Use the foliar fertilizers with trace elements. the concentration must be at 25% only. Meaning if the label says taht you should mix 4 tablespoons in 1 gallon of water, just make it at 1tbsp per gallon. remember, cacti doesnt actually need a lot of fertilizers. 3. apply pesticides regularly esp fungicides (be careful with these ok). if you're not ok with chemicals you can just use neem oil for insects. 4. the seedlings must be moist. if yours is in an open environment you have to water them often. dont let them dry out. 5. no need for transpalting, wait until they really get bigger

hey, thanks for watching... hahaha shhhhh... lets just talk about the whole process in our next video ha. See you :)

hello there. Germination rate is comprised of so many factors. 1st, are your seeds fresh? rule of thumb is, the fresher they are, the more likely the would germinate 2nd, did you meet the temperature conditions? you have to research a bit about the nature of the seeds (and the species as well). mostly, seeds require 20-30 degress c. Go over or lower, then you will miss germinating them 3rd, what was your method of sowing? I mean, where did you put them on? what kind of medium? did you put it on a closed container? did it have sufficient moist? 4th, did you see fungus on the seeds 3-5 days after being sowed? this could mean that you didnt have a clean soil medium or the seeds themselves were carrying fungus. Now, here's a tip and try this. Soak the seeds overnight in a water solution with hydrogen peroxide (1tbps per liter will do).. just divide it for small quantities. hydogen peroxide helps the seed coating thin so that they could rupture easily. This also act as disinfectant.

hahaha good luck and pls update us ok? And yes, we all have to level up. This is for our plant industry.

All the blessings will be poured to you and your family sir 💕

thank you for watching

thanks too

hello hehe

Mag sow din ako seeds kaya pumasyal ako dito. Nice tips sir, i-acquire ko yan. Try ko din mag vlog ng sowing nyahahaha. Thank u so much!

thank you Peter for watching. I do hope you'd try sowing seeds soon. It's easy. Ill help you all through out

Succulents and Spikes I have planted my first cactus seeds today, I will follow your instructions and with good luck and guidance they should grow. I enjoyed episode 3 yesterday, it was good too see how happy you were when you unwrapped that tray of cactus, they look so healthy. Thanks again for your help 😀

Hello, thanks for watching! Glad it was helpful!

thanks ate jen :)

thanks for watching!

thanks!

Hello, thanks for watching! the pot had the soil sterilized :)

Hello. thanks for watching. If the seedlings are enclosed, the moist will be trapped so it will take you months before you water it again. Plus the fact that the place must be away from any direct sunlight too. The soil medium must be wet before sowing the seeds. I soaked the pot with the soil during the demo. it usually takes me 2-3 months before I water them again by spraying or misting. You'll notice it anyway when the soil is really dry, the color lightens :) hope this helps

Succulents and Spikes thanks a lot. I'm just new in CnS life. Hope to learn a lot from your vlogs. ❤️

thanks for watching! :) just a sec, you mean you want to have a hotter environment for the seedlings? to tell you honestly, 20c might work fine. there were some telling that sowing seeds are best done during the colder season. but, the best way to do that is to do a research on what kind of seeds you're gonna sow. not all requires the same environment. most astrophytum seeds can germinate easily unlike with gymno. even on gymnos, not all will gertminate well. some might require special kind of process for germination

yes, its always a must. I use several techniques in sterilization and I will be explaining it late a 7pm (episode 2). thanks for watching

hello good day. I couldnt say whats actually is happening to it but cacti seedlings are relatively slow growers. if possible, would you mind sending some pics on our facebook page pls?

hahaha try and try until you succeed :)

I couldn't agree more. I'll be expounding everything in our next video and I hope to see you there too.

I do not sterilize the soil and it grows anyway☺

Just to add to my question sir, do you recommend mixing in DIY fungicide (Baking soda,detergent,oil) in the sowing mix/soil?

yes you really nust sterilize everything first. I suggest mixing them all up then sterilize them. You don't need to do anything when the seeds germinate. Using the baggy method ensures that the moist would be trapped inside the plastic, watering usually takes place by the 3rd month or when you the top soil dry.

hello thanks for watching. there's none to be honest. Making a plant variegated isn't that easy. its more of a natural phenomenon

hello thanks for watching! 1. check your seeds. sometimes fungus are there even before sowing. try to soak them on a hydrogen peroxide - water solution overnight before sowing. 2. sterilize your soil via heat - oven, microwave, cooking 3. spray medium swith fungicide. if youre afraid to use it then just spray with hydrogen peroxide/water solution

Hello, thanks for watching! apply hydrogen peroxode -water solution that might help po :)

water only when you see them dry po. it's best to keep them locked for several months

hello angus. it you see the medium dry them by all means you really shoul open the container to water the seedlings. I wish i could post pictures here but we have a method of diliberately adding ample amount of water (which really makes the medium dry for several months).

thanks for watching. gymno seeds really takes a lot more time to germinate than astrophytum. it's usually around 1-2 weeks for Gymnocalyciums.

thanks for watching. As much as possible you must refrain from using any compost-type of materials or garden/loam soil as they could result to a high rate of bacterial/fungal growth even when sterilized. only 5% is actually recommended. If you can, try using other materials such as peat, they're safer

@@SucculentsandSpikes thank you and noted po..

thanks for watching, I used to do that but I've stopped because there were some insecticides and fungicides that had caused a stunt in growth. You can use captan for the meantime and apply with extreme precautions pls. What kind of pests are you currently experiencing? there's something I will be explaining in our next video about that, and I'll be expounding my answer to you.

Hello Susan, thanks for watching! im glad you're enjoying the videos although i've had my hands always full of thing to do recently that i fail to make videos (sorry for this). for the seeds, you have to know whats the best temp for it. not all will have the same requirements. but i guess its better to wait for a warmer conditions like 20c-25c

Good question! Yes, there is. Always acclimatize pls.

Thanks for watching! Yup. Very important to sterilize it. 100c ☺️

@@SucculentsandSpikes thank you. What temp do you maintain the seeds for germination and growth?

no you dont necessarily have to open it regularly as we have to keep the moisture locked. the usual time I open them up is when 1. i need to spray water when I see that the medium is dry 2. i need to put fertilizers 3. i need to give them a dose of pesticides (if needed) or any DIY solutions

@@marlonvaldellon8 thank you sir

hello thanks for watching. there are several factors to consider but as a rule of thumb, after 6-8months that you should remove them from the plastic. That's a good question you have there.

@@SucculentsandSpikes thank you

Hello boss. Well, i use whatevers availble here in our place. But as a general rule of thumb, its better if you avoid using any compost type of materials as most of the time they would result to having molds which would eventually kill off your seedlings

What if the soil mix get mold in a few days??? Can i apply pesticides????

hello thanks for watching. oh pink. maybe they're sun stressed but that's just fine. lessen the amount of sunlight it has. pls do not forget it's moisture, it must never be dry at all times

hello! that's pretty nice ha. just follow the basics. the plastic? i bought that one from our local wet market (plastic store. usually these ate the ones that sells plastic cups). Im not sure what its called but it's just a thick plastic bag hehehe its not expensive though, 75cents per pc. If you can't find one, you can always use other plastics as long as it covers your seedlings.

Succulents and Spikes hehe puro malabo yung nakita ko kaya mahirap silipin yung plants too big naman yung clear, kaya po I reused a zip lock bag nung cottonpads hehe..hopefully po may magsprout..I placed them in a shaded area..although Im worried baka may nahulog na seed from pot nung naglagay po kase ako water natapunan yung pot and may nahulog na soil 🥺🥺

thank you for watching, thats a good question there. I do experience the same problems as yours but I learned something to hinder it or reduce them at the minimum. In the last part of this video, I think that's the one you are referring to. I will personally discuss your question in my next video, so see you there! :)

Organic? for the seedlings? I use whatever is available around. but I typically use vermicast, coco peat, charred rice hull

we only water when we see that its dry (soil) or when there's no more water at the bottom

ingredients for? :)

hmmm it actually depends on the availability of supplies. but typically, vermicast is just 10%. plus 20% other organic materials like crushed charcoal or charred rice hull (or any organic material that you can use) pumice, perlight, sand and other Inorganic materials comprises 70% (you can always mix and match them)

thanks for watching! water when you see the soil almost drying. use a spray :)

Hello, thanks for watching! hmmm no pesticides yet. only when needed. if i do, it must also be systemic most of the time

hello thanks for watching! you water them using a spray. if you see the soil becoming dry, then you can water. after you open the plastic, you have to close it again.

hey there. salamat sa pag sub ha. we're from quezon province

Hello, thanks for watching! Yes it does. just make sure to sterilize the medium and refrain from using compost type materials

Hi Melissa thanks for watching. In actually soilless potting medium is best as it has no organic matter that might cause future problems. Peat moss is also one of the best materials to be used just mix in pumice or any porous inorganic matter (perlight is good but floats in water). In any medium to be used, always remember to have them sterilized. Hope this helps

Premixes varies from one product to another. It's important to know the base ingredients. Try getting those without organic matter

This goes the same with seed starter soils. Check what it's made for or see the ingredients. Some seed starter products might be intended for veggies and tree seedlings but cactus and succulents seedlings requires a different kind of mix, gritty or soilless is good

hello! thanks! yup, have really been busy

hello thanks for watching. I dont actually recommend using Vermicast only as ive tried it and it didn't go well as time went by. Mix some cocopeat or if you have peat moss, the better.

@@SucculentsandSpikes Thank you very much for the quick response to my questions :)

hello boss eric. yes you actually can put water inside tha bag. I sometimes do that during summer hehehe

a 70% inorganic to a 30% organic material is best