As this was all an experiment to me, I found very soon that the last step would be better if we’d reverse them. So, first place all the seeds on the top layer of the soil, and after that place the fine grit on top of it. And I have to underline this, don’t use more than 1 millimeter of grit. I did so in most of the containers I found out today. The seeds won’t get any light because of all the grit on top, and won’t germinate.

After three weeks I found that only a few seeds have germinated, mostly the Lophophora Williamsii v. Caespitosa. Germination ratio until now for that species is 20%. Also, I figured I used too much water in my second watering. The soil in the containers was way too wet, so I had to let them damp off.

Today I checked up on everything and removed the top layer of grit. I ordered another batch of seeds (again, Williamsii and Diffusa) and added them to the containers. after that I looked through the grit and got out all the seeds I could find and placed them back in the original container. All the labels are updated with the number of seeds added, and I think I found most of the seeds in the grit, so roughly my germination ratio’s will be realistic. After all seeds were placed I added a fine layer of grit, and watched carefully not to overdo it so that the seeds would still be able to get some light. Light is very imortant for the seedlings because this gives them a direction t grow to. I found a few seedlings in the grit I removed which were growing in random directions due to the lack of sunlight.  I placed them back and hopefully they will find their way.

Today I sowed the latest batch of peyote seeds I got. Though it is a  bit late in the season I wanted to try a new method anyway, and could not wait until March.

In this article I will describe the method I used to prepare the containers; the soil mix I used and everything  else that is important when sowing your seeds.

In my previous peyote sowing-and-growing endeavors I used a very simple method which I found a bit disappointing. I used a small plastic greenhouse with a transparent top which I diffused using white spraypaint to protect the seedlings from being sunburnt. I filled the bottom with the soil mix, watered it a bit, placed the seeds on top and then placed a very fine top layer of soil over it and then sprayed it with water. The greenhouse was heated from below with a heatmat used in terrariums. The germination ratio was about 30 percent using this method for all Lophophora species grown. About 70 percent of the seedlings survived after only three months.

This number was too low, plus I didn’t really count all the seeds before sowing so my figures were not trustable enough. I’m planning on moving in a month or three, so when I started a new batch of seeds I wanted to use a method which would make transport later  easier.

So, taking all these reasons in account, I tried a new method (at least, it is a new method to me). This method is a combination of the sowing method found of Lophophora’s blog and the one published by Allard Bax from Cactusplaza. Following is a description of all the steps I took including a visual walkthrough. I did this to illustrate the method to others who are interested and to document it for myself for future reference.

Step 1: Preparing your setup

I divided the seeds over the containers. I’m placing the containers in the small plastic greenhouse again (37,5x24x18 cm), so first I checked how many containers would fit. It fits 16, but I made it 15 so I’d be able to water the containers more easily from below. Today I’m sowing 100 Lophophora Diffusa seeds, 100 Lophophora Williamsii seeds and 20 Lophophora Williamsii v. Caespitosa seeds.

What you need:

Seeds
Containers
Soil
A sheet of white paper
Grit (1-2 mm)
Toothpicks
Labels
Waterproof marker
Small greenhouse or a tray with a transparent plastic bag
And, of course, a place to work

I then filled the containers (7x7x11 cm square) for 50 percent with the seedling soil mix. This soilmix consits of 1/3 regular potting soil, 1/3 sand and 1/3 of fine grit.

Then I pressed down the soil. We want the bottom layer to be sturdy, and the next layer more loose so when the seedling pop up they can root more easily.

I filled the remaining part of the container with soil, 1 centimeter from the top. On top of that very thin layer of peyote soil (1/3 sand, 1/3 peat, 1/3 grit). I removed the bigger parts of peat and stones in the soil so the roots of the seedlings won’t get stuck on it and develop stunned growth.

And now, the top layer. This is fine (1-2mm) aquarium grit. I added this so that the soil wouldn’t dry out so fast when the sun shines or when it gets warm. It gives a bit of shade to the young seedlings and protects the top layer from mould.
I then filled the bottom of the greenhouse with  water so the soil in the containers would soak it up. 2 hours later I let the containers drip out the excess water for a few minutes and placed them back in the greenhouse.

Step 2: Placing the seeds

I emptied the seeds on a sheet of white paper so I’d see them all and none of them would be lost. I divided the seeds over the amount of containers I had (100/6). After some genius mathwork I found out there’d be about 17 per container. After dividing I had some seeds left and it turned out the 100 seeds were 108 so a few containers had some more seeds in them.
Write your labels with the name of the species, the date and the amount of seeds placed in the container so you can check up on the germination rates later.

Use a wet tootpick dipped in water to pick up every seed individually and place it in the container you placed the label in.

2 hours later all the seeds have been placed in their corresponding container and a small amount of water was sprayed on them to push them down in case the seeds were stuck in the grit.

And we’re done! I placed the greenhouse on a heatmat in a light spot of the room. Now all there is left to do is wait for nature to do it’s job.

I will check back on this project every now and then when there is some news. I made some prints of the greenhouse layout so I can draw where and what seed germinates on which day. If this turns out interested I will share this.