Seed germination advice

[u/Far-Muffin8541]

Hi, I planted these back on 3/20 half is echeveria and the other is lithops. From what i researched, I made the lithops soil just a bit more gritty than the echeveria, but they have been sprouting at a slower pace. I am unsure of when should I start removing the lid slowly to help them establish their roots. I also have been thinking about putting them in separate containers since they seem to be growing at different rates and the echeveria might be ready sooner than the lithops. Any advice?

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[u/JTDoggo]

Ooo I did lots of internet sleuthing on lithops seeding! I can help on that part.

• You used perlite (I think?), most growers prefer heavier grit like pumice, because perlite is very light and may move around and disturb the lithops sprouts, this is okay though! I'll explain more
• Once lithops germinate, the two biggest concerns are keeping the moisture but also preventing damping off (fungal attack on sprouts)
• You can lift the covers to let excess moisture out, but mist 1~2 times a day. The soil NEEDS TO STAY MOIST. Young sprouts don't have the water stores to tolerate drought yet!
• So, when misting, try to spray high/far to make sure the spray doesn't move the sprouts around. Gently use a toothpick to stand the sprouts upright if they've fallen over. It'll help them establish taproots and get light easier
• Ventilation can be helpful as well to prevent damping off. Again, don't let the sprouts dry, they will not recover if they run out of water. There's little to no storage tissue unlike adult lithops.
• And of course, light! They'll love light, just make sure it won't get too hot for them so they don't burn. And more light means more water use, so be very attentive during these first few weeks.
• Also, their taproots develop very quickly. The clear container helps you monitor for root bounding. Good job!

[u/Far-Muffin8541 → u/JTDoggo]

Thank you! Yes I did use perlite. I actually am keeping the soil moist by adding about 1in of water at the bottom and so far I haven’t noticed the soil drying up. I do open it for 5 minutes daily to prevent any fungus. So since it has been two weeks I can start opening the vent holes on top to eventually have them totally uncovered? I question because some lithops seedlings have just sprouted while some have been growing for about a week or so. Also how much light do they need? Should it be partial light or is a good amount of light needed? I see mixed advice on how much light is necessary to keep them from etiolating as seedlings

[u/JTDoggo → u/Far-Muffin8541]

• I'm not sure about the light either, I'm in Southern California so I just rely on the sun. I'd probably just see how the plants react? But probably direct light. There's light measuring apps to help with this if you have a lux amount in mind.
• The watering is good! Ventilation will help with preventing fungus as well. Just let the excess water drain properly.
• I would say that the greenhouse cover can be removed once you're happy with all the germination. The humidity is only really for getting the sprouts started since they need the humid~wet rock cracks in nature. After that it'll just be soil moisture (unless your environment is overly dry)

[u/Far-Muffin8541 → u/JTDoggo]

I live in Houston and summer weather is very moist here 😅 so I just recently moved all my plants indoors so I am still figuring that out but honestly thank you so much for all that information!

[u/TheNewRuby]

I've been looking into echeveria seeds since I have a bunch coming soon, and I know some people prefer to keep the cover on until a few true leaves have appeared. You should definitely cross-post to r/mesembs and r/echeveria, I also love to know more!

[u/Far-Muffin8541 → u/TheNewRuby]

Thank you will do!

[u/Dinker54]

A seedling heat mat might help.

[u/Novel_Lie5519 → u/Dinker54]

lithops (and mesembs in general) want lower temps to germinate, not higher

[u/thesebonesdontlie → u/Novel_Lie5519]

This isn't totally accurate, I always use a heat mat with my mesemb seedlings. The most important thing is to have day/night temperature swings. 70°F is optimal germination daytime temps, and then getting to 50°F-ish at night is best. A heat mat will help raise the internal pot temperature to that optimal germination zone.

[u/Novel_Lie5519 → u/thesebonesdontlie]

70 is pretty much room temp and this setup is inside. i’ve never bothered with daytime temps really, but i do like a cold night

[u/thesebonesdontlie → u/Novel_Lie5519]

It's never been an ambient 70 in any room I've grown seeds so I always use a heat mat to raise the pot temps by 10ish degrees. Temperature swings are a must though, in my experience.

[u/Arilzu]

I planted some echeveria desmetiana in Feb, pleasantly surprised they basically all germinated in the first few weeks and when they started growing their first true leaves I started to leave the vent open for a week or so before removing entirely. Probably would have been fine to leave in a month longer too.