Opuntia Blog

Delosperma seedlings, various types, seedlings germinated 4-6 days earlier and are in 3-inch pots

I ordered Delosperma seeds from HardyPlants.com and from Mesa Garden. Both sets of seeds arrived quickly. The seeds from HardyPlants.com were more expensive but there were 50 or more per packet, whereas the Mesa Garden packets held 20- 30 seeds. However, Mesa Garden offered a broader selection of cold-hardy Delosperma seeds. Not many places sell Delosperma by mail, much less seeds.

The seeds were tiny, very tiny. It was difficult to count them because they were so small. I sprinkled the seeds over a mix that I use for many cacti and succulents: one-third top soil, one-third small perlite, one-third coarse sand (builders’ sand). I watered the seeds from below and set them under fluorescent lights (about 8-10 inches from the bulbs). I kept the seeds at room temperature.

I thought I saw tiny seedlings by Day 5, and on Day 6 I counted multiple seedlings. The seeds pots have been under lights for about 11 days now and the Delosperma seedlings are still at the cotyledon stage. But, they are growing a bit each day and seem happy–I’ve started to remove the saran wrap cover and expose the seedlings to 2-3 hours a day of not-so-humid atmosphere.

You can read more about Delosperma here, here, and here.