Here's how to do it right

This preparation optimizes success - tips & tricks

Since cactus seedlings grow more vigorously in company, we recommend a flat bowl with a bottom opening as a water drain for isolation. Commercially available pricking earth is for most Cactus species still too nutritious. A mix of these is more suitable Cactus soil and lime-free Quartz sand(€ 14.90 at Amazon *) in a ratio of 1: 3.

Please clean the bowl meticulously with hot water. Fill the pricking substrate into a fire-proof bowl, sprinkle it a little with water and loosely put a lid on. Put the jar in the oven to sterilize at 150 degrees Celsius for 20 to 30 minutes.

Step-by-step instructions - How to prick out correctly

After the preparatory work, the separation of your cactus seedlings is very easy. How to do it right:

• Fill the dish 4 cm high with the cooled substrate
• Smooth out the soil and use a match to pre-drill small planting holes
• Lift each seedling out of the seed pot and place in the small pit
• Press down the substrate with a stick or a match for a good connection to the ground

Spray the earth a little with soft water. For 3 to 4 weeks, the stressed young cacti gather fresh strength in the partially shaded, warm window seat. In the following time they take a sunny position and get the same at a diameter of 3 cm care, like adult cacti.

Cacti that are pricked out too early lack the courage to face life

As practical experience shows, cactus seedlings are stable enough to prick out after 9 to 12 months at the earliest. Since the young plants prefer to thrive in company, it is not a problem if they stand head-to-head for a while. Occasionally too early, failure rates of more than 60 percent are not uncommon.