Germination trial of 5 different Mammillaria species

Hi there,
I have been carrying out experiments to try find the optimum germination of 5 Mammillaria species: M. discolor, M. puberula, M. carnea, M. duranigocola and M. auriespina (I have found synonyms stating it M. rekoi 'auriespina is this correct ?). It has been hard trying to find a sufficient amount of information on some of these plants and i was wondering if any body could provide me with more? Full reference will be made within my work for any contribuation.

Apologies for any mistakes made, I have not received any specific teachings on cacti and have been self taught, any help in corrections would be appreciated .

I am curious to see if any body has had experience with growing these plants previously? . My experiments are being run using filter paper and agar media rather than a soil based medium.

Best wishes Alec Warren

Hi Alec,

Yes you're correct in saying M. rekoi ssp. aureispina.
M.discolor and M. carnea are also correct.
M.puberula is synonym of M. crinita ssp crinita.
Lastly, M.durangicola, as it should be spelt, is a
synonym of M. grusonii.

As regards to seed raising these specific species, I
have no personal experience of these plants. But have
raised other Mammillaria from seed. I find that the
best temperature to raise them would be around the
20c or below, but above 15c. Any higher or lower
temps. will lead to irregular germination. Once the
seed has germinated it is essential to keep them out
of heavy sun. Which turns them red and stops them growing.
If you're raising your seeds in a propagator with controlled
heat all year round, you must make sure they have plenty
of light in winter. Maybe using artificial light in the form
of light tubes. Also keep them damp. If, like me,
raising the seedlings in a greenhouse with a temp. below
15c then its best to keep them almost dry.

Hope this helps you .

Regards Derek.

Hello, Alec

Might be worth checking "Semeurs de Cactus", a web site where amateurs log their cacti sowing trials. It's in french but it's well worth a visit.

Thank you Derek, this really helps. I have amended the nomenclature and have taken on board your information

Thank you Z for that link, I have signed up for this site and hope to post my own results on here

Regards Alec