Advise on growing Opuntia seedlings on please

I have two Opuntia Santa Rita seedlings that germinated in May and am undecided if they should be potted on or just left until next summer.

The current pot is a shallow "nursery" pot for cuttings etc and the gritty compost dries out very quickly. Usually I like to keep cactus seedlings a bit damp-ish in their first summer so am considering potting these on now.

However, if the root system is minimal, that could just disturb them. The baby leaves are just starting to wither and the body is growing quite nicely.

I have never had Opuntia seedlings before and would appreciate advice.

 

Not grown them for years, but well done, some take ages to germinate.

Id leave them alone for year one, the rest basically depends on how fast they grow.

Keep them a bit shaded and if they turn brown they are getting too much sunlight.

 

There see, everyone is different and I'd pot them on now. They can be a rude word to pot on when they're bigger especially as the spines develop the customary barbs

 

Thank you- it's 1-1 at the moment

Yes they took ages to germinate, I think I sowed them in January. Apparently Santa Rita is hardy so that's the plan for the future if they survive past childhood. Cacti can be a bit tricky until they establish so with just two seedlings I try to be careful.

To pot or not to pot?

 

All I can say is, if you are afraid of spines you shouldn't be growing cacti.

Ages to germinate?
I've known them take 2 yrs.

 

I have realised that... this little ray of sunshine (Dragonfruit from shop bought fruit seeds) had to wait over the pandemic to get re-potted because I didn't take the bus so had no free Metro newspapers.

It takes about three newspapers, wrapped around the beast and then swift pulling and plopping it into the new pot, filling up the sides with a long spoon. Barbeque tongs are also useful. The trouble starts when one realises that the newly potted beauty needs to be showered to clear the mess. Newspapers don't work that well in shower.

In hindsight, placing the plant somewhere else than in front of bathroom window that needs to be opened daily would probably have been a good idea.

 

I grew one of those dragon fruit seeds, yours looks fairly compact, mine trailed all around the conservatory gripping the walls as it went.
Must have had it 5 yrs and it never flowered so I got my conservatory back.

 

If you want a few pads of hardy Opuntia I could send you some.

 

Thank you @pete , that's awfully kind

I'm desperately trying not to grow Opuntias (apart from a Microdacys for nostalgic reasons, I had one when I was a child, a Tuna because it was forced upon me in a Ikea 3-pack and the Santa Ritas for my future plans) because Opuntias tend to get big and straggly and vicious.

 

Hi @Selleri , Hope you do not mind me adding to your post but was about to ask a similar question about some mixed seeds sown a few months ago and if we should attempt to pot them on now or let them get a bit bigger ?
For scale the pot is about 60mm diameter.

Looks to be about 4 different types, not sure if thats a good germnation ratio for a packet of mixed seeds ?

 

Well I would leave well alone Ricky, they look slightly brown, so just a little more shade would green them up.
They stop growing when brown.

 

Thanks @pete , had no idea that colour meant it was too bright for them.

 

They are not really brown but could be a little bit greener.