Episode 210: sowalong 2022 - cacti and succulent seeds
Cactus seedlings. Photograph: Ian Thwaites.
Transcript
Episode 210
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Jane: Welcome to On The Ledge podcast! I'm SOW pleased to have you with me! See what I did there!? #OTLsowalong! Today is the launch of the On The Ledge sowalong 2022, so I'm going to explain why I want you all to be sowing houseplant seeds, how you can take part and I'll be talking to Ian Thwaites about sowing cacti and succulent seeds and getting all his top tips. Plus, I answer a question about a companion plant for a Monstera and we hear from listener Craig.
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Jane: Well, it's been quite a week listeners. I have managed to hurt myself ice skating. I fell twice on my coccyx, so I'm now sitting on the folded up dog's bed bringing you this show because it's a little bit uncomfortable right now, but hey, I'm alive! I'm okay! You can't wrap yourself up in cotton wool. Things happen when you're trying to have some fun. I don't think I'm going to be competing in the Winter Olympics any time soon!
Thank you to Kai Noah, who is from Hawaii and has become a Ledge-end this week. I know I bang on about Patreon a lot, but the reason why I do it is because it really is vital for me keeping this show going. You may or may not be a Patreon subscriber, but let me tell you, if it wasn't for those people who have loved the show enough to get signed up on Patreon, then this wouldn't be happening! You would not be hearing me right now. So if you can spare a dollar a month - how much is that? A very small amount of money - then it would make a huge difference. So if you can, please do check out the show notes and all the information is there on how to become a Patreon subscriber.
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Jane: A couple of notes about today's interview, if you're new to the show and/or you are in anywhere other than the UK, just a note that you may find us talking about compost in terms of seed-sowing substrates. Here in the UK, compost has a couple of meanings. It means both the rotting pile of organic matter in your garden and it also means substrates and potting mixes that you use on your plants. So if you hear the word compost, don't worry, we're not talking about going into your compost heap and grabbing a load of stuff for your plants to be potted into. You can do that actually, that is possible, we can get onto that in another episode. Yes, compost-double-meaning here in the UK! I know some people find that confusing, so just pointing that out before we get started.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. What is this On The Ledge sowalong business? If you're new to the show, you may not know what the heck I'm talking about. Well, seasoned listeners will be able to tell you that every year, around this time, February/March, I start exhorting listeners to go and sow some seeds. It really can be any kind of seed that can grow permanently in your house. Sometimes people do post about, I don't know, French beans that they're planting, but what we're really talking about is things that will stay permanently indoors throughout their growing cycle, as opposed to being outdoors once they've germinated and been pricked out. So anything that grows indoors is up for grabs here.
What things are popular with listeners? Well, there's a big long list but I'll give you a few just to whet your whistle. Mimosa pudica, the Sensitive Plant, is always really, really popular. Lots of people sow Monstera deliciosa seeds because they are fairly widely available and kind of fun. Cacti and succulents, as we will discover in today's interview, are extremely popular and they're great because they really are quite low maintenance. You don't need to take them out of the pot they're sown into for at least a year, so if you're short of space, that's really quite handy. I love to grow Gesneriads from seed, so that's things like Episcias, I've grown those very successfully, some seed Syningias, African Violets and so on. Sometimes people choose to grow things, like indoor chillies and microgreens and other edibles and that's absolutely fine. Another popular one is Coleus, aka Selenostemon. And what's so good about growing from seed when you can go out and buy full grown plants for not very much money, unless they happen to be something classed as rare? Well, there's a number of reasons to get into sowing seeds of houseplants. I think the main reason is that you end up with a lot of plants to play with, which means you can give plants away to friends and family, you can sell plants if you feel so inclined, you also get a really good selection of seedlings to play with. What's worth remembering, is that when you propagate something vegetatively, so in other words you take a cutting of a plant that you've got, that new plant will be genetically identical to the parent. However, when you get into sexual reproduction, in other words when you're sowing seed that are the result of a flower being pollinated and turning into a seed pod, the seedlings that result are genetically diverse, they're not exactly the same as the parent. So that brings up interesting traits which you may want to exploit and pick out certain plants to bring on. It's great fun.
You do need some basic equipment, but it's pretty cheap and easy to get into sowing. You don't need to sow hundreds of packets, it could just be one single packet. Do go and check out the show notes where I'll link to all the previous episodes of the sowalong, so you can catch up on all kinds of content including how to grow ferns from spores, general advice on seed sowing, how to source your seed and so on - all great stuff if this is a topic that you want to dive into.
So how do you get involved? Well, now is the time to start gathering your seed. I would say the next couple of months if you're in the northern hemisphere are a great time to be sowing, so it's a great time. Do your research, source your seeds, get your seeds and get ready for planting in the next few weeks. All you need to do then is make sure you're posting your #OTLsowalong activities on social media or you can drop me a line: ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com Send me your pictures, thoughts, questions and I will include those in a future On The Ledge sowalong episode.
If you're in the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge Facebook group, there's always loads of On The Ledge sowalong activity. Do remember to add the sowalong topic to your post which makes them easier to find for everybody and it's lovely to see what people are up to. I try to share as much of that in future podcasts as I can. I love to hear back from people who've sowed things in previous years and now have a beautiful lovely plant that they want to show off. So if that's you, you're a dedicated listener over a number of years and you've been taking part in the sowalong, please have a little flex and show me your wonderful seed grown plants.
That's the basics, now let's dive into the world of growing cacti and succulents from seed - one of my favourite things to grow as part of the OTL sowalong. My guest this week, Ian Thwaites, is a plant and garden photographer, lifelong plantsman, with a particular fascination for cacti and succulents and the past president of the British Cactus and Succulent Society. So who better to ask about getting started with sowing our spiny friends?
Jane: Ian, it sounds like you're most excellently placed to discuss this issue and I wanted to talk to you because so many listeners do love to try out cactus and succulent seed. It's one of the most popular things that they want to try, but I think it's one of those subjects where a little bit of knowledge goes a long way in saving problems happening from the start. Why do you like growing cacti and succulents from seed?
Ian: When you grow plants from seed, you know that every one will be just slightly different. Most plants, when you grow them from seed... I'm growing a batch of seedlings at the moment, cacti, and every one is just slightly different.
Jane: That's a really good point. If you've got an awful lot of seedlings of one particular species, do you sometimes, sort of, think, "Oh, I'm going to select these particular ones" that have got a particular colouration or pattern that you like?
Ian: Yes, I go through the tray of seedlings and I will take out probably the extremes which I quite like because I'm a strange person, so I like strange plants! I like tightly-spined plants, so the ones that are growing slightly tighter I will tend to take out and keep for myself. Then the beauty is, you've got some plants and you can just give them away and your friends can enjoy them too!
Jane: Yes, that is a really lovely thing. You do get a lot of plants to play with and you can have a lot of fun with them. We'll get on to pricking out and when to prick out and all that as we go along, but I guess the first thing is where are you getting this seed from? I guess the most common way is people just going to the garden centre and getting one of those mixed cacti seed packets that all the big companies seem to do these days, but I imagine there's some more specialist sources?
Ian: There are some specialist sources for cacti. Unfortunately, Brexit does mean that it's more difficult to get seeds from some of the specialist suppliers now, in Europe, where most of them live. You can get a reasonable selection of seed from... Some of the nurserymen that go around to the RHS shows, you can join any of the cactus and succulent societies or specialist societies and they usually give members free seeds. They also have a seed list each year, so you can choose seeds of things that you'd like to grow. But, and generally, that gets thrown away. So if you know a cactus and succulent grower and you say you would like some seed, I guarantee they will be able to find you some.
Jane: That's a good tip, that's a very good tip. I do love the seed schemes because, generally speaking, you're getting high quality seed for... I think the British Cactus and Succulent Society packets have now gone up to 50p, they used to be 30p, but 50p is still a bargain. I just love filling out that form at the beginning of the year and then the seeds turning up! It's really, really exciting. As you say, we are somewhat more limited now that we can't necessarily buy from Europe, but it's good to support the plant societies we have and that's a great way of doing it. If you do use one of those mixed packs, I guess the problem is you don't quite know what you're getting, but then you might get something really interesting, but I imagine they're probably drawing those mixed packs that you get from Thompson and Morgan and so on, from a very bog standard selection of cacti that you might not necessarily get anything that exciting.
Ian: Indeed, mostly in the mixed seeds that you get from the garden centres, there will be primarily the tall Cereii because their fruits grow lots and lots of seeds, and there'll be less of the globular plants which are easier to flower. It's good experience to grow the plants. Yes, they're a good starting place, but go and get some free seeds from a cactus and succulent grower and they'll have free seeds and you can practice and perfect your technique and also get some really nice, interesting plants.
Jane: Do cactus and succulent seeds really vary in terms of size, shape, colour etc? I'm always thinking they're dust-like, but are there any ones that have particularly dramatic seed, or are they all pretty much of a muchness?
Ian: Cacti and succulents, they range from reasonably big seeds, sort of pip-size from some of the cacti, down to dust. Most of them are the top-of-a-pin-size, just little round seeds that you would expect from most plants if you go into the vegetable patch, things that you can see, you can actually place them easily with your hand. When you're starting off, you can get seeds from plants like Astrophytums and lots of the cacti and succulents that people grow, they produce copious amounts of seed and when you take the dead flowers off you'll take the seed pods off with it.
Jane: Presumably that's just a useful thing for the plant because, in the wild, very little of that seed will find a fertile place to actually germinate?
Ian: It would just sit, very often. Some of the plants have become very, very endangered, but the scientists are just waiting for a good rainfall because there's a good seed bank in the earth just waiting for the right conditions to arrive.
Jane: It's amazing that those seeds are able to just sit dormant for so long. The cleverness of the plant world is amazing. I was doing some research on Lithops for my book and finding out about Lithops seed and the amazing ways that they preserve themselves and then as soon as there's moisture the seed pods open up and release the seed. It's just really fascinating how these plants have evolved to be adapted to dry climates. I think this is one of the great things about seed sowing, is you get to experience how amazing these plants are right from the very moment of germination, which is very exciting.
Ian: Oh indeed. It's great fun and it's unbelievable you can have a packet in your drawer, or wherever you keep it, for a year and you put it in some compost and water it and suddenly, within days, it grows. It's absolutely amazing!
Jane: Let's just talk about the equipment that we might need to get ourselves before we begin. Do cactus and succulent growers have any preference in terms of seed trays or pots or labels? What's the usual sort of setup you need to get going?
Ian: I think it's fairly simple. I'm a great believer in not complicating things. I actually sow all my seeds in small, two and three quarter-inch, or three inch pots, depending on how many seeds I've got. What you need is a well-drained compost, a flower pot and a polythene bag. They are the essentials. Oh, and a label is equally as important.
Jane: I've struggled with labels. I've got some cacti that I have grown myself from seed. Do I know what they are? I know roughly what they are, but do I know exactly what they are? No, because my labelling is so poor! I just never find labels that stay in the pot, or they fade. I don't know if there's a foolproof method, but I'm a terrible labeller, Ian!
Ian: I used to be. I'm better now because I've bought myself a label printer.
Jane: Ah, now! This is great because I really want to get to the bottom of this. I was looking at those online and I got very confused. Which one do you have and would you recommend it?
Ian: That's interesting. It's a Brother [PT-P700] something or other, but I will have to Google that for you.
Jane: You're happy with it and it works well and it's transformed your labelling, presumably?
Ian: It has because I can sit at a computer, Google the plant names and put them all in.
Jane: Then it just prints out and away you go, you've got beautifully correct labels and you don't have to read your own handwriting, which in my case is next to impossible!
Ian: Yes, indeed. It's a Brother printer I've got and it just plugs into the USB port of my computers and it just works perfectly. It just does everything it says on the tin.
Jane: Oh, that sounds amazing!
Ian: You peel it off and you stick it onto the label, it stays there and it doesn't fade and it doesn't get washed off. It's just wonderful.
Jane: Just going back to the pot, we're talking about something relatively shallow, or does it not really matter?
Ian: I don't think it matters too much. A general flower pot. It doesn't want to be particularly deep because the seedlings won't have very deep roots. I use primarily the square pots because they fit together quite nicely. My process is very simple. I get some compost, and whatever your favourite compost is, that's fine, but you need to add a drainage material, like grit, or perlite, or Seramis, or anything that's going to open the compost up. A little trick is to sterilise your compost before you sow it to stop any algae and mosses growing on top. There's lots of strange ways you do this. I dampen the compost down, put it into a glass bowl and put it in the microwave for ten minutes.
Jane: Yes, I've heard lots of people recommending that. Very easy. I guess with cacti and succulents, in a way, that's even more essential than usual in that they're going to be staying in that pot for quite some time. It's not like a tomato, where you're going to be pricking it out quite shortly.
Ian: No, they'll stay in that pot for one to two years, so that's the general length of time, particularly the cacti. Some of the faster ground succulents you may prick out a little bit sooner.
Jane: So when you're talking about adding drainage material, are we talking about what I'd consider you'd do for adult cacti, so, say, something like two-to-one compost to drainage?
Ian: Yes, two-to-one, fifty/fifty, something like that. I use about two-to-one as you say. That's fairly good for me. Then I get just a little scattering of grit on the top, not a lot, not so it's fully covered, and then I sow my seeds on top of that. The reason for that is that that grit, the seeds will wash down the side of the grit and there's something there to protect the seed when it's starting to germinate.
Jane: Generally speaking, do you not then bother to cover any further once you've sown them because they're going to get nestled in amongst the grit?
Ian: No, you don't cover them because one of the things that certainly cacti, most of the succulent seeds, need is light, moisture and warmth. So you don't want to bury the seeds. They like to sit just on top. By putting a little bit of grit there, if you sprinkle the seed on top of that or place it there, I then have a little hand sprayer and I spray on the top and it just washes the seeds into the little crevices.
Jane: Should you be starting out with a substrate that's bone dry or should you make sure that it's pretty moist before you start?
Ian: I do it the other way. I spray them to start with to wash the seeds into the crevices and push them down onto the top of the compost and I then stand the pot in water and let it become wet. Once I've sprayed the pots with the seeds, I then put them into a seed tray with water, let the pot become fully saturated, I take them out of there and leave them to drain for five minutes, so it's not fully saturated but it's a good damp compost. At that point I put them into a little polythene bag and then I put them either on the windowsill, where they're going to get warmish, or into a propagator and let nature do its job. They need to be in the light but not very, very direct, fierce sun.
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Jane: More from Ian shortly but now it's time for Question of the Week. This comes from Sophie and concerns a Monstera. I think it's probably a Monstera deliciosa although Sophie doesn't say. Sophie has been gifted a "large and unruly" Monstera, her words not mine, by a cousin who's moving to Australia. Sophie says that it has lots of long stems and needs repotting and staking and the plan is to use an obelisk pot trellis, but Sophie is wondering whether there are some companion plants that could go in the bottom of the pot because it's quite wide at the base to accommodate that kind of structure. So what could we put as a companion plant for a Monstera? The pot itself is going in a cool northeast bedroom near a large window and Sophie wants something that isn't going to climb up the trellis and she's not a big fan of the Peace Lily. Well, that doesn't narrow it down too much, Sophie. I think you've still got a number of options.
One thing you could definitely try would be some Oxalis triangularis the False Shamrock in any of its colour combinations - either the purple one, or one of the plain green ones, or there are some with silvery markings on those shamrock-shaped leaves - are rather good because they can withstand drought conditions. They will die back but they will come back quite happily when they get water again. They won't climb up on anything, they'll be fine in a cool bedroom as long as they're getting plenty of light which it sounds as if they will be. They won't really compete with the Monstera because their root systems are quite shallow and they grow from these rhizomes and that's how they're able to withstand periods of drought if you're not watering your Monstera so much in the winter. The only downside is that you might be left with a bare pot at some times of year if your Oxalis do go dormant.
Sophie does mention ferns in the email. I would say that that may not work out well. Most ferns are going to require a more even moisture than the Monstera will. The only one I can possibly see doing well would be the Hare's Foot Fern, Humata tyermanii,which, certainly in my experience, doesn't seem to mind drying out from time to time. It has these hairy rhizomes that creep along the surface of the soil and come down the side of the pot, they look a bit like tarantula legs, so if you have a spider phobia probably not the best choice but, in terms of ferns, that's the only fern that I would possibly consider for this role. There are lots of things that don't work for different reasons but one of the things that occurred to me as being a possibility was Spider Plants because they're so incredibly tough. They will cascade over the side of the pot and look attractive, they won't be bothered by fluctuating levels of moisture and I think they would do all right. I think the only risk with that is that you end up with them outgrowing the space but really Monstera deliciosa is pretty darn vigorous, so hopefully that wouldn't happen, but that is one thing to consider. You could either go for a variegated Spider Plant, or the plain green ones if you preferred. I think that could look quite nice.
One other suggestion, you could try String of Hearts, Ceropegia woodii. This may sound like an odd suggestion, but bear in mind that in nature Ceropegia woodii is not something that grows like a string hanging down in a perfectly vertical line. No, it's something that scrambles across rocky ground putting those tiny aerial tubers into the ground where it can and rooting. So you can grow it as a mat and this could work well if you had enough of it at the bottom of your Monstera pot, you could have it growing as a mat coming down the sides. You'd need to do quite a lot of propagation before you got going, but I think it could work quite well.
My final suggestion; Asparagus Ferns. I think this could look quite cool. You could get some Asparagus Ferns, like Asparagus plumosus and you could have that trailing over the side. They are a bit messy, they do drop their leaves if they get erratically watered, so there might be a downside to that. I think it would be a question of experimenting and seeing if that would work. You could do a belt and braces approach where you try putting a few different things in together to see which one works. You'll probably find that something will out compete the other, so if you put in Spider Plants and Asparagus Ferns, one will probably start to dominate and, personally, I think that it looks much more impactful when you have just a single species around the base but I think experimentation is key, as I always say. So have a go, Sophie. See what transpires and let us know how you get on. If you've got a question for On The Ledge drop me a line: ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com and now back to #OTLsowalong chat and we're getting onto the subject of propagators.
Jane: Do you find that if you use a propagator, it speeds things up at all?
Ian: I think the propagator does help, but what cacti actually like is the rise and fall of the temperature between the day and night. So if you have a propagator, one of the cheaper propagators where it just warms things up, at night it's going to cool down, during the day it's going to warm up because of the sunlight that's filtering through into it, so it actually gives them nice up and down temperature spikes and that is really quite beneficial to germination.
Jane: That's interesting, yes, that's a really good point. Of course, that's what they're experiencing in nature. That makes perfect sense. What is the germination time scale? Does it vary considerably, are there some things that could be sitting there for months before you see any action?
Ian: There are a few which can take a long, long time to germinate. Most of them will germinate within a week and you'll see little tiny green blobs. What I'd recommend is you leave them in your propagator, if you've got the space in your propagator or wherever you're growing them in the bags, leave them in there for a year. After a year you'll get nice little, very small plants which you can then prick out.
Jane: Do you water in the same way? Just the misting on the top once they're actually germinated or do you bottom water?
Ian: I don't water them at all because they're in the bag, it's a sealed unit so they just constantly have everything they need in there.
Jane: When it comes to the water that you're using, usually with my houseplants I like to give them rain water but I suppose this is an exception, it's much better to give them water that's coming out of the tap and therefore free of any potential bacteria or anything like that?
Ian: Yes, I tend to use tap water primarily because, as you say, it's not contaminated with algae, spores and whatever else gets into my water butts.
Jane: Is hygiene generally important in terms of making sure that maybe the pots and the trays that you're using have been washed in hot soapy water? Sometimes I'm lax with this and then sometimes I get really paranoid.
Ian: I think you're right. I think it's good practice to have a nice clean label, new label and a clean flower pot. So if it's not a new pot, give it a good scrub and wash and dry. A friend of mine did give me a tip and then he changed his mind after his wife caught him because he used to use a dishwasher to clean all his pots.
Jane: Do you know what? I remember Alys Fowler saying to me that she did that and I remember being quite horrified, thinking "Gosh!". My dishwasher is almost always on anyway, so I probably wouldn't be able to fit the pots in there, but they would come out nice and sparkling clean, I guess!
Ian: They would, wouldn't they? Yes.
Jane: I can kind of see the benefit. You've got to take the joy in doing it. I was doing it the other day and I was thinking, "You could go to some mindfulness class and pay a fortune for this activity!" and actually, you're getting it free by the medium of washing some pots!
Ian: Indeed!
Jane: Having just had an outbreak of root mealybug, I'm also thinking to myself I need to be really on the ball with hygiene because I dread to think how many root mealybug eggs are lurking in things that have been sitting around in my shed for a while. I'm being extra careful with that at the moment.
Ian: That's a very valid point because if you look down on the inside of a pot of a plant when you've repotted it, that's had root mealybug, you will see the residue of the mealy bug around the side of the pot.
Jane: Yes, it's a horrendous thing. I'm traumatized, I can tell you, Ian, but there we go! I'm actually glad that it was a Gasteraloe, quite an old one, it had lots of pups. So I've removed the pups and I asked people on Instagram whether I should dump the parent plant, which was really rootbound and I was just thinking, "This is way too much work!", or whether I should try to rehab it. It has ended up on the compost heap. I have saved the pups because cleaning those off was a lot more straightforward. The parent plant has ended up on the compost, although given how mild it is right now, at the moment it looks exactly the same, it's quite happy sitting on the top of the compost heap!
Ian: I'll give you another option?
Jane: Okay.
Ian: Why don't you just cut the roots off and root the cutting again?
Jane: I was thinking that, yes. It's a good 30 centimetres across. It's a really big, chunky Gasteraloe hybrid and I was wondering whether it would actually root, but maybe I should retrieve it and get a pruning saw to those roots and see whether it would root again, do you think it would?
Ian: I think there's a good chance that it would, yes.
Jane: Alright. I shall retrieve it!
Ian: But should I say that you've now got a big space to fill with something new?
Jane: Well, this is why I need to sow some seeds. I haven't actually got my Cactus and Succulent Society order to hand, but I have ordered various things. I have to say, Ian, what I normally do is I normally just look at all the names and start to Google things and then I just choose the ones with the coolest names.
Ian: That's what I do!
Jane: I will always know it's, I don't know, Mammillaria genus or Echinofossulocactus genus, but I probably won't know what the species looks like, but it's great fun. It's a great way of ending up with some interesting plants. Is now too early, or should we be getting ready to sow?
Ian: I think probably next month is the perfect time. You can put them into a propagator on a nice bright windowsill in a conservatory and you'll have to lift the temperatures during the day. It will go down to - if you've got it in a propagator - minimum of ten at night and that's absolutely perfect. You'll get really good germination and then leave them in the bag until you think they're big enough to prick out. So there are some cacti which you leave them in the bag for two, maybe three years because they are so slow-growing, but most of them, after a year, they'll be ready to prick out and you can move them on.
Jane: So when you're doing that pricking-out process, obviously they're small and have a root system that's fairly new. What's the best way of handling them? Are there any tips and tricks to getting them pricked out safely? My instinct would be to use something like an old label or something to prise them out. Is there anything you would do?
Ian: Yes. I usually use just something small, an old label or a pencil, pencil seems to be my favourite tool, usually. I've seen a really interesting thing from the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens: when they prick them out, they cut the roots off!
Jane: Oh, wow!
Ian: They say there's no point in worrying about breaking the roots, just cut them off and they'll reroot and grow again. I don't do that. I take them out, get as much of the root out as possible and then make a little hole, pop them in that hole and just gently firm the compost around them, not push it down, but just firm it so that the roots are in contact with the compost.
Jane: Should they be going into individual pots at this stage and, if so, how big?
Ian: No. I usually put them into seed trays. It's like nature. It's a wide expanse. You can water it and they'll dry out fairly quickly. The big thing is, when you prick out, don't water them for a couple of days after you prick them out. It stops the compost getting wet and introducing any fungal spores into any injuries on the roots. So just give them a couple of days and then you'll be fine.
Jane: How long can you expect to wait for a mature plant?
Ian: It depends what you grow. Some cacti grow faster than others. It also depends on how much you water and you feed them because traditional cactus growers are fairly bad horticulturalists compared to the nurserymen that grow the plants in Europe, where they keep the compost constantly moist and feed and they can grow a good plant in a year or two. We tend to be a little bit slower in this country, but I think that's part of the fun. You get a small plant. If you grow things like Rebutias and Mammillarias,most of them you'll get to flower in their second, probably third, year. It's definitely something to enjoy.
Jane: Happy growing season! I hope you get some good germination next month and thanks very much for all your wisdom.
Ian: It's my pleasure. Anyone that talks plants to me, I'm happy!
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Jane: Now it's time for Meet the Listener.
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Craig: Hi Jane, my name is Craig, otherwise known as ScottishPlantDad on Instagram. I'm from Sterling in Scotland. It can be a pretty challenging environment in winter here, as our daylight hours vanish and the temperatures just drop. It is, however, a stunning part of the world and I would definitely recommend it to anyone, even though I am a little biased.
Jane: When did you get into houseplants and why?
Craig: I got into houseplants at the start of the first lockdown, early in 2020, here in the UK. It started at about three plants and quickly that escalated from there to the current 101 plants that's in the collection today. I absolutely love the joy it brings to my life and it is the perfect mindful activity for me just to chill out after a long day at work.
Jane: What's the latest addition to your houseplant collection?
Craig: The latest addition to my collection is a rather big boy; an Anthurium regale. The largest leaf is about 40 cm to 45 cm long and it just takes my breath away. It does like slightly higher humidity, to about 70%, but it is definitely worth it if you can get your hands on one
Jane: Complete the sentence: "I love my houseplants because..."
Craig: I love my houseplants because they were an absolute godsend to me in lockdown one. It filled my year with joy and it taught me to appreciate the little things in life, not to mention being immersed in plant learning has taught me so much and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Jane: Who is your houseplant hero?
Craig: My houseplant hero has to be Summer Rayne Oakes. Her YouTube videos are the perfect chilled viewing for me. What is better than getting a tour around someone else's collection and learning more about sustainability?
Jane: Name your plantagonist; the plant you simply cannot get along with!
Craig: My plantagonist has to be Monstera adansonii. No matter what I try with this plant, it just will not be happy in my growing conditions. I've tried pretty much everything and my rule is if three plants fail, then I definitely can't get another one of them! Thanks for having me, Jane, and keep up the good work!
[music]
J**ane**: Thank you, Craig! And if you want to take part in Meet the Listener, drop a line to ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com and my trusty assistant, Kelly, will be on hand to send you instructions on how. I'll be putting up An Extra Leaf episode for Patreon subscribers at the Ledge-end and Superfan level in the next few days, that's going to include an extra chunk of chat with Ian where we talk about grafting very, very young cactus seedlings and also you get to join me for the sowing of my first cactus seeds of the year, so watch out for that, An Extra Leaf 86, coming out in the next few days if you're a Patreon subscriber at those two higher levels.
If you're wondering what that label printer was, it's the Brother PT-P700 label printer. I've just bought myself one, actually, because it looked ideal! I'll put a link to it in the show notes and I'll let you know how I get on with it. That's the one that Ian uses and the one that I'm going to try. Now, I do say this every week but I have had listeners say, "Oh, I've never looked at your show notes before and they're so useful!" so please do go and look at the show notes for all that good stuff that you'll find there at janeperrone.com
[music]
Jane: That's all for this week's show. I'll be back next Friday. Don't forget to share all of your On The Ledge sowalong activities with me. I'm keen to hear from you and I will be updating in a future episode on how everyone's getting on. In the meantime, have a fabulous week because you deserve it! Bye!
[music]
Jane: The music you heard in this episode was Roll Jordan Roll, by The Joy Drops, The Road We Used To Travel When We Were Kids, by Komiku, Chiefs, by Jahzzar and Ice Cold, by Jason Shaw. All tracks are licensed under Creative Commons. See the show notes for details.
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I launch the On The Ledge sowalong 2022 and talk to cacti and succulent expert Ian Thwaites about sowing cacti and succulents from seed; plus the Q&A talks about a companion plant for a Monstera, and we hear from Craig (aka @scottishplantdad on Insta) in Meet the Listener.
This week’s guest
Ian Thwaites is a botanical photographer, lifelong plantsman with a specialism is cacti and succulents, and past chairman of the British Cactus and Succulent Society. Check out his website.
An introduction to the On The Ledge sowalong
When I started this podcast way back in February 2017, I knew from the start I wanted to encourage people to grow houseplants from seed. It’s cheap, it’s fun and you learn lots about plants by starting them from scratch. Since 2018, hundreds of listeners have joined in, sowing everything from cacti to coleus.
The rules are few: grow something from seed that will spend its whole life cycle indoors, and you qualify! I encourage listeners to share what they are up to using the hashtag #OTLsowalong on social media: you can also comment below or drop an email to ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com.
Want to catch up with previous OTLsowalong episodes, covering everything from here to source seed to growing ferns from spores? All the sowalong episodes are listed here.
Check out the notes below as you listen…
One of the advantages of growing from seed is genetic diversity: seedlings are genetically different from the parent plant, so some will display desirable trends. You end up with loads of plants, too, so you can keep your favourites and give away, swap or sell the rest.
Plant societies’ seed schemes are an excellent way to get hold of seeds: in the case of cacti and succulents, if you know any serious growers they often have spare seed they will be happy to give away.
If you buy a mixed pack of cacti seed from a big name seed company, these are usually mainly Cereus-type columnar cacti as they produce the most seed.
Most cactus and succulent seed is pip-sized or smaller: some are dust-like.
To get started, all you need is a clean pot, some substrate, a label and a clear plastic bag.
In terms of substrate, use your normal houseplant potting mix or cactus mix, cut with drainage material such as perlite to a ratio of either 2:1 or 1:1. You can sterilise it by dampening it and placing it in a covered bowl in the microwave for around ten minutes.
Use tap water rather than rainwater, which can introduce algae, bacteria or other undesirable issues to your propagations.
The label printer Ian uses is the Brother PT-P700 - I just bought myself one so will let you know how I get on!
Ian scatters a thin layer of grit onto the top of the substrate in the pot, then sow seeds onto that, misting to wash them down in among the grit. That way they are still exposed to light, but can germinate in contact with the substrate.
Once the seeds are sown, Ian stands the pot in water until the substrate is full saturated. Drain for five minutes, then place in a clear plastic bag on a warm windowsill or into a propagator. The spot should be light but not being bombarded by direct sun.
Cacti and succulent seeds/seedlings like a temperature difference between night and day: cooler at night, warmer in the daytime.
Keep the pots of seedlings in the bag for up to a year until it is time to prick them out once they have reached a decent size.
Hygiene is important when it comes to sowing seed: wash pots and other equipment in hot soapy water then rinse and dry before using.
When pricking out, use a pencil or a label to prise the seedlings out gently and plant them in a seed tray. Don’t water them for a couple of days.
Some cacti such as Rebutias and Mammillarias will flower in their second or third year.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Sophie has been gifted a large Monstera and wants to know what could work as an underplanting in the pot: the stipulations are not a climber, and not a peace lily!
Here are my suggestions:
Oxalis triangularis (falseleaf shamrock) won’t be bothered by a cool room and won’t mind dry spells, although it may go dormant from time to time.
Humata tyermanii, the hare’s foot fern, can tolerate drying out, so this wold be a good option as Sophie likes ferns.
Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant) are extremely tough and will provide a nice contrast to the Monstera leaves.
Ceropegia woodii, string of hearts, could be grown as a mat under the Monstera and is very tough.
Asparagus ferns such as A. plumosus could work. although they can be a bit messy.
Want to ask me a question? Email ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. The more information you can include, the better - pictures of your plant, details of your location and how long you have had the plant are always useful to help solve your issue!
HOW TO SUPPORT ON THE LEDGE
Contributions from On The Ledge listeners help to pay for all the things that have made the show possible over the last few years: equipment, travel expenses, editing, admin support and transcription.
Want to make a one-off donation? You can do that through my ko-fi.com page, or via Paypal.
Want to make a regular donation? Join the On The Ledge community on Patreon! Whether you can only spare a dollar or a pound, or want to make a bigger commitment, there’s something for you: see all the tiers and sign up for Patreon here.
The Crazy Plant Person tier just gives you a warm fuzzy feeling of supporting the show you love.
The Ledge End tier gives you access to two extra episodes a month, known as An Extra Leaf, as well as ad-free versions of the main podcast on weeks where there’s a paid advertising spot, and access to occasional patron-only Zoom sessions.
My Superfan tier earns you a personal greeting from me in the mail including a limited edition postcard, as well as ad-free episodes.
If you like the idea of supporting On The Ledge on a regular basis but don't know what Patreon's all about, check out the FAQ here: if you still have questions, leave a comment or email me - ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. If you're already supporting others via Patreon, just click here to set up your rewards!
If you prefer to support the show in other ways, please do go and rate and review On The Ledge on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen. It's lovely to read your kind comments, and it really helps new listeners to find the show. You can also tweet or post about the show on social media - use #OnTheLedgePodcast so I’ll pick up on it!
CREDITS
This week's show featured the tracks Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops, The Road We Use To Travel When We Were Kids by Komiku, Chiefs by Jahzzar and Namaste by Jason Shaw.