* THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF *

* THE CREATION OF HYBRIDS *

I still use the photos from an article I wrote a few years ago about sowing Epiphyllum oxypetalum seeds.

As already mentioned, spring is the ideal time for sowing.

You can also sow in winter inside the house, under a horticultural tube,

in a room at around 20°C. This saves time.

Harvested seeds should be sown as soon as possible after harvesting.

However, dry seeds can be stored in a small paper bag in a dark place.

They keep their germinative power for at least a year or so.

Sowing carried out in May 2007 in a 12x12x14 cm square pot.

The pot was covered with a transparent measuring cup to increase internal humidity. It is removed as soon as the seeds have fully emerged.

Other sowers sow in freezer bags that are left closed for several months (baggy technique).

The substrate used is the same as for adult plants (1/3 horticultural potting soil, 1/3 heather soil, 1/3 coarse non-limestone sand and perlite).

For seedlings, I increase the proportion of coarse, non-calcareous sand, which is an excellent rooting medium.

The seeds are placed on the substrate and covered with a 1 to 2 mm layer of light-permeable quartz gravel.

I don't disinfect the substrate, but I do add a fungicide to the water to prevent damping-off.

I water from below to avoid disturbing the seeds and later the seedlings.

Other sowers don't use fungicides, but sterilize the substrate with a microwave oven.

Seedlings, 5 days after sowing.

The seeds had just been harvested, and germination and emergence were rapid and excellent.

Seedlings, 1 month after sowing.

The two cotyledons of each seedling are clearly visible, as is the beginning of the central stem, sometimes still covered by the seed coat.

Young plants, 1 year after sowing.

Transplanting several young plants into individual pots.

I omitted this early individual transplanting step for the 'Arturo' Ex Nat. hybrids.

But back to my Ep 'Arturo' Ex Nat seedling. The sowing, done in October 2014, had yielded only 8 seedlings

which I transplanted together on 07/05/2015 into a large 15x15x15 cm square pot.

Here's this pot in 2024. The plants need to be separated.

But before we get to that, let's talk about the flowerings the square pot has given me

from 2015 to now (September 2024)

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