Golden Barrel Cactus: Enhancing The Desert Landscape Of Your Home
Golden Barrel Cactus: Enhancing The Desert Landscape Of Your Home
When it comes to desert landscapes, the golden barrel cactus is a favorite mainstay. A lot of people prefer to use this type of plant because they are beautiful and easy to grow. If you are planning to enhance the desert landscape of your home, consider planting the golden barrel cactus.
Planting Your Golden Barrel Cactus
Planting the golden barrel cactus from seeds is your best option if you want to cultivate this type of plant. Yes, there are many plant shops that are selling fully grown golden barrel cactus but they are often very expensive. If you are not prepared to shell out a lot of money for your plants, you better grow them from seeds. Besides, growing your own plants can be quite pleasurable so do not deprive yourself of the joy of growing something out of a tiny little seed.
Finding good golden cactus seeds is not really a problem. There are plenty of plant nurseries that are selling golden cactus seeds. On the other hand, if you already have a golden cactus, you can already produce your own seeds. The seeds of this type of plant can be found on its fruit which is under the flower. Note that mature golden barrel cactus plants bear yellow flowers. After the flower has died off, gather the pods of the flower just before they start to dry off. To gather the pods, just twist the pods slightly to expose the fiber on the plant. The seeds are inside the pods so use a knife or a razor to open the pods and expose the seeds. Slice the pods carefully and evenly.
Once the seeds are exposed, gently scrape off the seeds from the pods and then soak the seeds in water overnight. The seeds of the cactus as very tiny so will need to use a syringe to suck the seeds off the water later on. After sucking the seeds with a syringe, use the syringe to distribute the seeds into the germination trays. Place the germination trays under the sun. Take care to maintain the right amount of moisture in the soil while the seeds germinate. In most cases, it will take about 4 to 6 weeks for the seeds to start sprouting.
Transferring Your Seedlings
Transferring your cactus seedlings from the germination tray can be a bit tricky, so be very careful. To protect your hands and your seedlings, use a pair of tweezers to lift the seedlings from the germination tray. Place the seedlings in pots filled with soil and let them grow from there.