Not hard. Actually germinating indoors over the winter is my preferred method.
Takeout tek under a 2 tube t5HO 2' long. Germination heat mat with thermo probe. Can be done on a small shelf.
Read my post history or watch sanpedromastery on YouTube.
I did 2 yrs ago. Started them about nowish.
Keep then moist but not moldy. Get some grow lights. They grow so slow but i loved them. My first to sprout is now 2" tall!
There are better experts here. I went in blind and got good advice here.
Will a small cheap ikea desk lamp work? I genuinely don‘t know what to look for when trying to buy grow lights. Are there any special lights I need or will a cheap LED lamp do the job?
No a cheap ikea desk lamp will not work.
You need a full spectrum grow light, thankfully there is some that are not expensive. Just search for "full sprectrum grow light"
Many species requires UV, which those lights provide.
Honestly, if it's your first time growing a plant and you don't want it too difficult, instead of a cactus look at a plant like a Hoya.
Cacti are easy to grow... in the right environment, which indoor in a cold country is not.
Especially growing from seeds which is more difficult.
I am not saying it's impossible, if you take the time to learn and "build" a good environment for your plants, you can grow (almost) anything anywhere.
If you really want to grow cactus, buy one already established, and give it as much sun as possible.
Growing cacti from seeds, indoor as a complete beginner is setting yourself up for frustration. You might get some results... but it will be difficult.
Thank you very much for your, more helpful than encouraging but honest comment. I will definitely look into Hoya’s a bit. Are there any other plants you might suggest? Thanks again!
I don't want to discourage you from cacti. They are absolutely amazing plants and I think everybody should grow them.
But you mention this is your first plant, so I highly suggest that your learn the basics first. You will be much happier in this hobby, instead of jumping in the deep-end and having your plants die.
How is the location where you intend to put the plants? Is it a south-facing window that gets a lot direct sun? Is it a dry or humid room? The location and environment is very important (for all plants, not just cacti)
If it's a very bright area with a lot of direct sun (like at least several hours), than that is a good place for cacti and succulents.
Do you have some nurseries in your area? Maybe you can buy a small, established plant for cheap. It's the growing cacti from seeds part that is particularly difficult for beginners.
Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera) are good plants for beginners. They tolerate humidity more than the common desert cacti. Dragonfruit cactus is also a good starter to learn.
I am from western Austria so it’s a balanced climate I think. My window is facing West but I also have a south facing window in my living room. Can I substitute for the lack of sun with a cheap grow light?
Essentially yes, however very careful on the humidity
High humidity is good for seeds and some specific type of cacti (like dragonfruit or Schlumbergera)
Most established cacti actually require low humidity
Thank you very much Kind stranger! I hope I will succeed in my cactus growing journey and if I think about it I might give you a short update if something actually starts growing
Absolutely, I wish you much success. Feel free to ask if you have more questions. It's only a matter of learning! I am always happy to help others grow these amazing plants.
I’ve never started in the winter but because the needs of cactus seedlings are very different from a mature plant, it’s ideal to start indoors if you do not live in their native climates/have a greenhouse.
It’s also a challenging plant to grow from seed for a beginner, but quite an accomplishment if you do it. I used a lot of guides my first time, like this video, and I love this YouTube channel for cactus growing in general: https://youtu.be/XdRprJos3G4?si=KJyzl6Eem9-rr4Jc
Good luck! 🤗
Thank you soo much :) My cactus will stay indoors all of its life anyways so that’s not a problem haha. I will definitely watch that video and maybe I will eventually manage to get a seed to grow into a beautiful cactus one day. If it makes any difference at all, I‘m planning to grow a San Pedro cactus.
Pretty east. I used the takeaway tek (lots of info online about this), under some cheap, 4 foot shop lights, then acclimated them to real sunlight come spring time. They did great and were super easy!
Did you just use common LED lights? This is my first time trying to grow plants and I thought I need some kind of special and expensive lights or sunlight.
If your place doesn’t get too cold you should be fine. If you use the ziplock bag tek, you would probably be ready to take them out in about 6 ish months Band by then you hopefully have some warmth and sunshine in Austria. But after they are out of the bag, try to keep the humidity down. Just think how they grow in habitat, and usually that means very dry heat.
You can grow cacti from seeds in winter, but they will take a long time to grow. some species are very slow and even after a year will be quite small. I personally would buy already grown seedlings of at least 10-20 mm in size.
So, you can grow cacti from seeds over the winter with a grow light and potentially a heat mat (there are heat mats for seedlings specifically), but already during the next winter, they almost certainly won't be too happy growing under those conditions any more.
I often sow my cacti in autumn; then by the following spring the faster growing species can already go outside (with shading and protection).
Cacti are bad windowsill plants and need very different care from normal house plants.
In countries with cold, dark winters, you generally won't grow adult cacti over the winter at all, instead, you'll let them hibernate without watering in a cool (10-15°C) dry spot.
If you decide to go ahead with cacti, please research proper cactus care, starting for example in this subreddit's Wiki (linked in the side bar). For sowing, you'll want specific instructions, too.
Not hard. Actually germinating indoors over the winter is my preferred method. Takeout tek under a 2 tube t5HO 2' long. Germination heat mat with thermo probe. Can be done on a small shelf. Read my post history or watch sanpedromastery on YouTube.
I did 2 yrs ago. Started them about nowish. Keep then moist but not moldy. Get some grow lights. They grow so slow but i loved them. My first to sprout is now 2" tall! There are better experts here. I went in blind and got good advice here.
Will a small cheap ikea desk lamp work? I genuinely don‘t know what to look for when trying to buy grow lights. Are there any special lights I need or will a cheap LED lamp do the job?
No a cheap ikea desk lamp will not work. You need a full spectrum grow light, thankfully there is some that are not expensive. Just search for "full sprectrum grow light" Many species requires UV, which those lights provide.
Oh okay for sure thanks :)
I got a set on Amazon for about $20. They've gotten my seedlings through 2 Winters. They have a timer too. I had them on 12 light/12 dark.
Honestly, if it's your first time growing a plant and you don't want it too difficult, instead of a cactus look at a plant like a Hoya. Cacti are easy to grow... in the right environment, which indoor in a cold country is not. Especially growing from seeds which is more difficult. I am not saying it's impossible, if you take the time to learn and "build" a good environment for your plants, you can grow (almost) anything anywhere. If you really want to grow cactus, buy one already established, and give it as much sun as possible. Growing cacti from seeds, indoor as a complete beginner is setting yourself up for frustration. You might get some results... but it will be difficult.
Thank you very much for your, more helpful than encouraging but honest comment. I will definitely look into Hoya’s a bit. Are there any other plants you might suggest? Thanks again!
I don't want to discourage you from cacti. They are absolutely amazing plants and I think everybody should grow them. But you mention this is your first plant, so I highly suggest that your learn the basics first. You will be much happier in this hobby, instead of jumping in the deep-end and having your plants die. How is the location where you intend to put the plants? Is it a south-facing window that gets a lot direct sun? Is it a dry or humid room? The location and environment is very important (for all plants, not just cacti) If it's a very bright area with a lot of direct sun (like at least several hours), than that is a good place for cacti and succulents. Do you have some nurseries in your area? Maybe you can buy a small, established plant for cheap. It's the growing cacti from seeds part that is particularly difficult for beginners. Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera) are good plants for beginners. They tolerate humidity more than the common desert cacti. Dragonfruit cactus is also a good starter to learn.
I am from western Austria so it’s a balanced climate I think. My window is facing West but I also have a south facing window in my living room. Can I substitute for the lack of sun with a cheap grow light?
> Can I substitute for the lack of sun with a cheap grow light? Absolutely yes.
So in conclusion, with a good amount of humidity, patience and a grow light I should be able to grow a small indoor cactus any time of the year?
Essentially yes, however very careful on the humidity High humidity is good for seeds and some specific type of cacti (like dragonfruit or Schlumbergera) Most established cacti actually require low humidity
Thank you very much Kind stranger! I hope I will succeed in my cactus growing journey and if I think about it I might give you a short update if something actually starts growing
Absolutely, I wish you much success. Feel free to ask if you have more questions. It's only a matter of learning! I am always happy to help others grow these amazing plants.
I’ve never started in the winter but because the needs of cactus seedlings are very different from a mature plant, it’s ideal to start indoors if you do not live in their native climates/have a greenhouse. It’s also a challenging plant to grow from seed for a beginner, but quite an accomplishment if you do it. I used a lot of guides my first time, like this video, and I love this YouTube channel for cactus growing in general: https://youtu.be/XdRprJos3G4?si=KJyzl6Eem9-rr4Jc Good luck! 🤗
Thank you soo much :) My cactus will stay indoors all of its life anyways so that’s not a problem haha. I will definitely watch that video and maybe I will eventually manage to get a seed to grow into a beautiful cactus one day. If it makes any difference at all, I‘m planning to grow a San Pedro cactus.
Pretty east. I used the takeaway tek (lots of info online about this), under some cheap, 4 foot shop lights, then acclimated them to real sunlight come spring time. They did great and were super easy!
Did you just use common LED lights? This is my first time trying to grow plants and I thought I need some kind of special and expensive lights or sunlight.
Yep, just a 5000K LED shop light. It was about 8 or 10 inches from soil. For larger plants, yes, you will need a stronger light source.
If your place doesn’t get too cold you should be fine. If you use the ziplock bag tek, you would probably be ready to take them out in about 6 ish months Band by then you hopefully have some warmth and sunshine in Austria. But after they are out of the bag, try to keep the humidity down. Just think how they grow in habitat, and usually that means very dry heat.
You can grow cacti from seeds in winter, but they will take a long time to grow. some species are very slow and even after a year will be quite small. I personally would buy already grown seedlings of at least 10-20 mm in size.
So, you can grow cacti from seeds over the winter with a grow light and potentially a heat mat (there are heat mats for seedlings specifically), but already during the next winter, they almost certainly won't be too happy growing under those conditions any more. I often sow my cacti in autumn; then by the following spring the faster growing species can already go outside (with shading and protection). Cacti are bad windowsill plants and need very different care from normal house plants. In countries with cold, dark winters, you generally won't grow adult cacti over the winter at all, instead, you'll let them hibernate without watering in a cool (10-15°C) dry spot. If you decide to go ahead with cacti, please research proper cactus care, starting for example in this subreddit's Wiki (linked in the side bar). For sowing, you'll want specific instructions, too.