Living Stone Plant Sowing Process Documentation
The editor will share with everyone some topics about the living stone plant, a succulent plant, the sowing process documentation of the living stone plant, and then let's get to know it together.
Living stone plants are a favorite variety among many succulent enthusiasts and are always sought after and pursued by enthusiasts. However, due to the complex and meticulous sowing and seedling management of living stone plants, sowing them has indeed been a confusing problem and a difficult process for enthusiasts. Below, I have recorded my sowing process based on my experience and lessons from last year, hoping for mutual exchange among everyone. (Original author: FIRE)
I. Selection of Seedling Trays
The best container for sowing living stone plants is a purple clay pot because it has the most ideal water permeability and breathability. However, due to the large variety of sowing species, I chose a plastic square pot with dimensions of 7*7*8, and at least 100 seeds can be sown in each seedling tray.
II. Sowing Substrate
The sowing substrate for living stone plants is a crucial step, as it involves future seedling management and care issues. Using poor-quality substrate can lead to low germination rates and premature seedling death. Summing up my past lessons, I used three parts for the substrate this year: bottom stones, middle soil, and topsoil.
Bottom Stones: Large-particle orchid stones are used as bottom stones to enhance water permeability and breathability, about 1-2 centimeters thick.
Middle Soil: This part of the soil occupies more than 70% of the potting soil, so it is the foundation and source of nutrition (G-Y) for future plant growth. I used red jade soil, orchid stones, particle culture soil, and a small amount of rice husk charcoal. Red jade soil, orchid stones, and particle culture soil should be sieved to remove fine dust and debris, ensuring that the particle size of the above three substrates is between 1 millimeter and 5 millimeters. I mixed these three substrates in a 1:1:1 ratio to ensure loose and breathable soil, then added a small amount of rice husk charcoal to increase nutrition.
Photos of red jade soil, orchid stones, and particle culture soil:
Topsoil: Topsoil is the seedbed for seed development and growth, so it needs to be selected carefully. I used sieved 1-millimeter diameter green stone particles, red jade soil, and鹿沼土 mixed as the topsoil, with a thickness of about 1 centimeter.
Photos of green stone particles, red jade soil, and鹿沼土:
III. Disinfection of Substrate
1. Why is it necessary to disinfect the substrate? Disinfection of the substrate prevents the breeding of fungi and pests, ensuring the safe and healthy growth of seedlings. The main disease in the seedling stage is猝倒病, caused by fungi. Since fungi are saprophytic, necessary disinfection must be performed.
2. Preparation of Potassium Permanganate Solution. In the past, I used a microwave oven to disinfect the substrate for 10-15 minutes at high power, but because the smell was unpleasant and the amount of substrate disinfected each time was limited, this year I used potassium permanganate solution to disinfect the substrate. Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidant that can quickly complete the disinfection of the substrate. The potassium permanganate solution should be dissolved in hot water, with a concentration of 0.3-0.5%, which is achieved when the solution is a clear deep purple.
3. Specific Steps and Methods for Disinfection. After the above substrate is prepared and placed in the pot, the pot is soaked in potassium permanganate solution, with no specific time requirement, usually 10 minutes. After soaking, the pot is removed and dried in the sun, and direct sunlight is even better.
IV. Sowing Seeds
Since the seeds of living stone plants are very small, sowing is an extremely meticulous and patience-requiring task. Its main process is as follows:
1. Sowing Time. The best temperature for sowing living stone plants is 15-25 degrees, so it is necessary to choose the right time based on local climate conditions.
2. Fungicide Treatment. Level and compact the surface of the potting soil and sprinkle it with a broad-spectrum fungicide, such as carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, mancozeb, or chlorothalonil.
3. Sowing. The seeds of living stone plants are small, and it is almost impossible to complete spot sowing, so broadcasting is usually adopted. Place the seeds carefully on a piece of sturdy white paper, fold it in half to form a paper trough, and gently tap the back of the white paper to evenly and smoothly distribute the seeds into the desired sowing area. The tilt angle of the white paper and the force of tapping are key factors in determining seed distribution, which require continuous exploration and practice to master.
This year, most of the seeds I ordered were 1PKT, in small quantities, so I sowed two varieties in the 7*7*8 plastic square pot. It is important to choose the same variety to sow in one container to ensure that the seeds germinate at approximately the same time, facilitating future management.
4. Topsoil Coverage. Whether or not to cover the surface with soil after sowing is a matter of personal preference. I did not cover the surface with soil after sowing.
5. Fungicide Treatment. Spray the surface of the pot with a broad-spectrum fungicide again. This process allows the seeds to better adhere to the surface soil and also serves as a fungicidal treatment for the seeds.
6. Labeling. Insert a label with the seed C sequence into the seedling tray to avoid confusion and facilitate future management.
V. Placement of Seedling Trays
After sowing, it is usually necessary to cover the mouth of the pot with glass or something like plastic wrap or cling film to maintain a certain humidity in the local environment, facilitating rapid germination of the seeds. However, it is difficult to control the time for ventilation and humidity reduction, so this year I used a large plastic box to create a relatively larger environment. The benefit of this is that the spatial environment is larger, effectively preventing seedling death due to water droplets on the film. Place the seedling trays in order in the large plastic box, cover them, and place them in a diffused light area, using the scattered light of the sun as the light source.
The above shares the complete content of the living stone plant sowing process documentation, which green plant enthusiasts can refer to for reference.