Ariocarpus TRIGONUS

Sowing and germination

Ariocarpus seeds are small, black, ripen into fleshy berry-like fruits. Usually no pre-sowing preparation is required, but some experts recommend cold stratification for 2-3 weeks at a temperature of 5-6°C: Ariocarpus seeds often have underdeveloped embryonic tissues, and cold treatment helps them ripen. For stratification, seeds are mixed with wet sand in a ratio of 3 parts sand to 1 part seeds and place the container in the refrigerator without covering it with a lid. The substrate for seedlings, unlike the soil for adult plants, should be more nutritious: a mixture of leaf soil and sand or peat and sand in equal parts is suitable. The top layer, about 0.5 cm thick, is best made of coarse sand, brick or expanded clay chips. Sterilization of the substrate is mandatory; in addition, it can be shed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.