Growing Living Stones at 63rd Parallel North

the temperature is + 24 °C. the moisture is ok in all of the containers. 22 of the monilaria seeds have sprouted, 9 of the argyroderma, 8 of the lithops and 1 of the conophytum.

the temperature is + 25 °C. i am decreasing the amount of light that the plants receive. the moisture is ok in the closed containers. i soak the monilaria container with diluted cactus and succulent fertilizer. 22 of the monilaria seeds have sprouted, 8 of the argyroderma, 8 of the lithops and 1 of the conophytum.

the temperature is + 26 °C. the amount of light is the same as previously and the moisture ok so i don't need to water any of the containers. 22 of the monilaria seeds have sprouted, 8 of the argyroderma and 6 of the lithops and finally 1 of the conophytum seeds. i notice that the container with monilaria seeds has algae. it is the beginning of a worsening condition soon to be seen in every container. i am worried that later on when the conditions get dry the dying algae atracts mold which in turn could kill my plants. the other option is that the algae steals the nutrients and keeps the container far too wet so that the plants will rot. unfortunately transplanting my seedlings is not an option. pumice seems to be quite a comfortable medium for algae. it is dusty and porous. i don't know how other growers keep algae at bay.

Wikipedia on grow lights :  "A plant's specific needs determine which lighting is most appropriate for optimum growth. If a plant does not get enough light, it will not grow, regardless of other conditions." "Grow lights usage is dependent on the plant's phase of growth. Generally speaking, during the seedling/clone phase, plants should receive 16+ hours on, 8- hours off. The vegetative phase typically requires 18 hours on, and 6 hours off. During the final, flower stage of growth, keeping grow lights on for 12 hours on and 12 hours off is recommended." "In addition, many plants also require both dark and light periods, an effect known as photoperiodism, to trigger flowering. Therefore, lights may be turned on or off at set times. The optimum photo/dark period ratio depends on the species and variety of plant, as some prefer long days and short nights and others prefer the opposite or intermediate "day lengths"." ...

the temperature is + 25 °C. i have reduced the amount of light the containers receive and it is now 13 hours. i try to simulate the darkening evenings although not in any scientific fashion. according to wikipedia seedlings generally require 16 hours of light and 8 hours of night. according to it seedling growth stops under less than 14 hours of light. i am going to risk it because i want to simulate more my own growing conditions. besides i am unsure if this universal law is absolute with living stones. i use plant lights and the article is naming that low intensity light of 16 hours or more brings continuous free growth. i don't know if my light intensity is considered low. it doesn't vary except being on or off. you can read more about my grow lights here . the moisture has dropped in the other containers except in the monilaria one which has been watered yesterday. i water the argyroderma, the conophytum and the lithops by soaking their containers from the bottom for 2...

the temperature is + 25 °C. the amount of light is the same as previously but the moisture has dropped in the monilaria container which was opened yesterday. i water the monilaria for the first time after sowing them. i also give them diluted cactus and succulent fertilizer. how much fertilizer, it is hard to say because i soaked the bottom of the whole container in a larger container with water and didn't measure the fertilizer exactly either. though the amount of fertilizer was less than recommended on the bottle. i also soaked the pumice through because some of the monilaria seedlings hadn't grown their roots into the pumice yet. clearly a downside of a coarser medium. 19  of the monilaria seeds have sprouted (see picture below), 6 of the argyroderma and 3 of the lithops.

the temperature is + 25  °C. the moisture in the containers and  the amount of light is the same as previously. 19  of the monilaria seeds have sprouted, 6 of the argyroderma and 3 of the lithops. i removed the lid from the container with the monilaria because most of the seeds had sprouted. the risk of getting mold or fungal attack on the seedlings grows every day when the lids are closed without ventilation.  it's difficult to say when exactly the monilaria became so numerous because of the mist on the lid and the fact that i also checked the containers only once a day. the lid removing happened on the day 5 for the monilaria which seem to be the first in everything though apparently they are notoriously difficult to flower.

the temperature is + 24  °C. the moisture in the containers and  the amount of light is the same as previously. 9  of the monilaria seeds have sprouted, 3 of the argyroderma and 2 of the lithops.