Originally Posted by dvespertilio

I'm growing Pseudolithos on a sifted cactus and succulent mix to which additional sand and a little grit and perlite have been added. I have germinated upwards of 200 seedlings so far. My first two seedlings planted this past early May are now to a fair size, one about the size of a small marble. I keep them about six to eight inches away from the bulbs of a flourescent light unit which has two 75 watt bulbs. They are in an un-air conditioned laundry room in my house and conditions range from around 80 overnight to as high as 95 during the day. They probably could stand to have more light, but from past experience I am wary about putting them outside. I lost several seedlings to insects that way, even though they were on a screened porch. Under my conditions, I water frequently, whenever the surface of the medium begins to look and feel dry.

Getting good fresh seed is also important. I bought Pseudolithos migiurtinus seed from the Cactus Plaza in the Netherlands, along with other seeds like Fockea and Pachypodium species. I have had a very bad time with those seeds. For ascleps in particular, it is critical that the seed be as fresh as possible. I purchased my latest batch of about 200 P. migiurtinus seeds from a vendor in Thailand and I had excellent germination, over 150 seedlings.

As an aside, I would not recommend doing business with Allard Bax of the CactusPlaza in the Netherlands. He sold me about $US56.00 of poor seed, over a hundred seeds, and only SEVEN germinated. I have purchased comparable seeds from other vendors at good prices, and they have all had high germination rates. Added to that, Mr Bax has failed to respond to my inquiries about this problem, and has not even offered to make an adjustment to the price, even though I have already spent the better part of US$300 on seeds from him. Not a good experience. Am just warning others to beware. He claims all over his site that he has 80% germination rates for his seeds. That is simply not true. If he were a gentlemen, he would return at least part of my money.