Would you like to have a good desert home? If so, buy seeds from the store instead of buying them already grown.
Step 1
Make sure that the pod is ready for harvesting. After the flower dies off, nothing is left except the pod. Echinocactus grusonii and most other barrels will produce hundreds of seeds in each pod.
Step 2
Gather the pods just before they dry out, they're not full of moisture but are still damp inside. The seed itself is black but some might have a slight red color to them. The main point is that you want the seed to be mature. One good indication is how the pod comes off, a slight twist and they fall right into your fingers leaving the fiber/cotton on the cactus.
Step 3
Use a knife to slice the tops off and slice down one side of the pad. This exposes the seeds.
Step 4
Remove the seeds carefully from the pod, scrape the flesh from the pod also and then place the seeds in two parts water and one part of number two coarse sand, mixed well.
Step 5
Sow the seeds evenly and keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate, once the seeds come up ( which can take 4 to 6 weeks) they look like small pencil erasers, red in color. Over time they start to add their needles.
