About Us
Cactus DNA
Seeds are magic, tiny grains that sprout to become highly complex wonderful organisms, a tiny Aztekium or a gigantic Carnegia. Truth is, there is no sorcery in the act, seeds are tiny packets of DNA, the genetic material that encodes all the necessary information for the making of a complete plant, “mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” Hence the name we have chosen for our nursery and web site Cactus DNA.
Our name also reflects a bias, as well as our main focus and priority, the production of high purity seed of rare cacti, Ariocarpus, Astrophytum and other Mexican treasures, along with select South American taxa. Nonetheless, Lithops, Haworthias, Conophytums and other succulent jewels are also high on the list.
All available material, seeds and plants, are artificially produced in Greece through careful pollination and propagation techniques, ensuring high purity and quality. We do not offer third party seed. We do not sell any field collected seed or plants. Plant poaching is a criminal activity, do not be an accomplice by buying such material.
Our goal is to provide the serious amateur and the collector with high purity seed of both natural taxa and human-made cultivars. We spare no effort to ensure the quality of the seed we produce and offer. During flowering plants are covered with net to exclude pollinators, flowers are hand pollinated with sterilized brushes and marked with color-coded thread for identification. We randomly sample and test our seed for germination.
Most important, we try to supply you with seed that is as close as possible to the original source, be it a natural population or a cultivar. We are happy to offer you a large number of taxa and cultivars not available elsewhere. For more information, please look at the Ariocarpus, Astrophytum and Cultivars pages.
How It Began
It started with one cactus, then two, soon ten and then one hundred, two hundred and so on… A wonderful collection was slowly assembled. Morning coffee in the greenhouse before rushing off to work became a vital daily ritual. My passion for cactus goes back at least 15 years, cacti were always an inspiration, rare species fascinated me from the start, as time passed I enriched my collection, my knowledge, my experience.
Our Cactus DNA nursery is now located at the beautiful island of Evia in central Greece. Today, I take care of more than 5,000 plants, taking pleasure in propagating rare and unusual species and making available seed and plants to hobbyists and collectors. This is also a great venue for meeting and getting to know people like yourself, who love plants and nature, at a more personal level. I would be happy to hear from you, have your feedback and answer any questions, so feel free to contact us.
Enjoy growing!