My Ghost Orchid Project - Page 4 - Orchid Board

Mochaboy · #31 04-01-2019, 10:05 PM

Just a quick update - Ghost Orchid's deflasked and resting comfortably on a bed of sphagnum moss. I want to see how it acclimates to the tank before I do anything permanent like mount it to its slab. I pulled out probably 20 or so seedlings, so now we wait to see what survives.

Quick production note here:
* What I should of done in this order but did not do, was soak the contents of the flask into 1 gallon of RO water just to loosen and remove the agar as much possible. This is what killed my first attempt since as much as the agar is a food source for the orchid, it's also a great food source for mold.

* I had to run it through a couple of washes gently agitating the root masses until they separated.

* last step was 3 tbsp of the Concentric AG solution mixed into a 1 gallon of RO water to let them soak. Once that was done, I transferred everything to a small bed of sphagnum moss. I want to see how they react to the tank before I go to the trouble of mounting them on the hickory bark I bought for them. I also don't have enough bark because I wasn't expecting this many seedlings from that little cup

...and now we wait

Kreinalexander82 · #32 04-02-2019, 06:26 PM

I just deflasked some Sallei x Lindenii today’s actually. I like your set up and ideas. I live in Florida three hours from the strand so my conditions are similar. I added a cloud digger to my greenhouse just to keep the humidity up if I need it. Interested to see how yours do.

Mochaboy · #33 04-02-2019, 07:14 PM

My secret weapon that will all but ensure my success. I’m adding miniature manatees and alligators to the tank to fool it into thinking it’s home!

Fyi Blurple lights are being replaced with 2ft double row T8 5000k leds. Don’t care if it’s not photosynthetically optimal. Can’t stare at those blurple lights for the next 5 years.

I’m going to wait a few weeks to get better macro shots of the seedlings. For right now my focus is making sure they acclimate to their new home.

Mochaboy · #34 04-02-2019, 07:22 PM

I’m also swapping out my mechanical timers with smart wifi plugs. I don’t know why i didn’t do this sooner. I can control the entire room from my phone. Only limitation is that the timer can’t do seconds only minutes. The misting system is so powerful it only take 10 seconds to drench the tank.

Someone posted earlier about using a Smart Things Smarthub and Smart sensors to do something similar. I don’t know what the pricepoint is for a sensor, switch and hub collection but that’s something i may investigate in the future.

Mochaboy · #35 04-02-2019, 09:39 PM

Here's a reference photo of the collection...I'll check in again in about a week's time and see where we're at. I realize it's too early to say anything - but I was happy to see green tips on some of the roots

Mochaboy · #36 04-02-2019, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kreinalexander82

I just deflasked some Sallei x Lindenii today’s actually. I like your set up and ideas. I live in Florida three hours from the strand so my conditions are similar. I added a cloud digger to my greenhouse just to keep the humidity up if I need it. Interested to see how yours do.

Yeah I can't provide the right conditions they need up here in the Northeast so I had to cobble together this collection of parts. I have to say though, what a difference 5 years makes. Half the stuff I recently bought wasn't even available at the pricepoint it is now in order to be accessible to the average user.

The humidistat is working perfectly. The PVC tube has a few issues - namely - the holes get clogged with water drops, and don't clear because the tank is so humid all the time. To be honest the tube isn't really necessary but it looks so cool when the mist falls in strings so I'm going to keep it

That misting solution I put together was killer though. The pumps are like $11 on banggood, and the vinyl tubing is like $8 for 10ft. Then just add in your own irrigation nozzles (drips or misters for instance) and a smart switch (maybe a water proof one if they make them), and you have a DIY mistking for like $50.

The tank has one more added benefit that's unique to my situation. It's awesome for sick orchids that I'm nursing back to health. I'm already seeing an improvement in that Violacea I nearly killed.

One other random update - The Paph Henryanum seedlings arrived today - whopping 25 of them I'm going to need to compot in anticipation for the long wait

Mochaboy · #37 04-04-2019, 03:36 PM

Threw the plate under the microscope to start inspecting for fungus and sure enough I found some.

Here's a close up of the fruiting spores

But there are also signs of life!

weird mass I'm not sure what to make of...just going to keep an eye on this. I also pruned that dead root before it could fruit.

More root tip growth

Just the tips

My favorite little protocorm out of the collection. I'll be watching that little guy carefully. That would be amazing if that little cluster grew into an adult.

Vibrant little cluster of growth

More growth.

More nodes

I recently added a little blower fan inside the tank which I have turn on 4 times a day for an hour, just to circulate the air inside the tank. So far everything is working as it should...I just have to closely monitor for molds and other nasties.

I also picked up these lights to replace the blurple one I bought.

4 Pack LED T8 Tube Light, Double Row Integrated Single Fixture, 2FT, 2000lm, 5000K Clear Cove, 20W, Utility Shop Light, Ceiling and Under Cabinet Light, Corded Electric with Built-in ON/Off Switch - - Amazon.com

These guys are 2 rows of LED, chainable, and pretty affordable. The PAR readings aren't as good as the shop lights that I run at 4000k (these run at 5000k) (at the same height they pump out 90PPFD vs 120PPFD), but they put out plenty of foot candles. To match the PPFD of my shop 4000k shop lights, I need to run 2 of these side by side which pushes out about 600-800 foot candles at around 8 inches which I think is just about ideal for my setup. For reference, I had a few of my orchids under a new dimmable grow light pumping out 1-2k FC at 24 inches, and they almost immediately started showing adverse reactions so I've dialed back the power for that light and am looking to stay in the 500-700 range.

Mochaboy · #38 04-05-2019, 03:27 PM

Photos from Day 3 - more fungus hunting, but also lots of signs of active growth.

Ghost Orchid Tank Day 3 - Fungus Hunting - Album on Imgur

Ray · #39 04-05-2019, 06:04 PM

You're not taking advantage of your products!

Please be aware that those hyphae might be from the beneficial fungi, so eradicating it could be counter-productive.

Put that soaking Garden Solution in a spray bottle and spritz the plants a couple times a day, and they'll be great.

Mochaboy · #40 04-05-2019, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

You're not taking advantage of your products!

Please be aware that those hyphae might be from the beneficial fungi, so eradicating it could be counter-productive.

Put that soaking Garden Solution in a spray bottle and spritz the plants a couple times a day, and they'll be great.

I don't know how to determine that unless I possibly shift the ones that do sprout those to a separate tank and see what happens. What I can tell you is that everything in the tank was soaked in that solution, and the only thing showing signs of any kind of fungal growth are the dead or decaying roots of the clusters.

In the cluster I treated, the fungus was growing adjacent to the primary protocorm of a fairly robust cluster. What happened last time I saw this was that eventually the entire protocorm was engulfed and died as the decay spread. So whether it's beneficial or not, in that case I opted to go the safe route and treat the decayed area. At this stage, I'm definitely leaning towards being a little more risk averse.