Most Practical Advice for growing Orchids from Seed?

[JanS]

Hi All:

I would like to take the plunge and try to hybridize some of my favorite orchids...and see what happens. I've researched the existing seed propagation techniques, with and without fungus...and it is pretty darn intensive! I can't resist any challenge, but my question is: from a financial/effort point of view, is it worth all the sterilizing/flasking/etc. effort or are there places (I live in San Diego, California, USA) that you can bring the seed pod to and they'll do the initial hard part for you? If so, how much does it cost?

Thanks for any insights!

[zxyqu]

Shane at orchidorigins.com is an excellent option if you go that route. As to prices, you'll have to check or ask him, but its reasonable.

As for do it yourself, that gets tricky. But with about 100 bucks or so, you can get all the needed supplies and equipment.

[zxyqu]

Oh, and its totally worth it. It makes orchids even more fun.

[greengarden]

I use a very simple method and I spent $20 for 30 plastic containers, a tube of silicone, about $30 for 100 syringes and large gauge needles, the agar mix and a small bottle of peroxide at About $4. The flasks themselves are reusable so the ongoing cost has worked out to about $10 per 30 flasks, much cheaper than paying $30 plus per flask. I use a method that doesn't need a fume hood or clean box. Out of my first lot of 20 flasks I lost two to contamination but given I had a few issues while I was doing it that wasn't a huge surprise for me. The second time I just did four flasks of paphs and so far they are looking good. I have protocorms starting in my Dendrobium linguiforme flasks already after about 6 weeks.

[escualida]

Originally Posted by greengarden

I use a very simple method and I spent $20 for 30 plastic containers, a tube of silicone, about $30 for 100 syringes and large gauge needles, the agar mix and a small bottle of peroxide at About $4. The flasks themselves are reusable so the ongoing cost has worked out to about $10 per 30 flasks, much cheaper than paying $30 plus per flask. I use a method that doesn't need a fume hood or clean box. Out of my first lot of 20 flasks I lost two to contamination but given I had a few issues while I was doing it that wasn't a huge surprise for me. The second time I just did four flasks of paphs and so far they are looking good. I have protocorms starting in my Dendrobium linguiforme flasks already after about 6 weeks.

Cool! I'd love to know what your method is

[greengarden]

It was shown to me by another member here.
Basically you drill a small hole in the top of each flask and fill the hole with silicone and let it set, this becomes a self-sealing valve which you will later use to put the seeds in.

He does it with a pressure cooker which I don't have so I modified the method for the microwave.

I mix up the agar and put it into the flasks, close the lids halfway(so they don't explode when heated) and put them in the microwave. I sit five together inside a larger container with a lid. Put them in the microwave and heat them so they boil for 4-5 minutes. When they finish I quickly spray bleach all over the top of the outside of the containers, and close the main container lid. The cooling of the containers will pull some of the vapourised bleach into the containers and help keep them sterile. Quickly cinch the lids of the small containers shut. Now your flasks are sterile on the inside. Let them cool and set them aside until you are ready to put your seeds in.

Make up a cup of water with one drop of dishwashing detergent and a teaspoon of sugar dissolved.
Pull the plunger out of the syringe and tip in some of your seeds(might need to cover the tip of the syringe with your finger so you don't loose any) and draw a small amount of the mix up. I then write on the syringe so I know what's in it because I often do a number of species at once. Put all your filled syringes aside overnight and let them soak(or do it in the morning for that evening). This will help break down the seed coating and start any fungal spores that may be present.

The next day hold a tissue over the tip of the syringe and gently push the water out leaving the seeds inside, suck up a small amount of peroxide and leave to sit for about five minutes. Attach a needle and put it through the silicone seal to squirt the seeds in.

Tips:

You need large needles, about a 17-19 gauge depending on the species(some seeds are quite big).

I put a little bit of peroxide on a tissue and sit the tissue on top of the silicone seal before innoculating and for a couple of minutes after. Also despite the silicone supposedly being self sealing I find for ones that need a very big syringe I need to quickly dab an extra bit of silicone on afterwards.

[escualida]

That sounds pretty foolproof, the silicone is a great idea. Thanks for sharing

What do you do when it's time to replate?

[JanS]

Thanks All for the useful responses! I think I'll try my hand at germinating seeds myself, but I am also glad to now know about places like Orchidorigins.com. Turns out they are the cheapest I could find - on their site they list prices of $14 for two "motherflasks" and $14 for replating of 25 seedlings. Some other places I found (now that I know what to search for) charge $20-25 per flask for each. So overall it's $1-2 per plant by the stage they are big enough that one can easily take over. Not bad!

I wish I had known this about 15 years ago - I had an orchid straight from the jungles of Guatemala that I was given by a very kind Mayan native I stayed with. It lived for several years and each year flowered and (I guess) self pollinated and had seed pods. But all its new roots grew only about half an inch before their tips shriveled up - (I now believe due to my using our tap water at the time to water my orchids which is very "hard" with tons of minerals). While dying its slow death I wished I had a way to preserve it from the seeds it produced. I could have sent them to the likes of Orchidorigins - darn!

[zxyqu]

Yeah, Shane is great from what I've heard, and relatively inexpensive. If you can figure it out at home, it's cheaper, but if not, he's a great option.

Also, in the above experiments, I'd recommend sterilizing the needles somehow, prior to insertion into the jar. I imagine this and any leaking seal should be the source of contamination. Also, as bleach is a contact disinfectant, I dont believe and bleach "fumes" will do anything. But this method is sound, and totally works if done right. Most of the sterilization comes from the microwave, and then the bleach acts as a prevent to anything else that may get pulled into the jar. No idea honestly, but it works, and that's all that matters.