I'm thinking of creating another Weed Orchid

[voyager]

Originally Posted by Stray59

Fascinating post! Living in the Midwest, it blows my mind that you can broadcast orchids seeds in your own yard and have them survive - I am green with envy! Really, pea-green, perhaps chartreuse even....LOL. How cool. Of course I knew they did this in the wild, and you live in their natural environs, but I hadn't thought you could naturalize them is such a manner.
Which brings me to my question. I know about the symbiotic need for the fungus to supply the nutrients to the seeds for success. Could you take a live root from a mature plant and pulverize it, smearing the resultant gunk on a tree - wouldn't you be "seeding" that area with the needed fungus starter? Or would the rotting material of the root set up a harmful fungus/bacteria?
Just a thought......

I'm not very knowledgeable about the symbiotic fungi that associate with the orchids and help with their growth.
But, I would assume that there are probably various types specific to a variety of areas and climates.
It is possible that they could be transported to other locations with different conditions. Because of the orchids being able to reproduce here, there is little doubt that the mycorrhizal type fungi do exist here, and are ubiquitous.

We may find out if the fungi can be transplanted.
I "re-homed" 3 of my storm disrupted weed Vandas with a forum member on the mainland.
Part of his interest in them was the possibility of gaining the mycorrhizal fungi in their roots.

My guess is that you would not need to masticate and spread the roots around.
I would think that the fungi would simply propagate out of the roots of the transplanted plant if they found satisfactory conditions.

---------- Post added at 07:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:39 PM ----------

Originally Posted by RosieC

Wow, what a great place to live where they can grow wild like that.

After over 30 years in Alaska, and growing orchids in my living room for 10 of those years:

I'm now like a kid with a new toy.
I can hardly believe it is so easy to grow them as it is here.

This photo is of the South and Southwest windows of my living room back in Alaska. There was also a Northwest window just like the one on the right. It is about 10am and the sun has just come up. The pots on the the floor on the left are a Phaius, an Arundina [Bamboo Orchid] and a tomato plant brought in just before the first killing frost.
Phaius' and Arundinas are now my major weed orchids.