A fun Asymbiotic orchid seed experiment.
 

Using an empty candy plastic box; we placed some moss in it and then, wet it with water and sow unsterilized Dendrobium hancockii Rolfe seeds over the surface and then covered with the top.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...kii-role-1.jpg

And seven days later visual germination was noticed.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...0705-010-2.jpg

On the tenth day we took a photo under 40x magnification.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-under-40x.jpg

I am doing this with the help of a 6 year old girl that my wife teaches at our home, she has developed an interest in orchids now.

Good luck with them!
Interesting results so far!

Looks like something my kids would have enjoyed when they were little. :)

Very cool!

She enjoys viewing the germination process under the microscope; she had her mother take her to the flower market so she could buy her first orchid.

Definitely a way to get a child interested in orchids and science at the same time. :)

She is just six and she has been tested and found to be on a 10th graders level in school. She loves all her subjects and has an interest in anything new, I also teach her how to cook American food too.

Ken,
Did you inoculate the moss with a fungal culture or roots? If not, where did the moss come from? Was it gathered from the wild, old moss from your plants or fresh commercially packaged moss?

Believe it or not; it is Chinese commercial moss supposedly sterilized; it comes in a small dry brick wrapped in plastic. I used this same brand for seven years; but lately, I have noticed the moss after a few days of being watered some of it starts to turn green. So I was talking to my 6 year old colleague, whose lab coat is slightly too large for her. We decided to try symbiotic seed sowing to see if the seeds would germinate and they did.

Interesting. I guess the germinator fungi for some of the orchid species is more common than people assume.

Yes I would have to agree; we find it more prevalent in older material.

Sounds like you have a great partner for the project! :)

She is getting hooked on orchids.

As someone that fell in love with plants at a very young age, I find this quite amusing and wonderful. I am still fascinatated by plants after all of these years as there is so much diversity and so much more to learn. What a great way to instill a love of science and orchids into this child's life! :)

I blame my oldest brother for my orchid obsession; he came home from his first tour in Nam. We went to Ridge way orchids and he bought a Cattleya in bloom, all the way home I looked at it. And the next day I went back and bought one I liked and have been doing ever since that was back in 1968.
And I went to every orchid show I could and met a man and his wife, the man was so patient with me at the time I was just a question box. But with his and his wife’s help I was able to care for my one orchid and fuel my interest in orchids.

They were kind enough to pass on their knowledge; and that taught me to do the same.

Just wondering.

What makes you think Dendrobium hancockii seeds are asymbiotic?

Most of my family grew things and that is how I became interested in plants. I always try to pass on my knowledge, too. It is quite a bit of fun watching someone discover the joy of growing plants/orchids. As for my kids, only the youngest retained an interest in plants and she prefers the herbs or ones that produce edible fruit. :| She was interested in the leptotes bicolor, however, when I told her that the pods can be used for a vanilla flavor and that it stays small. :)

Seeds are seeds; there is Asymbiotic and symbiotic method of sow. Simple repetition is why the A was put there, and for some reason the edit button is not displayed so can’t correct it.

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I have a grandson and a younger granddaughter, they grow some vegetables and flowers for now but at least it’s a start.