Hardening Off Recently Deflasked Seedlings

[Subrosa]

I recently purchased 2 flasks of seedlings, one of Barkeria spectabilis and the other of Houlettia odoratissima. From a standpoint of their respective general cultures, it would be difficult to find 2 species of orchid more dissimilar from each other. Barkeria are epiphytes that are very seasonal in their care, liking wetter, shadier summers and brighter dry winters due to the deciduous nature of the trees they grow on. In fact they can themselves be deciduous. In nature they can see temps as low as the 40s and as high as triple digits F. When choosing a substrate for them, "none of the above" is as good a choice as any, if not better under typical greenhouse conditions. Even when mounted, they act like they want to escape it. The Houlettia on the other hand are terrestrials from wet, shady conditions. Their care is basically the same year round, consistently moist, low light conditions with moderate seasonal temperature variation. Their optimal substrate hugs them and they hug it back. But both groups have been grown in near optimal conditions, and as an indoor/outdoor gardener the importance of acclimating plants gradually isn't lost on me! Here are the setups for each species, based upon my attempt to cater to their needs while acclimating them to the hard, cruel world outside the flask. I hope to update this thread over time with pics of the plants as they transition to the real world and start to develop:

[Subrosa]

A closer look at the setup I used for the Barkeria. It's a glass jar about 9" across and almost 12" tall. There are 3 panels of EcoWeb about 5" tall snugly wedged and spaced about 3/4" apart. The seedlings sit on top with their roots in between the panels or between the panels and the glass. For both setups I maintain some standing water and cover everything with plastic wrap. For this first week I'll leave the wrap completely on, opening it for a few minutes each day for air exchange. Next week I'll start leaving the plastic peeled back a bit, the following week a bit more, and so on until I'm comfortable the plants can handle my ambient conditions. The whole process normally takes me 6-8 weeks.

[emmajs243]

Subrosa! Nice seeing what your deflasking! I currently feel a tad like a mother with a newborn baby at home after just deflasking 2/3 of my flasks yesterday. Although I am leaving them alone as much as possible (not opening their greenhouse unless needed) I still find myself just sitting next to their mini greenhouse and staring at the hygrometer and thermometer making sure everything seems ok....

Yours look much healthier then mine however..unfortunately 2/3 Flasks had a different type of agar used that was much thinner in texture and then it looks like USPS literally shook the box while throwing it up in the air doing 360 degree flips with it....or this was at least the horrific site I saw when carefully unpacking them. The 3rd flask looks ok but we will see...I may still unflask them tomorrow since they actually have zero damage unlike the others at this point.

This EcoWeb looks very intriguing Subrosa! I thought at first it was steel wool and was slightly shocked until reading it wasn't! Good luck with your babies though!!!

[Keithj]

I bought my first flask, Dendrobium Hilda Poxon (speciosum x tetragonum), in late January and deflasked them almost straight away. There were five good plants and two very small ones that died fairly soon afterwards.

I potted them into a seedling compost from Burnham Orchids (Seedling & Pleione Mix) and put the three pots into a standard, lidded propagator with aquarium gravel in the base to keep the humidity up, putting the pots on saucers to keep them away from the water. I kept the propagator in our kitchen, which stays at around 22C/72F, on a stool between a radiator and the back door window to give it warmth and the best light I could. After a month or so I gradually opened the vent in the lid to reduce the humidity and now I take the lid off during the day to start hardening them off. They currently spend their days in our conservatory where they get more light but go back into the kitchen overnight because it's still dropping to around 14C/58F in there.

They're doing quite well, I think, with all showing new growths and/or roots. I was told they were idiot proof and they certainly seem to be that!

Keith

[emmajs243]

Hahahahaha!!!!! I should have chosen some idiot proof Flasks!!!!! So glad you shared Keith! I feel like flasks are somewhat hard to find in the US! I am going to contact the Orchid seed project for their current flask list though because I'm worried these guys may be in too bad of shape...USPS I swear threw the box over their head flipping in the air....poor kids were so discombobulated!

Keith best of luck with your babies! They are still alive so that is good!!!!! Keep us posted!

Subrosa! This is YOUR thread! How are your babies!

[Paul]

Hope they continue to do well for ya, John. Alas, lost my Barkeria last fall. Will look forward to seeing yours grow and eventually bloom.

[Subrosa]

I hope so too Paul!

[isurus79]

Cool thread!