Acclimating deflasked orchids

[Jinh]

I was looking for a Cstm Ivaneae, but couldn’t find one. The only place I found them was selling a whole flask. So I thought, “Ok, no big deal. I can handle 12-15 seedlings.”

They arrived today and it turned out to be 33. I didn’t have enough supplies to individually pot them, so I have about half in compots.

Anyway, this is my first time and I have watched a few videos and read articles. One thing I’m a bit confused on is that SVO doesn’t mention acclimating at all. The article just describes deflasking and says keep humidity 50-80% Obviously Fred Clarke would know, but just seems a complete 180 from what everyone else says.

Most of the other videos and articles talk about keeping them in in domes with 100% humidity for awhile and then slowly acclimating to room air over the course of weeks to months.

So I guess I was wondering what others’ personal experience has been.

[Ray]

The plants have been in 100% humidity their entire lives, so have not had to develop the waxy cuticle layers that slows foliar water loss.

Placing them in a saturated environment is certainly the safest, with periodic venting of lower-humidity air to trigger the growth of the cutex is a fine way to "transition" them, especially if your humidity level is lower.

Apparently, Fred finds that his environmental humidity is adequate without doing that, but most home growers don't have such favorable conditions.

[tmoney]

howdy! we have had the best luck with deflasking into compots (6-8 cm) with 5 or so crowded seedlings, and keeping them in the south window with good sun but loosely covered in a white plastic shopping bag. we usually just wrap the bag around the cache pot so it is super easy to lift off and inspect the plants. we try to lift and inspect every couple of days, if nothing else just to change out the air inside and see how dry the media is.

we keep the bag on anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months, depending on how the seedlings look. with this the plants are much more solid and bigger after a couple months than plants that are not given the tent, or are planted alone.

however, all of our seedlings are phals and paphs, so not the same genera of course but rays comment echoes what we see around as the general knowledge. best of luck!!

[estación seca]

Please note sun intensity through a window is vastly different between Dallas and Düsseldorf. Midsummer sun in Germany seems weaker than midwinter sun in Phoenix.

[Jinh]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Please note sun intensity through a window is vastly different between Dallas and Düsseldorf. Midsummer sun in Germany seems weaker than midwinter sun in Phoenix.

Yep, I’ve got them in a tent where I can control conditions a bit better.

[tmoney]

yeah...shoulda mentioned that! thanks, es!!