Choosing Seeds (or How to Navigate the OSP Seed List)

[Jensine449]

Hi everyone!

Newbie here. I was looking through the Orchid Seedbank Project's seedlist and must confess...I don't know what many of those labels mean!

I'd like to learn more about propagating seeds...so besides technique, what am I looking for in a seed? And I don't mean breed of chid, color, etc. but...

Does it matter how many pods a plant has produced? Like are only the first 1 or 2 viable?

When it was harvested? Is it ever safe to assume that they are stored well with the OSP and the donors?

% Embryos? Help me understand what that means.

Spontaneous capsule?

In short, if you're ordering seeds from *somewhere*, what do you look for in order to increase your chances of success (independent of actual flasking technique)?

Thanks so much! BTW I've spent the last 3 hours reading threads in Propagation...don't tell anyone!!