Help me become an expert at reflasking....

[peeweelovesbooks]

I guess I should have posted this on the propagation forum.....

I reserved a flask of Laelia purpurata var. carnea from the Meyers conservatory. The webpage indicates that they remove the plantlets from the flask and send them to you in a sterile packaging. is this recommended?


Now. How do I go about growing these things??? Is this process the same for EVERY orchid??? Once the plants are out of the flask, do you put them in wet moss? is the moss fertilized or not? How often do you mist/water? fungicide or bacteriacide or not? Light requirements?

I've been reading up on this and I'm slightly confused. Some people recommend spraying fungicide etc. to kill the nasties, other sites indicate that this may be harmful to the plants.

As for fertilizer, do you super-fertilize (meaning use a stronger ratio of fertilizer) or under-fertilize? KLN, MSU or S.T.E.M?

Also, I'm not too sure about the community pot thing. How big/small does the tray need to be? i purchased a propagation tray online, along with the dividers (the plastic inserts divide the tray into 72 parts and a dome to check humidity. Do I need to purchase a humidity meter? if so, where can i find one? Do I really need a propagation mat--this to me looks like a heating pad--but then most sites don't mention this.

I know I'm asking like a zillion questions, but I want to start off on the right foot when/if I get the plants.

Thanks!!!