Help with growing these seeds; am I doing it right?

[Ktadie]

Hey there guys. I have always been a fan of Orchids, and now one of mine has produced 3 seed "beans."

The seeds inside of them are extremely small and light, bursting out like big chunks of dust. Here is a pciutre showing the beans:



I have read many places on how to care and grow orchides from seeds, but most of the things I cannot get.
So, what Ive done instead is:

Sterlized container with cotton wool. Taking some chunks of the bark/charcoal from the mother plant's pot and also some old roots and put in there. Damp water and then sprayed the seeds around.

Do the seeds need sunlight? And how often should I water them?

thanks a bunch guys!

[cb977]

Sorry I can't help you with this one but I'm going to move it into our Propogation forum...it's definitely not a beginner subject

[camille1585]

Hi Ktadie
First of all, welcome to orchidboard!

If I understood correctly what you did with the seeds, unfortunately there is no chance for them to grow.

Orchid seeds are different from other seeds in that they have no reserves in them for the seed to use up while it germinates. That means that all the 'food' the seed need to grow must come from what they are growing on.
In the wild, the seeds depend on a symbiotic relationship with a fungus in order to grow. The fungus supplies it with nutrients. Since the probability of a seed landing where there is fungus is so low, that is why orchids produce hundred of thousands of seeds.

That is why the only way for us to grow orchids from seed is in sterilized jars on special mediums that provide nutrients and sugar. Everything that goes in the jar (including the air and seeds) must be sterile. The main difficulty in flasking seeds is too keep everything sterile, or else bad fungus takes over the jar.

[John D.]

Since you put some potting medium from the mother plant in the container there is a slim chance that you may have the fungus necessary for providing the food for the seeds. Not bright light and 70 - 80 degrees. Good luck.