Ludisia discolor seed pod

[ludisia29]

Thank you for that lenghty reply King of Orchids.

I have not heard of this sphagnum moss method you are talking about. Where I´d only have to boil the moss. I am aware of the more complex turkish towel method, that does involve the use of sphagnum moss. You´re not talking about that right? I think thats too complex, and flasking is alot easier.

As I have a couple of seed pods, I have decided to try out flasking, sprinkling and the bark method. I do not know for sure, if ludisia have any endosperm but I think its worth a shot. As for the bark method, I saw it on this Austrian webpage, I cant remember their names, but they said to collect the bark from a tree in the forest. I think its just necessary to collect it from a tree with significant amount of fungal growth on the bark and then mist it with water frequently.

I do not know if any of this would work, but since I have seed pods, why not give it a shot. The contamintation factor in the flasking of seed pods does scare me a quite a little.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'm not certain about any hidden details to the sphagnum moss method, but like you said, it could be complicated. It is entirely possible that it could be the turkish towel method you're referring to.

I'll have to look.

[Royal]

Originally Posted by ludisia29

I do not know for sure, if ludisia have any endosperm but I think its worth a shot.

Many terrestrial species contain some endosperm. But endosperm is not required for traditional, symbiotic germination methods. Sometimes the endosperm can help things along, but it's not enough (in any seed) to sustain a developing protocorm. EVERY orchid in the world has seed that germinates one way or another. Sowing seed in the potting media of the mother is really an attempt at symbiotic germination, and therefore would not require endosperm. Good luck.

[Royal]

Originally Posted by ludisia29

Do I pluck the pod off the plant or wait till it falls off?

It won't fall off. Once it starts to split, cut it off and allow it to dry in a coffee filter for a week or so. There's not a lot of fleshy tissue in these seed capsules so it should be pretty dry already. Once dry, most of the seed should come out with a few gentle taps. Just be sure to do this inside in an area with no drafts - as JohnD said, the seeds are like dust. Dry seed can be stored for quite a while so you can sow some a few different ways, and save the rest for later. By then you'll know which method gives the higher yield.

[ludisia29]

I noticed one seed pod splitting yesterday. It is the largest of the two. I didn´t want to lose any of the seeds inside the pod, so I cut the pod off and I am keeping it in a dry place. I guess I will let it dry for a week then, before deciding which method is better. Thanks for the tip, I did not know that the seed pod could be kept for so long, after it has been cut away from the mother plant.

[Royal]

When storing seed, moisture is the enemy. Once it dries for a few days harvest the seed from the capsule and store the seed in a little packet. The capsule tissue can only cause you problems, no need to keep it.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If you're gonna store seeds, make sure there aren't any debris from the capsule in it.

Many places that sell orchid seeds store them at a temperature of 4 degrees C. And even then there's a shelf life. Fortunately terrestrials have a longer shelf life than epiphytes do. I'm not sure how long under refrigeration though.

[ludisia29]

Wow..4 degrees C is pretty low. Thats almost like storing red wine. But no, I do not intend to store it for longer than a week. I´ll decide which way I feel like going with the pods and try it out, hopefully by this weekend. I´m still waiting for the other seed pod to mature. I´ll remove the capsule tissue completely then, since it will only do it harm.

Thank you all very much for your advice. This has been very helpful and I´ve certainly learnt more over the past few days, than I have from the 3 or 4 books I have. haha