What is going on with my seeds?

[Therion9116]

Hi all, I'm fairly new to orchids, and I need some guidance. When I bought my first Phal. I was unknowingly buying possible babies. After I brought it home two seed capsules formed from 2 of the flowers, this was over a month ago. They got big and green, and this last week they have started to turn red. How mature are they? Any idea when I should harvest for the green pod method of flasking? (They are total NOID seeds, but I want to get the experience of flasking).

Here are some pictures:



~Brian

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

They may be NOID's, but they still can be placed in a genus whether species or hybrid. NOID usually implies people know the genus name but not the species, grex, or cultivar name.

These look like Phalaenopsis pods. Am I right?

If they're Phalaenopsis pods, and they only formed about a month ago, they've got a long ways ahead of them. For most Phals, approximately 195 days from the date of pollination will be when the pods are ripe. Others take up to 300 days or more.

I believe the shifting of the color is due to something related to sun exposure.

Regardless of the cause, it's the plant cell's pigmentation.

If you look along the length of the pod, you'll notice these grooves that run along it. Those grooves are the pod's axis. When the pod is mature, it will split along those grooves, usually starting from the base (the part of the pod connected to the spike).

[Royal]

Hey Brian,

They look pretty good to me. They do have a ways to go, but how long depends on your plans. As King said, it could take up to a year or more for the capsule to mature and split on its own (in my experience the capsules start splitting on the column/flower end). But Phal seed is usually mature enough to be sown from a green capsule at about 5 or 6 months, maybe even earlier if you had to. I personally like using dry mature seed, but many folks swear it's easier for them.

[Therion9116]

Thanks for the quick response. I know that Phal capsules take a decent amount of time to mature, I'm just a nervous "Dad" and wanted to make sure it wasn't unusual for them to go red.

One of the pods has a bit of a dry brown line along one of the grooves that King mentioned. You can see it in the first picture. Any idea what may have caused that?

Thanks again!
~Brian