Aerangis Kotschyana seed pods?

[Wjs2nd]

1. Can Aerangis Kotschyana be self pollinated? I have one in flower and wanted to self it.
2. My second question is, if it can be self-ed, how long will it take the seed pod to mature?

Thanks for any help you can provide!
Bill

[glengary54]

The following was taken from:

Aerangis at B & T World Seeds kotschyana&sref=402736
Germination guide for Aerangis kotschyana


These notes are a general guide, it is recommended to check specialist literature for some of the more unusual seeds in our lists.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice by Professor Norman C. Deno Some knowledge about growing from seed is necessary to germinate even the easiest seeds. Most seeds require humidity to germinate, even desert plants like Welwitschia mirabilis require that their growing medium remains moist until germination. Most seeds require oxygen to germinate, if buried too deep in their growing medium, or if the medium is too wet, the seeds may not get the oxygen they require.
Some seeds need to be in the light (surface sown) or in the dark (sown deep enough to receive little or no light) to germinate. A rule of thumb is to cover the seeds their own width deep in the growing medium, but some seeds prefer to be sown much deeper, and some fairly large seeds like to be surface sown (or higher).
Many seeds germinate best at certain temperatures, some will germinate at a comparatively wide range of temperatures, yet others need fluctuating temperatures.
Almost all seeds are waiting in a dormant state for some outside stimulus to break their dormancy, some just need sufficiently high ambiant humidity, others need scarification, vernalization or to be passed through the intestines of an animal. Aerangis kotschyana seeds will usually germinate in 90-365 days, even under good conditions germination may be erratic.
Normally will only germinate with light so surface sow. Sow Aerangis kotschyana seeds on the surface of a Well drained seed sowing mix at about 22°C.

[Wjs2nd]

So after doing some more looking around on google, I was able to find out they can be self-ed. I still haven't found any info on seed pod time though.

[Bud]

Hey..Thanks Glen for the infos...you ROCK! WHOOOHOOOO!

[Wjs2nd]

The info is great Glen. I'm going to send the pod, maybe two, out to be flasked. Now I just need to know how long the pod takes to mature.

[glengary54]

Bill - I have had no luck finding any info on seed pod maturation times for this particular species but, what I have done in the past is looked at bloom time and rainy season in the species natural habitat. Most plants bloom in the rainy season for obvious reasons and to me it makes sense that they would also spread their seed in the next rainy season in order to give the seeds the best chance of germination. For Aerangis kotschyana the bloom (rainy) season is late falll to early winter, there is a secondary lighter rainy season in the summer. I would keep an eye on the pod starting in June for any changes. If by the end of summer it is nice and plump, I would cut it off and send it to a lab for green seed flasking and leave the second one on until it splits and send that one to the lab for dry seed flasking, if the the first flask shows no signs of germination. Hope this helps you some. Keep us posted on your progress.

[Wjs2nd]

Thank you for your suggestion! How fast does the seed pod start to turn brown (just a general idea as I'm sure it can be different)? I have some other resources I am going to check too. I'll keep everyone up dated to my progress. If everything is successful, then this will be my first seed pod(s).

[glengary54]

Bill - It is hard to say, Broughtonia sanguinea ripens in as few as 30 days while some Vandas can take as long as 365+ days. When a pod is ripe and before it starts to split, you will most times see the pod start to twist at the top of the pod and turn slightly yellow.

[calvin_orchidL]

Originally Posted by Wjs2nd

1. Can Aerangis Kotschyana be self pollinated? I have one in flower and wanted to self it.
2. My second question is, if it can be self-ed, how long will it take the seed pod to mature?

Thanks for any help you can provide!
Bill

Hi Bill

First, congratulations on blooming one of these awesome angraecoids. Whether a selfing will take is tricky to gauge, but in the past from what I've read online, aerangis are notoriously annoying to self and even out-crosses are a little tricky to set. However, I would highly encourage you to try it - there is not much harm.

The info Glen posted is good general information, but is not specific for orchid seeds, let alone Aerangis. Unfortunately there is very little literature on the appropriate conditions and medium for aerangis. I have heard some sources say that MS doesn't work, others that say P668 is the way to go.

I'll do some reading for you and post back here....of course, Troy Meyer is always a good place to go if you want him to flask seed for you!

As for maturation time, I'll check my books when I get home for this specific species...I believe Hillerman has documented it.

Good luck!

[Wjs2nd]

Thank you Calvin. That is who I was thinking of using. He has flasked these before. I tried the self and I guess we'll see what happens. I figure it is worth a try.