Growing orchids from seed a little differently

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Vanda lover

I have read that before the modern methods were developed, growers used to plant the seeds all around the parent plant and hope that a few would survive. The parents roots can contain what is necessary for the seeds to germinate. This can sometimes work.

When the orchid hobby first started out, yes, this was the method of sowing seeds. It was still highly unreliable and the yield was extremely low, with low protocorm or seedling survivability, hence why massive amounts of orchids were still stripped bare from the wild.

It was also part of the reason why orchids commanded very high prices back in the days. Back then only the affluent and their friends had access to orchids. Now everybody can have access to grow them.

The asymbiotic in-vitro method of sowing seeds was invented for the purposes of increasing yield and survivability. It is thanks to asymbiotic in-vitro methods that everybody and their grandparents now own a myriad of Phalaenopsis of some sort or other, with scores more where they came from.

Those kinds of yields just don't exist with ex-vitro methods.

If we were still relying on ex-vitro methods commercially, a Cattleya would be a super rare novelty item that could cost thousands of $$$.

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by Vanda lover

I have read that before the modern methods were developed, growers used to plant the seeds all around the parent plant and hope that a few would survive. The parents roots can contain what is necessary for the seeds to germinate. This can sometimes work.

This method did have a fair degree of success at the time, if you define success as getting 3 seedlings from a pod, but it was the only choice they had at the time. It worked because a high percentage of the parent plants were wild collected and brought the necessary fungus with them from the wild. Today, with most plants coming from mericloning or sterile seed sowing, the fungus just isn't very commonly available. Only plants grown outside in areas with related wild orchids nearby, or maybe in very well used old greenhouses, are likley to have the fungus to make this work at all.

[Vanda lover]

It's a shame that it isn't easier for the average person to create their our hybrids, but the growers do have to be able to make some money.

[DavidL_MO]

From several articles I have found, growers in South Africa have had good luck starting SA Disa uniflora in Nutrient Agar or combinations of nutrient agar with boiled damp moss.

Has anyone tried this?

I am a masochist and am going to give it a try.

Disa uniflora is supposedly one of the easier terrestrials to grow from seed though not as easy as such American orchids as Dactylorhiza fuchsii Common Spotted wild orchid.

Thoughts? Other than I am freaking nuts?

[OCRC_Dir_China]

Originally Posted by The Orchid Boy

Are there any good books or websites that go into detail about orchid seed propagation?

I would only recommend Dr. Joseph Arditti Micropropagation of Orchids comes is a two book set.
I have all his books and most everything he has ever published in the OCRC library.

[DavidL_MO]

Thanks. Will check it out as I love books as much or more than I love Orchids.

[OCRC_Dir_China]

Originally Posted by DavidL_MO

Thanks. Will check it out as I love books as much or more than I love Orchids.

Dr. Joseph Arditti started his passion for orchids back in 1959, and he has written many books about how to propagate orchid seeds and tissue; and he is a worldwide well known authority on the subject.

I have studied his work for forty years, he is a great orchidologist.

[hcastil3]

I love reading these posts

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by DavidL_MO

From several articles I have found, growers in South Africa have had good luck starting SA Disa uniflora in Nutrient Agar or combinations of nutrient agar with boiled damp moss.

Has anyone tried this?

I am a masochist and am going to give it a try.

Disa uniflora is supposedly one of the easier terrestrials to grow from seed though not as easy as such American orchids as Dactylorhiza fuchsii Common Spotted wild orchid.

Thoughts? Other than I am freaking nuts?

Disa uniflora is supposed to be able to germinate well without asymbiotic in-vitro methods. However, I've tried multiple times and have never succeeded. I just don't know what I've done wrong.

I would probably just send these to the lab or home sow it yourself in-vitro.

From growing the plant itself, I find it odd that people have had success with the methods they post on blogs. Disa uniflora doesn't really grow all that wet. They grow constantly moist. If you grew them wet, they'll rot - and fast.

[Fairorchids]

@KOOG: This may be semantics, but to some people 'not dry' may mean 'wet'.

@VL: To sow around roots of an established plant, you pretty much have to grow in a spaghnum mix. You have to select a plant that has been in the pot for at least 9-12 months (to have some hope of the fungus having been introduced).

You have to water gently to avoid washing seeds away.

Then, if you are lucky. You might get 3-10 sedlings from one out of every 10 pods sown.

Compare this with paying a lab $125 or so, for 5 flasks with 25-35 seedling seach (provided that the seed is viable).

Now you have to grow them 3-8 years to see some blooms. What is the production cost per plant - compared with what you can buy from Hawaii (or Taiwan)?