Can someone grow orchids from seeds please?

[karinpointner]

Hello everyone,
I'm new here so I hope I'm on the correct page. I am looking for someone that can grow orchids from seeds.
My garden here in Mexico is full of orchids. I got very fond of them so I would love to have some of their babies when I move to Quebec. I know it's not allowed to bring plants but I could take seeds. As I have no experience I don't want to try growing them myself and maybe loose them. If anybody could do that service for me I am happy to pay something or share the babies.
I really want to have babies of MY orchids and not buy the same species in Canada. Can anybody help?
Thanks for reading
Karin

[laopi]

I lived in toronto, I can help you,pm

peter

[karinpointner]

Yes please, that would be great! I could send the seeds by mail to you? Or would they get too cold? And what can I offer you for that service?

Is there a very good chance of them turning into real orchids or is it very risky/difficult? Did you already get many to reproduce?

I will be moving in march and would try to get seed capsules of all the ones blooming until then.
Can you also give me advice on what to do with these capsules until march? And when is a capsule actually ready to be cut off?

I hope I'm not annoying you with that many questions, please excuse. I'm really excited that someone answered me!
Thank you!!!
Karin

[greengarden]

If you were over this part of the world I would have happily helped you too, it's good fun for novice flaskers to get different species to play with. I would put each seperate species pod into a well sealed envelope and label with what it is, if you don't know take a photo, print it out and stick it on the front of the envelope. That way when the flasks are made up if they can't be labelled with a name at the very least laopi can stick the photo on the flask so you know whick one it was.

Keep in mind though that it will take quite a few years before you have orchids at flowering size again as the flasking itself can take 12 months or more depending on the species.

[laopi]

check you pm.

[karinpointner]

Yes, I'm aware it takes a long time for them to grow up but that doesn't matter. They would be the orchids from my garden, so they are already special even if just green.
I found some article on sterilizing the seeds. From what I understand I would do this:
Sterilize the capsule in hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes, then dip it in alcohol and put it over a flame for a second... then in the dry, sealed envelop. Does that sound alright to you? I would be happy for any advice you can give me!
Thanks,
Karin

[camille1585]

No need to sterilize them before sending, that will have to be done again anyway before sowing, as the envelop, and your hands are not sterile.

I hope you already have lots of seed pods growing already. If you pollinate now March is not that far away, so depending on the orchids they pods may not be ripe by then.

What sort of orchids are they?

[karinpointner]

If I would just know that! The white ones in flower now are Brassavolas. Then there is another cattleya in flower. Big greenish/white flower that starts smelling super nice as soon as the sun goes down.
The rest: I just have no idea what they are. One is growing a capsule since a couple of weeks, another capsule of a different species is there already since a couple of months.
I guess if you don't know the species there is no telling of when it's ripe until you open it?

[camille1585]

Depends if the person sowing the seeds prefers to work with green pods or dry seed. A mature pod will start to yellow before splitting open at which point you'd better tie a coffee filter around it so that you don't lose all the seed. For green pod harvest, I don't know how to tell when it's ready.