Sterilizing The Bleach Method

[bazinga]

Hello,

I just got a new shipment of seeds in.



I really enjoyed making the newbie guides to seed sowing and flasking. This time I am going to make guides to flasking with p668 and also sterilizing dry seeds with bleach.

I have read about the bleach process but am asking the pros for any tips that they use to make it a bit easier. If you have any tips please let me know. I should be doing this next weekend (July 6, 2013) and any help or tips is greatly appreciated.

[bazinga]

Ok, I am going to try to get this thread started by explaining what I have read and what I think I will be doing.

1: I am going to let the seeds soak in a sugar water solution over night. ( 1TBL spoon sugar to 1 cup water)

2: Inside my glove box, I will suck the seeds and bleach solution ( 1 part bleach to 9 parts distilled water ) into a syringe and shake it around for 10 min.

3: To filter out the bleach solution, I am going to use a coffee filter pretreated with peroxide and push out the bleach.

Like this, but it will be done inside the glove box.


4: To rinse the seeds, I am going to suck distilled water into the syringe and shake it around for about 3 min. Using the method shown above I will push out the distilled water. ( I am going to do 2 rinses)

5: At this point I am not sure what I am going to do.

Would it be easier for me to squirt some of the seeds and water onto the media?

Should I do the final rinse onto the coffee filter and then use a replate fork to scoop them up and place them on the media?

I have never tried the bleach method before. Am I doing to much, to little? Any help is appreciated.

[WhiteRabbit]

good luck!

[Island Girl]

Originally Posted by bazinga

Hello,

I just got a new shipment of seeds in.

[...]I really enjoyed making the newbie guides to seed sowing and flasking. This time I am going to make guides to flasking with p668 and also sterilizing dry seeds with bleach.[....]

Sorry, I'm just here giving you a "bump"! I really enjoyed reading, and following all your tutorials! So Thank You! I hope to do this one day, and I'd like to learn as much as possible in the mean time. Have you considered doing Roby's (bleach) gaseous sterilization technique as well?...Perhaps in another tutorial ? (It's in the Sticky: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...seedlings.html)

Either way, I can't wait to see this (liquid) bleach method you're doing now!

[bazinga]

Yah I have read that sterilizing method. I really liked it too. For me, since I am very new to germinating orchid seeds, I kinda want to stay in the realm where there is lots of information. I do believe my first attempt didn't work cause I didn't know that light would change the peroxide to water. My next attempt is going to be with the bleach and also again with peroxide. When I finally get something working, I know for me, that is when I am going to start trying different methods.

There is actually three main reasons I am making all the tutorials.
1: I find it fun and I know it will help lots of people trying to do this.
2: Every time I make a tutorial I learn more and more from others which then eventually should equal a successful germination.
3: Everything that I am trying is being documented online and I can refer to it later when trying something new.

Them main thing that I have learned from all this is orchids are all about gaining knowledge and then experimenting till you find the right groove that works for you.

[roby]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Either way, I can't wait to see this (liquid) bleach method you're doing now!

This is the traditional method that is used in all laboratories in the world

Mine is just a way for us amateurs who do not have adequate equipment.

[EstebanJ]

Good luck!!
Just remember to sterilize the distilled water that you use for rinsing in step 4.
Let us know how it works!!