Time line for seeds to go from sewing to seedling?

[Orchid Whisperer]

My question refers to Cattleya alliance in particular (seeds of Cattlianthe Golden Wax). Advice would be greatly appreciated from anyone that has sewn their own orchid seeds before.

I sewed some flasks with these seeds on September 4, 2013. They germinated in late September (before Sept. 24), I have a few flasks of little protocorms at the moment. Without magnification, they look like yellow-green corn meal on the surface of the agar. Magnified, they appear as tiny yellow-green spheres with short, slender, clear "needles" projecting from them.

This is my first time germinating orchid seed at home, and I was wondering, for a Cattleya alliance plant, can anyone give a rough time (weeks or months), from seed-sewing, to get to the following milestones (not necessarily in order):

1. Protocorms develop first small leaves

2. Protocorms or seedlings develop first roots

3. Seedlings are old enough to photosynthesize / make their own sugars (assume = leaf development?).

3. Seedlings are likely to be old enough to survive re-plating/transfer to a new flask/agar

4. Seedlings likely to be old enough that re-plating/transfer to a new flask/agar will be needed

5. Seedlings are old enough to survive transfer to a community "pot" or terrarium (no agar needed for survival; fine orchid medium instead)

Feel free to add other milestones that you feel may be of interest. I would appreciate any comments or advice regarding what to expect, or how to get through the process successfully.

Thanks!

[Brooke]

I've done several Catt crosses, along with many other species, and there are not precise answers to any of your questions. Each and every species reacts differently.

Most will take at least a year before they need replating, some longer than that. When they use up the food in the mother flask, you replate.

The light you are growing under doesn't really make the protocorm grow - it is the food in the container supplying the nutrients. I've never had to replate protocorms, they have always had leaves and roots before the transfer. I grow under fluro lights and the fc's they receive is very low - probably 400-500 fc. Warmth is more important than light.

I have deflasked without replating but you will have to grow them another year, when they should be in a jar, but it can be done. I did it because the cross was important to me and was afraid I would contaminate the replate jar.

From the date you did the cross, to your first bloom, six or seven years if you are lucky.

BTW I use the term I did the flasking, replating, etc. I did not do it but I gave my husband all kinds of advice when he did it for me

Brooke

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by brooke

I've done several Catt crosses, along with many other species, and there are not precise answers to any of your questions. Each and every species reacts differently.

Most will take at least a year before they need replating, some longer than that. When they use up the food in the mother flask, you replate.

The light you are growing under doesn't really make the protocorm grow - it is the food in the container supplying the nutrients. I've never had to replate protocorms, they have always had leaves and roots before the transfer. I grow under fluro lights and the fc's they receive is very low - probably 400-500 fc. Warmth is more important than light.

I have deflasked without replating but you will have to grow them another year, when they should be in a jar, but it can be done. I did it because the cross was important to me and was afraid I would contaminate the replate jar.

From the date you did the cross, to your first bloom, six or seven years if you are lucky.

BTW I use the term I did the flasking, replating, etc. I did not do it but I gave my husband all kinds of advice when he did it for me

Brooke

Hi Brooke, and thanks for the advice!

I assumed that since the protocorm was sort of a yellow-green, there was at least a little chlorophyll in there & it was helping a bit (maybe not yet - good to know).

Whether they are photosynthesizing or not, the flasks are currently close enough to my T8 fluor. lights that they are getting some warmth. Just enough to to make the humidity (light condensation) inside each jar move to the opposite side of the flask from the light.

Good to know that there may be a choice between re-plating or not when the time comes. I was sort of wondering about this. I do want to try replating to new medium with some of the seedlings, but if I have an abundance of small plants, I may try growing some without replating, and I am thinking of some alternatives to agar medium for growing some others (I am working on an alternative for a few that is sort of like vase culture, in miniature - hard to explain - there will be water a couples times a day, humidity, but no growing medium)

"BTW I use the term I did the flasking, replating, etc. I did not do it but I gave my husband all kinds of advice when he did it for me"

HA!!! That's a good husband you have there! My DW will be willing to flask & re-plate my orchids right after the monkeys fly out of my b....... oh well, never mind. You get the idea.

Cheers! Have a good weekend.

[Island Girl]

Congrats on germinating your first flask!!! Good Job! I've been deflasking lots of seedlings this year, but haven't ventured into doing the flasking myself, despite having pollinated a couple orchids... So my hats off to you! I'm not that brave yet, lol

I'd love to see pics... I know what they look like, but it's exciting that you got germination, & I think u should share pics! It would also be interesting to know how long all the stages you outlined take for your particular cross, & I hope you will update as the year or two passes by, making note of when/how long it takes for each stage to happen? I would follow it!


Y'all are funny talking about your significant others! Had me laughing out loud!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Hi Mary Linn!

My orchid seed-sewing experiment has been a bit of a journey so far. I made a simple self-cross of my plant back in mid December 2012. The seed pods ripened in late August 2013. I've posted the details on another forum, may re-post them here!

I decided to go all homemade with my materials, etc. There is an excellent thread started by Roby in the propagation forum on a bleach fume method for seed disinfection; recommended reading! I used that method & also a conventional sewing technique.

Thanks for your interest! I'll post more when I'm not on my phone.

[Island Girl]

Oh yes, I love that thread that Roby posted! It really seems like the way to go, for us hobby/small-time grower/flaskers... When I get up the nerve to try flasking myself, I will use that method for sure!! I would love to see your process, if you wouldn't mind re-posting, although, I think I have seen the thread you posted on the Geeks forum, but wouldn't mind seeing it again, & I'm sure there are others here that would love to see it as well! I'm always up for learning more! (lol, & in some cases, it takes reading something more than once! )