How long do Paphiopedilums take to germinate?

[Romeomffn]

I've sown 4 types of Paphs on 2/12/15. It's my first time so I used my older seeds in storage to practice on. Not sure if the seeds are just no longer viable or if I'm just being impatient. Any input from experienced growers?

[Romeomffn]

So I read that they are supposed to be kept in the dark for germination. So I moved them to inside a box. They seem to be starting to go the right direction.

[WhiteRabbit]

[AvantGardner]

What have you sewn them in? Flasks or pots?

[Romeomffn]

Flasks. I had a total of 9 flasks. Used half strength P668 from OSP. 1 got contamination, and three I guess the media did not set up right. It looks like jello mush after the bottles got bumped around. I ditched them. So far I still have 5 that are doing well.

[Ray]

I have only made a couple of paph crosses, sent to a lab for culturing. They both too 6-7 months to germinate.

[naoki]

I don't have personal experience of Paph seed germination. It probably depends on species, but in P. wardii, germination started after 3 months or so (under the optimized condition). Asymbiotic seed germination, seedling development and reintroduction of Paphiopedilum wardii Sumerh., an endangered terrestrial orchid
I think P668 is about 1/2 MS, so they used full strength P668 + some hormones. Darkness seems to enhance germination of many paph species. It appears that green pod method is better for this species (about 6 months after pollination), and if you let the fruit mature, seed dormancy develops in P. wardii.
BTW, if you search google scholar, you can get quite a lot of info about Paph seed germination.

slippertalk has lots of experienced people with paph asymbiotic propagation.

[AvantGardner]

Any updates? I don't know what would be more nerve wracking, sending them off waiting for a reply or watching and waiting and hoping every day...

[Romeomffn]

So far no contamination. The seeds on top of the media look like they are plumper than when I dropped them in. Not yet green, no germination yet. Still in a box in the dark. I check once or twice weekly. This is my version of trying to teach my ADD self some patience.