Free seed pods

[susiep]

Great advice! Thanks.

[Orchidaholic]

Originally Posted by susiep

Just in case, I should get ready. Someone suggested surrounding the pod with a coffee filter. I can do that. What happens when it splits? Do the seeds spill out? Is it ok to cut it off after it splits? Then what? I promised seeds to some people. How do I package them? (ziplock, vial, etc) Thanks for any advice!

They look nice and plump, but they will take a little more time to mature. If the plant is doing good you can just keep an eye on the pods instead of wrapping it in the clumsy filters, maybe over one if your'e unsure. The pods usually start to turn yellow where they attach to the stem before they burst. I have an encyclia that was pollinated last summer(august i think, my pollenation book isn't in front of me at the moment) that looks just like those pods, with the exception of everything being purple from BRIGHT light. They are much older and have been plump like yours for months and show no signs of being fully developed yet. Some orchids have as much as a 13month gestation period, most 6-9 months for fully ripened seed pods, others(commonly terrestrials) ripen within a few weeks... It all depends on the specific species.
Once you do finally harvest the seeds you should dry them out. I usually gentely squeeze them till the rupture and put the whole capsule into a mailing envelope. Set the envelope in a cool & low humidity place for a few weeks. The pod can contain anywhere from 10,000 to 1,000,000 seeds per pod. If you are splitting them up you can, break the pod open over a piece of paper and place small amounts of seeds into tiny manila envelopes. I like to use the little ones that keys come in... Just make sure to do it with the fan off... :lol Make sure to not use plastics because they will retain moisture and possibly rot the seeds.
For storage, I place all the envelopes (labeled and categorized) into a wooden cigar box. The box is contained in a large freezer bag and in the crisper drawer of my fridge. Seeds can be stored for many years if kept properly.

Hope that helps!

[susiep]

Perfect! Thanks!

[Reba]

I would love to get some seeds from you! Im in Idaho.

[susiep]

Well the pods are still green! Maybe they aren't drying out too fast because of the high humidity here. I will keep you all posted when we have seeds!

[ghosoff]

Hi I was checking out your talk on these seed pod that you have and I just made a new glove box and got all new stuff to do some orchid propagation and I would be delighted!!! And would appreciate it if you would let me try with some if possible and when they reach seedling stage I will give u some!! And through out the propagation I will keep you updated with photos !! Then I also have a seed pod that is growing larger and I will give you a couple of those!! Thanks a lot ! you can pm me or get in touch with me at ghosoff@gmail.com


The white one is the mother the purple is the father!

[kagura]

Oh I would love to get some when the pod does burst. I've always wanted to try my hand at growing orchids from seeds!

[addictedcountryman]

If the offer is still good, i would love to try it.
Abby

[susiep]

Hello everyone! You will never believe this but these pods are still green! They haven't changed a bit. I will keep you all posted.

[ghosoff]

Hey everyone yeah I looked at your seed pods and seen they were so big and expected for mine to get the same size but I looked and saw that the species that I have the seed pod stays kinda small but I will let you guys know what is going on with it too!