Paph. Hsinying Anita x Sanderianum flask ready to pot?

[PaphLover]

So excited!!!! The vendors told me they wouldn't send this flask because it wasn't good quality.

When I went to pick up my pre-order, the guy came back with this.





I couldn't believe it! Plus, I hadn't budgeted for it, so I was short, but the vendor took pity on me and sold it to me for $40 cheaper than I had been quoted.

Now, the serious questions...
1. The plants look good to me, so not sure why they didn't want to send. How do they look to you? Maybe I got someone else's flask?

2. How quickly should I be removing from the flask? There are two leaves browning, and I don't want any more to be affected. I've ordered Inocucor and KelpMax from Ray, but am not sure when I'll be able to drive to the US to get them (I'd prefer to unflask them with these two additives to improve chances of survival. These are precious paphs to me!)

3. I would like to try Ray's method of simply taking entire 'puck' of agar and flasklings and popping them directly into one semi-hydro compot pot.

Knock on wood, all my orchids in s/h have done really well for me and are healthier and happier than the few others I still have in moss or bark. Hence my leaning towards s/h. Any reason to suspect this cross will not do well in s/h?

4. Any hints for success? This will be my first paph flask (I also preordered and got a flask of Paph. helenae).

[Optimist]

Do you have one of those orchid care books? They usually have step by step instructions. I have never done it, but know you need to keep things sterile, sort them out, place them in compotes with seedling sized medium, then tenderly and lovingly care for them. If there is agar in there, you wash it off by soaking them in water, I am thinking room temp. There are some you tube videos about un-flasking, or de-flasking. Why not check those out?

[PaphLover]

Originally Posted by Optimist

Do you have one of those orchid care books? They usually have step by step instructions. I have never done it, but know you need to keep things sterile, sort them out, place them in compotes with seedling sized medium, then tenderly and lovingly care for them. If there is agar in there, you wash it off by soaking them in water, I am thinking room temp. There are some you tube videos about un-flasking, or de-flasking. Why not check those out?

Thanks for replying, Optimist. Yes, there's lots of good YouTube videos out there.

I got a flask of phals last year, so I'm not completely a flask virgin, but was wondering mostly about going straight from flask to s/h with paphs. I'll have to go back to FirstRays to try and find the article about dropping flasklings, agar and all, into s/h.

Curious if anyone else has tried this method, besides Ray, the expert, and how it worked for you.

[dounoharm]

they sure are nice ones!! where did you get them if I might ask?

[PaphLover]

I found Ray's comment, in case anyone was wondering about the method...

[QUOTE=Ray;794711]I have been successful in the flask-to-S/H process both as individual plants extracted from the agar, or with the agar block intact.

In the case of the intact block, bury the block to the depth of the agar, then as it dissolves and breaks down,you just drop a few pellets into the voids, keeping the plant depth constant.

---------- Post added at 09:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 PM ----------

Originally Posted by dounoharm

they sure are nice ones!! where did you get them if I might ask?

Thanks!