Is flasking the only way or is there an easier way?

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Optimist

It seems that food grade Agar-Agar powder (a "vegan" gelatin made with seaweed) is available in Indonesia. This is the stuff that is on the bottom of the flask. Just saying-- the grocery store!!! Other things needed for sanitary condition, gloves, bleach to clean, should not be that hard to find. Clean boiled canning jars, plastic lids instead of metal lids.

If you want to be a real do-it-yourselfer, check out Kitchen style | Search Results | Dokmai Dogma

While it is not a perfect medium, it works. You can get all of the stuff including agar at stores similar to Whole Paycheck, and/or the grocery store. Worked for me.

The germination method that worked for me is at:

Very Easy Sterilisation Method - My Seedlings

[Bulbopedilum]

Interesting. I will try to flask using those techniques. Can I replace the sodium hypochloride with normal bleach?

[slarm]

Originally Posted by Bulbopedilum

Interesting. I will try to flask using those techniques. Can I replace the sodium hypochloride with normal bleach?

Sodium hypochlorite is bleach.

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Household bleach is, in general, a solution containing 3–8% sodium hypochlorite, by weight, and 0.01–0.05% sodium hydroxide;

I tried bleach fume sterilization and it was a complete failure. I would not trust it at all. But perhaps I did it wrong.

[dansyr]

Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), yep, ordinary bleach is great. It's what I use. It's also not a bad idea to double check the dilution factor reported by your source - commercial bleach is usually 5-8% hypochlorite, so just double-check whether your source is specifying the final NaClO concentration or the dilution of the "stock" commercial bleach. This fooled me once

Edit: to clarify - I use commercial bleach to soak-sterilize my seeds or explants. Not for this bleach fumigating method. Never tried it.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by slarm

I tried bleach fume sterilization and it was a complete failure. I would not trust it at all. But perhaps I did it wrong.

It doesn't work very well, and it is extremely noxious. This is something I wouldn't do unless you have a big room to get away from the fumes. They are really strong.

[slarm]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

It doesn't work very well, and it is extremely noxious. This is something I wouldn't do unless you have a big room to get away from the fumes. They are really strong.

I was doing it outdoors, but I also had diluted the bleach which is probably why it did not work. After I realized how simple pressure cooking them is, coupled with inoculating over a steam plume, I would not try the vapor technique again. My only concern is down the line for replates which is something I haven't done. Steam plume won't work for that because it would cook the protocorms, but I'll be trying aseptic technique.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Interesting that the bleach fume method works for some but not for others. When I tried it, i was flasking Cattlianthe seeds. I had hundreds of seeds germinate.

Maybe other seeds are more sensitive to this technique?

[slarm]

My issue was not seed sterility (well, possibly) but a lack of sterilization. The flask I tried to use bleach vapor on was one of the first to become infected.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by slarm

My issue was not seed sterility (well, possibly) but a lack of sterilization. The flask I tried to use bleach vapor on was one of the first to become infected.

Same.