Buy Seeds - Seller recommendation

[Metallising]

Hi,

This is probably the most recurrent subject in this sub forum on this board.
So here it goes again: Can someone give me some advice on where to get seeds from a reputable seller?

I have found people selling seeds online but not trustworthy IMO.
I asked to my local orchid association but no luck, I sent messages to dozens of people I follow on Facebook related to orchids but no one have seeds for sale.

There's an Australian guy on Facebook selling seeds: Flask List

Has anyone tried to get seeds from him?

I have Bletillas seeds for trade if anyone is interested.

Thanks.

[estación seca]

Bump. Almost all orchid flowers wilt and die as soon as pollinated, so most hobbyists don't want that to happen.

Almost nobody allows seeds to form on their orchids unless they want to grow them up themselves.

If you offered members of your local society a bit of money they might be willing to do some pollinating and saving of seed for you.

[fishmom]

Are you looking for something in particular, or are you just interested in flasking your own orchids? I occasionally get a seed pod on one of my Den. kingianums, and I have harvested and shared them with friends. However there is no guarantee as to the breeding as they are naturally pollinated.

[Dollythehun]

I also have a Tolumnia with a pod I could save for you.

[Metallising]

As there is so many people looking for seeds and no offer I see a good business opportunity here: Producing seed pods
Ok, I might be exaggerating. However for those with a nice collections why not pollinate one or two flowers in each plant every time they are flowering? A seed pod from a rare plant might worth as much as the plant itself.

fishmom what species do you have close to your kingianums ? Others Dens.? I would be interested.

I have been thinking it would be easier for me to pick nice plants and do some tissue culturing. I have done phals successfully. Other species require different techniques I had to learn.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Metallising

However for those with a nice collections why not pollinate one or two flowers in each plant every time they are flowering? A seed pod from a rare plant might worth as much as the plant itself.

Few people wish to go through the effort and time necessary for growing orchids from seed. So generally there isn't a big market for them. Pod development also takes quite a long time -- often 4 months or more. Many people do not want to look at a seed capsule/pod hanging on a stem or leave it there draining the plant's resources for that long. Add to that that once a pod is ripe for harvest, there is a very narrow window of opportunity for it to be used before the seeds are dead. So generally speaking, it simply isn't worth it to most people.

[Metallising]

Not sure on how big the market for orchid seeds is but on my quest for getting seeds I have seen many people asking for it on various online platforms.
Yes seed pods need their time to develop, most species won't have their pods ready before 9-12 months of maturing. Vandas up to 20 months.
If collected and properly stored (dry and cold), seeds can last years but germination is more successful during the first year.
Last week I sowed Encyclia seeds with 10 months that have been stored at room temperature, I could see signs of germination in 3-4 days and germination rate is probably higher than 90%. So one could say even after 10 months seeds still viable. Of course this may vary with species.

[fishmom]

The plants that might be pollinators are all kingianums or kingianum hybrids. If you like, I will watch out this spring and see if anything materializes. I could let you know. Is it legal to send seeds from the U.S. to Portugal?

[Dollythehun]

That was my question too. I will do likewise.

[Metallising]

Thanks!
Yes it is legal and there's no need for any certificate when importing ornamental plants seeds.
I can pay you shipping costs via Paypal.

If germination goes well I can send you back a small flask with 4-6 seedlings from your own seeds. However this will take no less than 6 months until seedlings are big enough for their Atlantic trip back home.

Concerning the pods on your plants, let them grow until they start yellowing for best seed viability.