C. Hardyana Flask

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

The seedlings in that flask are WAY too small for deflasking (seller should be ashamed).

Too late now, but if you ever have this happen again, you can save the flask by taking it outside into bright sunlight, and use a magnifying glass to burn away the mold (without opening the flask). You can then let the seedlings develop to normal size before deflasking.

Wow! Now that is something I had never even thought of! Great bit of info there.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

The seedlings in that flask are WAY too small for deflasking (seller should be ashamed).

Too late now, but if you ever have this happen again, you can save the flask by taking it outside into bright sunlight, and use a magnifying glass to burn away the mold (without opening the flask). You can then let the seedlings develop to normal size before deflasking.

that is BRILLIANT!

[Dorchid]

This does sound wicked cool. My only concern would be that any heating may cause spores to be ejected/dislodged by air movement or boiling and popping of the media. Definitely to be used before the molds have sporulated if possible, I would think.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i was thinking the benefit is that there would be no combustion and thus a decreased likelihood that there would be any gas exchange...just enough heat to kill the spores you don't want.

no matter what it has to be better than a mold growth destroying the whole flask anyways i'd wager

[isurus79]

I made a video on this topic today. So far, these plants are doing really well!

Emergency Cattleya Deflasking - YouTube

[isurus79]

Another update on the flasklings: Update II- Cattleya Hardyana Flasklings - YouTube

[smweaver]

Yay! Glad that you have quite a nice collection of tiny Hardyana seedlings. What exactly is the make-up of the mix that they're growing in (I may have asked this before--in which case you're welcome to sigh in exasperation and then semi-politely steer me to that particular post)?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Yay! Glad that you have quite a nice collection of tiny Hardyana seedlings. What exactly is the make-up of the mix that they're growing in (I may have asked this before--in which case you're welcome to sigh in exasperation and then semi-politely steer me to that particular post)?

Don't worry, if you asked previously I don't remember it! lol

I've got ecoweb on the bottom and cypress mulch above it.

[smweaver]

So how are the Hardyana seedlings doing, Steve? Would you mind posting an updated photo or two? I'm very seriously thinking about ordering a couple of flasks to experiment with (not of Cattleya Hardyana, but a couple of cattleya species instead). I just need to see some visual signs of someone else's success to give me a bit of confidence. :-)

And you're using just plain cypress mulch, yes? That's not proven to either be too acidic or decompose too readily?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by smweaver

So how are the Hardyana seedlings doing, Steve? Would you mind posting an updated photo or two? I'm very seriously thinking about ordering a couple of flasks to experiment with (not of Cattleya Hardyana, but a couple of cattleya species instead). I just need to see some visual signs of someone else's success to give me a bit of confidence. :-)

And you're using just plain cypress mulch, yes? That's not proven to either be too acidic or decompose too readily?

Hi Steve,
The seedlings are doing really well! I can't say they've done anything remarkable since November, which is why I haven't done an update video. Check out the photo below. The window sill they're in gets pretty chilly, so I suspect that's the reason why they've slowed down a bit. I'll kick these guys outside in early April and drill holes in the bottom of the container and water them regularly, alongside their older Cattleya brethren.

The media I used is a cypress mix, which I've since found is not great for Cattleyas because it breaks down quickly. My friends in the South (the true South, not Austin which is closer to the Southwest) use pure cypress mulch with great success. It's cheap and breaks down slowly, if you can find it! I'll use orchiata for the Hardyana seedlings when they're large enough for a repot. I'll continue using the cypress mulch mix for my Catasetums, which love to sit in rotting wood.

Cattleya Hardyana seedlings by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr