my first flask seedlings

[talyce66]

I was given a flask of seedlings at the local orchid society meeting last month, which is the first time I have even seen one. The man giving them out probobly regretted giving me this after all the questions I had. He said to plant them when it gets warm. Well, its been warm and it is April now. I dont want to kill them. It is now called Epi viviparum, once called Coilostylis vivipara. What should I use for medium? I have spagnum moss and bark on hand. I understand a community pot. I am guessing the smallest pot I can find. Any advice or special instructions? I have Garden Safe Brand Fungicide 3 concentrate for fungicide. Do I mix some up to dip the seedlings in? What proportions? Should I find something different? So many questions!

[Phantasm]

Spring is always the best time to plant seedlings. I plant in a fine bark mix which has been soaked prior to potting for a few days. Don't plant in a dry mix!

Get the plants out of the flask without disturbing them too much. It depends on the flask, some you can put a bit of water in the bottle and jiggle it and they will almost pour out of the flask. If they are in too tight they you have to break the flask. Wrap the flask in newspaper or a towel and rap it with a hammer. Be careful of the glass shards.

Wash the agar off the roots and pot into the community pot. They like to be close to each other when they are young, so if you can put the entire clump intact in the pot that will be easiest.

Some people use fungicide, others don't. If you do, then water the plants with it and let it dry out for a couple of days then water again. Keep in fairly low light and keep them warm. Remember they are babies and a pretty tender. When they start getting some root growth, fertilize them weakly. You should see pretty quick growth.

Good luck!

[TheNewGuy]

What is a flask may I ask? And what do orchid seeds actually look like? I've never seen any.

[moonieromance]

In the interest of being more "gentle," Is it okay to leave some agar on the roots?

[Phantasm]

Yes, it is okay to leave some agar on the roots. In fact, some people just put the entire clump, agar and all in the compot but I wouldn't recommend that. Some agar doesn't hurt anything, and perhaps it helps the plant adjust a bit but that is just a guess.

[Royal]

Phantasm pretty much covered it.

The plants are sterile inside the flask so there is no need for fungicide -- yet. Make sure any medium is new and clean. Also, some seedlings HATE getting misted. Not sure about this particular variety.

New guy, Orchid seeds are like dust. They are so small that there is little or no energy for a seed to "germinate" the way we normally would think. In nature germination is somewhat rare, but we can germinate most seed on a sterile gel, like a petri dish. The gel and plants are inside a clear glass vessel (flask) so the plants will have light. This gel grows fungi and mold really well, so everything including the seed, must be sterile!

[TheNewGuy]

So, If I wanted to harvest seeds from one of my own orchids, how would I go about doing that?