burnt orchid seedlings from flask

[crazynewtoorchids]

Hi i am new so be patient i've read most of the forum and it is so good. i bought a flask from e bay $20.00 and got it today it was mush. Worst of all the roots was burnt black the plants was small 1 inch and smaller I did have 4 big plants their roots was nice and firm and big but burnt out at the top. is this normal or very weird. i never de-flask so i thought it would be nice. i contacted the seller they don't make refunds but i am waiting for a respond. what to do? can the babies be saved? or just try another vendor and cross my fingers....

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Most of them will not make it. Many don't have roots and are too small. The larger ones have roots, but they don't look strong (I think if you're fortunate enough, a couple will pull through...).

This is too advanced for someone starting out. Count this as a loss.

Most of those seedlings should've gone right back into in-vitro culture to grow out more.

I recommend growing adult sized orchids first. Flasks are not for beginner's as you can see. There are too many technical details for you to understand.

If you want good beginner's recommendations, I can give you a few.

What kind of orchid seedlings are they? I'm guessing they're Oncidiums or some sort of Oncidium relative. Am I right?

[crazynewtoorchids]

i've been messing around with orchids for 2 years, Phal, Den, and 2 Catt i have about 40 in good conditions. They are doing good not great so i figured i'll give the flask a chance. Since i just moved from a home to apartment (NJ to TX) i wanted to mess around with a indoor hobby. The flask was a ENCYCLIA AMANDA X SELF (SPECIES). i was looking at homes and a person pass away her daughter gave me about 20 flasks from her mom (the huge 50+ plants) since she didn't want it after her mom passed. So before i did anything i figure i mess around with something i bought since these were her mom babies i can't kill/sell them so i am trying other species to get into it before the flasks need de-flasking.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You want seedlings that are more established to try out first.

One online vendor who sells established seedlings for an affordable price is Clackamas Orchids. You can also find them on Ebay under "canbyorchids".

If you decide you don't feel like bidding, buy from them directly. If you decide that bidding will give the better price, buy from them on Ebay.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I also think you should focus on getting your current collection going so you understand orchids better.

My opinion is you're trying to handle too much at the same time.

You might just have to sell the flasks that were offered to you. I don't think you have the time.

If you want other opinions on the matter, you can post something under the "Propagation" section or the "Beginner's Forum" and see if what you get for answers resembles my answer.