Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! - Is there a 100% homemade media recipe that doen't require replating?

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- - Is there a 100% homemade media recipe that doen't require replating? (http://www.orchidboard.com/community/propagation/21111-100-homemade-media-recipe-doent-require-replating.html)

Well then keep asking! :) That's what the OB is all about - info exchange.

You all know that orchids can grow on almost everything: bark, mos, charcoal, coir, lava rock, alifor, soil, and even in water (nutrient solution, SH). So you can use gelatin, agar, starch or soil to grow seedling in vitro as long as you provide nutrient: fertilizer, sugar, etc… The main point is: are you sure that gelatin, starch and soil are better than agar, a standard gelling agent in vitro, that many Ph. D, professors, scientists, professionals suggest and are using it in their research lab, in manufacture green house? If you want to play just for fun, live in a place that you can not find agar or you want to re-invented the wheel to find out a new gelling agent or a better agent then no question ask. But if you want to get a healthy and good seedling then it’s better to use agar, in my opinion. You don’t want to spend 8 months then found out that your seedling are no bigger than needles. You need to use magnifying glass to see seedlings, hahaha, kidding. A picture for fun: seedlings are growing in soil in vitro (not too bad but not close to commercial media). Cheers, :twocents::twocents: :)

How would you sterilize seeds that are not in a pod. I have some I received from OSP in those little packets. Should I take the seeds out when they are outside of the case (such as putting them in large syringes with sterilizing agent) and then put them in the case and spraying them with clorox after they are in the syringes.

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by newflasker (Post 199548)

You've got a really good point there, newflasker. I myself wondered about that sort of thing too even after succesfully germinating some seeds on gelatin. This isn't exactly a new technique, and I'm sure lots of pionners of in vitro went through all the trial and error and arrived on agar for a reason. Anyways, if you've got the time and the interest, it's something to experiment with!

Joseph,
You’re absolutely right. I 100 percent agree with you. We are in the same boat. We try different approaches to learn more about the orchid propagation. I confess that I burn my hand a lot when I try to make home-make media using starch, MSU, 20-10-20 fertilizer etc … so I tell a different view. Cheers.

This was a very interesting discussion, I learned a lot about orchid propagation. I don't think I will have time to try this myself, but you never know....

Quote:

Originally Posted by newflasker (Post 199548)

Why do you say "not close to commercial media"? Those seedlings look pretty good to me, what do you see wrong with them that you attribute to the non-commercial media they are growing in? I'm new at this...

As I said seedlings are not too bad: look healthy. But comparing to other seedlings I am growing side by side in a commercial media they are about half size. Anyways, if you like it and it's good enough for you then nothing else is more important. Cheers.

Can someone tell me whether 17-21-27 fertilizer also oke for using with the agar and suger for the propagation of orchids? Because I have difficulty finding 20-20-20 or 20-10-20 fertilizer in the Netherlands.

Thanx :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanne (Post 221148)

It's not hurt to try. In general, fertilizer provides nutrient to grow plant cell (not only for orchid but also for different plants). Choose a fertilizer which provides full macronutrient (N,P,K,S,Ca,Mg) and micronutrient (copper, iron, Boron, Molypden, zinc). Provide vitamin such as B1, Niacin which are good for plants and seeds. Also choose a fertilizer that will not change pH a lot during and after uptake nutrients such as Scotts Peter Professional fertilizer 17-3-17, Jacks Professional 17-4-17. Both of these are use for pure water, with full macro and micronutrient. They are from well-known companies, reliable, cheap, homogenous mixture, and stable for a long time. You can use them in vitro as well as in green house for orchids, house hold and outside lants. Smile :)