Seed to Seed

[GoldenSunshine]

Is there any info about how long it takes to culture a orchid from seed to create it own seed, aka fertilized flower. I have noticed on some of the labels I got from the orchid dealers it looks like these orchids are 3-4 years old and still not blooming size. What types of orchids mature the fastest and the ones that are the slowest. I have not found that data anywhere.

[naoki]

Culture condition influence the generation time quite a bit. 3-4 years for a single generation is considered to be fast growing orchids. Many common orchids bloom 2-5 years after deflask, then they may spend 1-2 years in the flask, and 3-14 months from pollination to seed harvesting.

I believe Psygmorchis (Erycina) pusilla has a rapid generation time. I don't know the exact number, but maybe less than 2 years per generation? Because of this, some biologists consider it to be a model system of orchid biology.
http://www.orchids-world.com/PDF-Files/pus.pdf

I've heard that Dimorphorchis lowii (maybe D. rossii, too) could take long time to flower (15 years from deflask).

[seaj]

I think that phalaenopsis and tolumnia orchids are able to reach flowering size within 1 to 3 years out of flask when given optimal growing conditions.

[GoldenSunshine]

Well thanks for the info. I was wanting to get a flask and try it out before I actually made my own hybrid.

[OCRC_Dir_China]

Simple 3 factors to take in account is; Knowledge, Skill, ability (KSA).
Knowledge= Understanding the task.
Skill= Experience in the task.
Ability= Time, Money, Equipment, Facility, Personnel, etc.
Growing orchids from seed to a blooming plant is quiet a task not to say the expense, of time and money, equipment, controlling environmental conditions. All these factors dictate the growth factors and can shorten the growth process to a point. Different species act differently if you are looking for fast turnaround you might like to choose what we call an evasive species of orchid, they grow like weeds.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Orchid seed-sewing does not need to be overly complex or expensive. You can make do with some simple methods and equipment.

I am hardly a "pro" at flasking, but I have done it using basic kitchen equipment, re-purposed jars and lids, and home made flasking medium, made from grocery store ingredients.

My medium recipe came from How to grow orchids from seeds – kitchen style | Dokmai Dogma

Here is a link in this forum, to a very easy, successful seed sterilization and flasking technique: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...seedlings.html

I am also on the "Orchidgeeks" Orchid Forum Orchid Care forum, look for a thread called "Seed-sowing from scratch (my first try)" if you want to see my flasking experiment from start (in September 2013) through the present. I have successfully grown orchids from seed through small seedlings with leaves (no roots yet). I won't claim full success yet, though. I need to get the seedlings to the point where they have roots and can survive beyond the seedling stage, through flowering. I suspect it may take several years.

[OCRC_Dir_China]

Flasking only needs to be what makes you happy. And try about 20 to 50 grams of common white potato in your vitro; I puree mine before using it. Potato is a great natural hormone and helps proliferate, root growth. I use it in all my seed mother flask’s and replate flasks.

[seaj]

Of course there are always labs where you can send in your seeds for flasking. If I had sent in my NoID phal seeds 2 years ago I would have had some young plants by now. Of course those seed pods were just for the experience, but it would have been cool to grow some of them out now that I think about it. And I thought African violets took way to long to hybridize...

[OCRC_Dir_China]

Learning to pollinate the orchid flower to produce a fruit and then harvest the seeds of that fruit can become Addictive .
Then sowing the seeds can be a real challenge, there are numerous vitro formulas on the internet.
I started keeping formulas in my private lab notes some 30 years ago and now I have just over 145 formulas at last count.
Sowing orchid seeds can be very simple and produces a reasonable yield of germination of the seeds sown.

But like many hobbies the better you get the more you want to try and the more you need to do advanced work.
Many chemicals act differently to heat and cold, heating certain chemicals combined with others can change them into other bonds. So for this we use stock solutions, cold filtering methods.

Sowing orchid seeds can get really complex, especially if it is a rare plant or endangered one because, you will be looking for maximum seed germination rate and have zero polluted mother flasks.

Upon replatee flasks some need to be done weekly to insure the highest possible quality and health, again with zero polluted flasks. Taking replate flasks and reducing the amount of seedlings in them to allow maximum room and nutrition, requires handling of the seedlings and again target zero polluted flasks.

Taking a small piece of orchid tissue and coxing it into growing leafs and roots or into PLB then into multiple plants requires; Knowledge, Skill and Ability.

It is truly an honor when a stranger shows up at you lab door with a rare orchid that was purchased for 1.2 to 1.5 million Chineese dollars and ask you to make more of them for them that’s trust.
You achieve this kind of trust by demonstrating your Knowledge, Skill and Ability.
Some 25 years ago I was able to build a good working lab by sowing and tissue culture of my friends and orchid community orchid plants. I charged a small fee that allowed me to buy more chemicals and eventually better equipment and ultimately a better laboratory.