Masdevallia seed propagation help

[Tindomul]

Does anyone know how to direct me to the right information, or if you have the info in you head could you help me out.
Over a month ago I made crossing of Masdevallia Huayna Picchu x M. Cinnamon Twist. It's just a bit of fun I was having. Now I find that the seed pod has grown and looks nice and plump. Also, no one has registered that hybrid, and in the off chance that the offspring turn out nice, I want to be able to contribute to the orchid world.

Ok, so, I was wondering if there is a place I can buy the right sewing media?
For your information;
I have access to all kinds of glassware and an Autoclave. I tried this once about 7 years ago with a Phalaenopsis seed pod but nothing grew, and half my flasks ended up contaminated.

All help would be greatly appreciated.

[orchidsarefun]

send some seed to Orchid Origins ( see www ), Shane. No harm in hedging your bet

[Tindomul]

I had considered that, and it seems very doable. Kinda takes the fun out of it though, but takes all the frustration away too. Thank you, worth considering.

Does anyone know how long it will take for my pod to ripen?

[newflasker]

You work and have access to glassware and an Autoclave you can do it.
Keyword is avoid contamination in 3 places:
1. Media and equipment: use autoclave to kill bacteria & fungy (B&F) .
2. Seeds: Use standard procedure to sterilize seeds. Dip seeds in 1/10 Clorox solution for 15-20 minutes and wash with sterilized water.
3. Working environment: Transfer sterilized seeds to you media in a "clean" environment, Use a glove box if no LFH. Clean and spray alcohol 95 and wait for half hour to kill B&F and allow B&F spores to drop on floor. Many people don't pay attention to this step.

Medium: Use 1/2 dosage orchid medium, if not use fertilizer. Try 1-2 gram MSU (or similar) fertilizer with 20g/L sugar will be good enough to germinate (most seeds not need a special nutrient to germinate in nature; not the best medium but it works, germinated many orchids and carnivorous seeds). When you see tiny seedlings then may choose orchid medium to grow them fast.

Notes: Use ripen seeds and divide them so you can sow many time if got contamination. Cover pod with coffee filter to avoid dirt and reduce contamination when it turn yellow.

Finally, there's nothing to loose but fun GOOD LUCK,

[Cntry]

Masdevallia take about 130 to 150 days to mature. Oh good luck this came from times table sheet lincolnorchidsociety.org/flasking/pod

[estación seca]

Also add agar to the medium. If you search the Internet you will find sources for orchid sprouting media. As I recall they aren't too expensive. The chief hurdle is sterile technique.

Many people prefer to open the pod before it opens on its own. This avoids contamination of the seeds. You will sanitize the exterior of the pod with a bleach solution before cutting it open aseptically under the hood, and transferring the seeds aseptically to sterile flasks containing media.

[naoki]

Tindo, you should definitely give it a try. I haven't done Masdevallia flasking, but many species have very short time from deflasking to flowering. For example, my M. andresiana flowered in 14 months after deflask: (a link to my old post).

Flasking is fairly easy. Don't you have an access to Laminar Flow hood, too? It's not needed, but it will make it easier.

For media, you can try PhytoTech: https://phytotechlab.com
They have good information section, too.

I'm still a flasking beginner (although I have training in molecular lab work). I usually start with P668. It is basically Murashige and Skoog medium. I think you can get the same thing (they call it P6668) from Sigma, too.

I think this book is a very easy to follow book, so it is a good book to have:
Growing Orchids from Seed, Seaton, Ramsey
If you decide that you like it, you probably should get Hick's book: Hick's Book

[Tindomul]

Thanks for the great links! Which MS media are you thinking is best for Masdies and Phals? I really think I can do this myself. My problem was the right media.

[naoki]

I've tried 1/2 concentration of P668 for Phals. This seems to be a good start. According to:
https://phytotechlab.com/media/docum...ctionGuide.pdf
They also think 1/2 P668 seems to be ok for Pleurothallis.

I think P668 is almost identical to 1/2 concentration of MS0. You can compare the ingredients, which is listed here: https://phytotechlab.com/media/docum...rmulations.pdf

So if you have MS, you can make it 1/4 strength.

[Tindomul]

Ahh, excellent info!