These orchid seedlings are Early Purple, Orchis mascula, growing very nicely in agar gel with one of our growth media designed for growing seedlings on. By this time they are two years old, having been set up in our germination medium, where they stayed for the first six months of their life. Once they had grown a shoot and a root they can be moved individually into jars like the one above. Now they get the space to grow and produce the essential chlorophyll which will eventually give them independence from the nutrient medium and they can be moved into pots. It is this move which is probably the most difficult to achieve successfully.
The reason for this tricky step being, well, tricky is that all of a sudden it is out of our hands as to what happens next. Right from the start when we set up the seeds we have complete control over temperature, light and nutrients, but once they are introduced to the outside world they have to content with all the rough and tumble of bacteria and fungi as well as slugs and aphids. The only thing we can do is try and give them a head start.
We teases them out of their jars, the roots usually come out cleanly, but if there is and residual gel sticks to the roots, this can be rinsed off. Once they are in their pot they need to be kept undercover while the leaf cuticle thickens. In the glass jars they are in 100% humidity and still air, so when they are taken out dehydration is a real risk. So, too, is damping off or scorching.
Once the plants have established themselves they are really very sturdy, more than capable of growing to full flowering. The time it takes to get to flowering size depends on species and how late you can leave it before getting them into pots.
If you want to have a go at deflasking hardy orchids yourself, we can arrange to have them for you at one of our plant fairs or talks. If you have a look on the Fairs and Talks page you will see details there of how to get hold of them.
The reason for this tricky step being, well, tricky is that all of a sudden it is out of our hands as to what happens next. Right from the start when we set up the seeds we have complete control over temperature, light and nutrients, but once they are introduced to the outside world they have to content with all the rough and tumble of bacteria and fungi as well as slugs and aphids. The only thing we can do is try and give them a head start.
We teases them out of their jars, the roots usually come out cleanly, but if there is and residual gel sticks to the roots, this can be rinsed off. Once they are in their pot they need to be kept undercover while the leaf cuticle thickens. In the glass jars they are in 100% humidity and still air, so when they are taken out dehydration is a real risk. So, too, is damping off or scorching.
Once the plants have established themselves they are really very sturdy, more than capable of growing to full flowering. The time it takes to get to flowering size depends on species and how late you can leave it before getting them into pots.
If you want to have a go at deflasking hardy orchids yourself, we can arrange to have them for you at one of our plant fairs or talks. If you have a look on the Fairs and Talks page you will see details there of how to get hold of them.
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