Another Orchid Lab

[John Boy]

I thought I'm going to start posting pictures of my sowing projects as it happens, and as I find the time to. Since my new flasking shelf is near enough ready, I'll kepp posting stuff, until someone asks a question...

Let's begin nice and easy, this is supposed to be fun afterall.

Hands-up, whoever does not want to be pollinated!!! (it's going to be another long night)...

This is what that sort of business looks like, around about 9-14 months later! Behold: A capsule starter!!! I still have to work out a nice dressing....

The monster-pod in the middle is Cattleya schroederae x Laelia aurea (just in case you wonder....):

 

[Heather]

Awesome! Love these posts, keep 'em coming!

 

[NYEric]

OK, interesting.

 

[Clark]

Can ya do it with either hand?

 

[John Boy]

...and in the dark!!!

 

[tocarmar]

Break out the whips & handcuffs (not the furry ones either)!!

 

[John Boy]

God must have had a nasty day!!!
I just pollinated Masd. saulii with dracula cordobae, now I'm blind. The tiny stuff drives me nuts! Why would God be so mean as to make these structures smaller than my eyes can deal with, ey?!

 

[Brian Monk]

I hate to say it, becase the cross intrigues me, but that C. schroderae x L. aurea looks like chaff. If you have access to a microscope, seed assessments for embryo percentage are very easy.

But it still looks like you are going to have a good time!

 

[Howzat]

God must have had a nasty day!!!
I just pollinated Masd. saulii with dracula cordobae, now I'm blind. The tiny stuff drives me nuts! Why would God be so mean as to make these structures smaller than my eyes can deal with, ey?!

I think God would have thought about homo sapiens nature of always trying to do this thing by hands/fingers. And so He made all the reproductive parts as small as possible, only to let small insect to do it naturally.

 

[John Boy]

The morning after the battle!

And some battle it was.

Even Paph. thaianum had to give up a shoe…….

 

[SlipperFan]

I'd hate to see the pile of toothpicks! oke:

 

[John Boy]

Oh come on!!! It's good fire-wood, that!oke:

 

[etex]

Cool- you'll have to keep us updated!

 

[Sirius]

I couldn't resist. I created this just for you guys.

 

[John Boy]

Today I have been working on something truly exciting, though I’m stealing time as we speak, and I should just have left it for another…. until I’d have stolen the time from some other day…
When it comes to sowing orchids you’ll find there are 2 camps. There’s people out there trying to sow “green pods” only. Meaning: capsules not really ripe yet, or let’s say it the proper way: ripe, but not open (yet). In this instance: I did a green pod sowing, though I’m a “open pod” kinda person….

I’m not yet giving away what it is, I just wanted to give you guys a first glimpse into my work-bench, showing what a young orchid of the rarest possible kind these days looks like. Green Pods can be a tricky one, first, because it’s guess work deciding when to cut the capsule open, second: because onces you do: there only one way open to you (and very certainly no way back!). You can’t store the result, and if things don’t work out: guess who’s fault it is! The “open-pod-person” would just laugh at you, and wait another 12 or so weeks.
This instance: I won, and things are working fine. And because the dish you’re seeing contains somethirg of such value that most folks would not even know what sort of plant I’m talking about, I’ve transplanted the content into 14 new starter flasks. (A thing I’ve not even done with Paph. sanderianum!!!).

So there you go. This is what Green-Pod-Sowing in its very first stages look’s like!

 

[Hera]

How exciting. Thanks for the blow by blow for those of us who think orchid breeding is mysterious and untouchable.

 

[John Boy]

Orchid sowing is all about common sense (in its' extreme), how else would I do it?!

 

[Marc]

I'm curious what you have sown.

Thanks for starting this topic, it's one to follow for me.

 

[Pete]

wow it looks like you really dig the seeds into the media. ive always just spread them lightly on top. you should be careful about having a bunch of opened seed capsules all in a pile together. dust seeds are easy to move about.. also, ive always found the opposite to be true, where green pods are much easier and have higher success rate than dried ones. i despise sterlizing dried orchid seeds.

 

[Howzat]

There are advantages/disadvantages for both green seed and mature seed.
The advantage of green seed is obvious, that you don't have to sterilise the seed. But you need to know approx. how many days since you polllinate the flower. I have given up my personal lab. work as I did get a good percentage of contamination and also a time consuming excercise. But to some it is an exciting and a rewarding one.