De-flasked early... HELP!

[Gcroz]

Ok, I think I may have de-flasked some seedlings early. I've had a lot of loss, as compard to seedlings which were much larger that I de-flasked. It's looking as if I may only be left with perhaps 4 or 5 plants out of 25 total unless I take action.

Is there anything I can do to help the plants along to grow? I used Physan and water to wash them after de-flasking I use a turkey injector, thats right a big syringe, to water them so as not to get the leaves wet. I have a fan that sends air over them constantly, and I've used so very diluted fertilizer.

Oddly enough, the seedlings I'm concerned about are parvi's, yet the Paph. niveums I've de-flasked are happy. I'd heard that brachys can be sensitive, but they are thriving. But I digress...

Grr... my first attempt at de-flasking isn't going so well. On the flip side, I have a bunch of delenatiis goeing into spike! YAY!

Can anyone give me some suggestions?

 

[Hien]

I wonder wether that constantly fan actually dehydrate them to death.

 

[Greenpaph]

Can anyone give me some suggestions?

I do not use any fungicide. I have lost seedlings in using it. Keep the air movement good; but not directly on the plants.
I usually plant the deflasked seedlings directly into long fibered sphagnum moss for the first 5-6 months.
Keep the temperatures as high as possible. Keep humidity at about 65-75%.
Hope this helps.

 

[Gcroz]

The fan is about 10 feet away, so the breeze is light. All the seedlings, I de-flasked 3 different types, require watering about every 3 days. The problem seems due to rot.

 

[Greenpaph]

The fan is about 10 feet away, so the breeze is light. All the seedlings, I de-flasked 3 different types, require watering about every 3 days. The problem seems due to rot.

If there was rot, then fungicide was appropriate.
It is possible that the seedlings were in flask too long.
Try to keep them WARM!

 

[Gcroz]

Ok. Greenpaph, how warm should they be kept? My greenhouse is set to maintain 68-70 degrees F, during the day and 60-62 degrees as night. Is that too cold?

I used the Physan right as they cam out, but can I use it while they are in there little pots to help stop right and fungus?

 

[charlie c]

Ok, I think I may have de-flasked some seedlings early. I've had a lot of loss, as compard to seedlings which were much larger that I de-flasked. It's looking as if I may only be left with perhaps 4 or 5 plants out of 25 total unless I take action.

Is there anything I can do to help the plants along to grow? I used Physan and water to wash them after de-flasking I use a turkey injector, thats right a big syringe, to water them so as not to get the leaves wet. I have a fan that sends air over them constantly, and I've used so very diluted fertilizer.

Oddly enough, the seedlings I'm concerned about are parvi's, yet the Paph. niveums I've de-flasked are happy. I'd heard that brachys can be sensitive, but they are thriving. But I digress...

Grr... my first attempt at de-flasking isn't going so well. On the flip side, I have a bunch of delenatiis goeing into spike! YAY!

Can anyone give me some suggestions?

Generally larger seedlings are easier to establish ex vitro, smaller ones more iffy. Coming out of a flask seedlings have to first adjust to the "real world". Leaves and roots function differently than they did in the sterile, ~100% humidity environment they were in.

Here is a link to a paper explaining the whys and wherefores of the process of adjustment.

http://www.ueb.cas.cz/laboratory_of...Acclimatization of micropropagated plants.pdf


Leaves and roots will not function well, if at all, first coming out of the flask. Watering does no good. And high airflow just dries them out and leads to death.

High humidity with a gradual reduction. Limited airflow. And very sparse watering initially is what works best for me. No fertilizer for the first 6-8 weeks. When the roots aren't working, the only thing your feeding are the pathogens. And lower light levels.

FWIW, I get better results without Physan at this stage. Seems to do more harm than good, for me at least.

charlie c

 

[Candace]

FWIW, I get better results without Physan at this stage. Seems to do more harm than good, for me at least.

I agree with this!

 

[paphioland]

the seedlings should have no direct breeze at this stage. They went from being in a flask with no air movement. The key is high humidity and air movement around the plants. The breeze should be above them. What is the humidity? It should be at around 80% for seedlings

 

[paphioland]

I have noticed no difference if the seedlings are soaked in physan or not. Do not pour the physan into the mix. If you use it dunk the leave part of the plant not the roots unless you have a fungal issue. Then pot after. I personally do not use it unless there is a problem but have in the past

 

[gonewild]

How small are the seedlings?
How long are the roots?
Were the roots damaged takeing them out of flask?

You already have good advice but I would add to keep them in VERY low light until the show signs of growth. Use warm water when you water or mist them. Mist them more than you water even to the point of always having a a film or droplets of water on the leaves during the warm periods of the day. Warm up the temperatures will also give them a little help.

 

[paphioland]

yes I agree. keep them warm 80-90degrees with very low low long lasting light.

 

[Gcroz]

Thank you all very much! This is great advice and I'll give it a try!

 

[Carol]

A member of my society recommended spraying with a solution of Pro-tekt. I have not had any problems de-flasking, but have only worked with 5 flasks. I sprayed the last one, Paph Robinianum from Orchid Inn, and they are quite robsust, but that could be the cross.

 

[gonewild]

Consider that when you treat seedlings with fungicides or other poisons as they come out of the flask, or in the early stages of acclimation to the environment you might actually destroy ALL of the beneficial fungi, bacteria and other microbes.

 

[orcoholic]

I would recommend planting the survivors in a small pot with NZSM filled up about 1/2 way. Water the moss and then cover the pot with saran wrap to keep the humidity up. Punch a couple of holes in the top, but not too many. Keep the light normal and the heat above 65 and below 85. Keep some air circulation around the pot.

If you have some Superthrive, put a drop or two in a gallon of water and use that to water the moss.

Keep covered until the plants show visible growth. Then uncover for a couple of weeks. After that, replant into a new community pot.

Make sure you show us when they bloom.