Deflasked seedlings help

[etex]

I reserved a flask of the Paph villosum var. boxallii last weekend from Troy Meyers Conservatory and they are in the mail! They ship in sterile bags! Who knew it would be so soon!! Have been reading up on the subject.
I have the compots Tocarmar sent last fall from his auction and 2 out of 3 are in spagnum, the third in fine bark mix and all are fine.Also, have 4 compots from Monsoon Flora last fall,one of which was deflasked there and potted up the day it was shipped,in fine bark and they are all growing well. The 5th compot I received from them I have already potted up because they were so vigorous.
Is it better to plant in bark mix or spagnum? Does anyone give the plants a bath in sugar water anymore or is that so over? Will not be using a fungicide in bath.
Do the little ones need a cover? Have not had a problem with rot and don't want to! It seems like a balancing act between the seedlings need for high humidity and preventing damping off/rot.
Have a seedling tray with cover. Would this be good for paph seedlings? Or would small compots be preferable?
Any and all input, suggestions or observations are most welcome!!Thank you for reading this and for your help!!

 

[Clark]

On T.Meyers site, there is a page on deflasking w/sphag.
Sounds like addictive behavior.

 

[etex]

Thanks Clark!
Here is what I found;
Troy- spagnum
Antec- coconut chips mix
Monsoon Flora- Small bark mix
Lance Birk's book- seedling bark
Harold Koopowitz's book- small bark mix
I can go with spagnum or seedling bark mix depending on which is better.

 

[Bolero]

I would go with the fine or small bark mix with perlite and charcoal. Looks like you have done some good research. Everyone uses a different mix because they grow differently and/or they have different conditions.

Have you talked to people in your area as to what they use?

 

[etex]

Thanks Bolero! The research helps, but am a little nervous about doing something wrong!
Good idea to ask the locals! That is a very good local society question. I know our president deflasked last year.
I am leaning toward the small bark mix if there are roots, spagnum if not.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I made 2 compots with my boxalli's from Troy. 1 was in small bark with the usual additives, along with a little bit of NZ sphagnum...I added some dolomite to offset any acidity. The other (smaller) one went into sphagnum, with some added dolomite. Both are doing well at this point.

 

[etex]

Sounds good,Eric!
Thanks to all for their input!

 

[Paphman910]

My Deflasking way

I take the plants out of the bags and use lukewarm water to soak the agar for a couple of hours - it should soften that you could use a water sprayer to remove the huge chucks of agar. I would put the seedlings in a mixture of bark and sphagnum moss with a bit of dolomite, charcoal, and perlite. I would put them in a couple of 6 inch pot. I would also insert a chopstick on the side of each pot. Next I would put them in ziploc bags and the chopstick prevents the ziploc bags from folding over. This prevents excess condensation from dripping onto the seedling crowns and leaf axil. Also have a fan circulating nearby!

Attached is a picture of my 3 month old Paph delenati babies

Paphman910

 

[luvsorchids]

Healthy and cute bambinos :clap:.

Susan

 

[etex]

Paphman910- Thank you so much for sharing/walking me through your method for deflasking and all your tips! I like the idea of having a little spagnum in the bark mix!! The chopsticks are also an excellent idea!
Very nice looking delenatii babies! They look very happy and healthy!
Thanks again!