Flasks and Temps

[bench72]

Hi All,

I have a flask of Paph arriving in a week and seeing it is winter here in the great southern land... I was wondering what temperature I need to keep the flask in... until spring, that is, when I compot it....

it's a paph philippinense alba from Orchid Inn..

cheers and thanks
tim

 

[Paphman910]

Hi Tim:
I would keep the plants no lower than 70 F. You should deflask it because flask in planes change pressure and contaminates could get into the flask. I would pot it in a fine bark, sphagnum moss, perlite and charcoal mixture. Also keep the compot moist by using a ziploc bag with the bag partially open to prevent excessive condensation. Keep plants in bright light at light levels for Phalenopsis.

Paphman910

 

[bench72]

Thanks for the advice Paphman.

I'll update once I see the condition of the flask....

cheers
tim

 

[Stephan]

Tim

Please let me know how it all goes thanks. I've bought flasks from in country but I haven't had the guts to order in due to both quarantine and the fear of terminal damage on the trip here. I'd like to know of your experiences, costs etc please.

Still toying with the idea and if it's worthwhile I may just go for it.

Cheers
Stephan

 

[Carol]

Orchid Inn

:clap: Sam Tsui of Orchid Inn was the speaker at our last Orchid Society Meeting(OSWP). He was terrific and had spectacular orchids for sale. I controlled myself and purchased three:

Paph Toni Semple
Paph Michael Koopowitz
Paph Fanaticum

 

[Greenpaph]

I agree with Tim. Keep the flask between 70-75 degrees. But prefer to take the plants out now. They will have all summer to grow!

 

[bench72]

Update...

So, I have got a hold of the Orchid Inn flask of Paph philippinense...

And here is where they are living until a decision is made on whether to de-flask... which I would appreciate if y'all can tell me if i should do it now, or wait till Spring. Please remember that I live south... really far south... in fact it's the southern hemisphere... we call it Oz!

Paph philippinense is the flask in the middle...

and here's a closer look...

so... does it look like they need to come out now???

Thanks
tim

p.s Stephan, this flask was brought to tokyo by Sam (Orchid Inn) and then picked up by Kevin (Ezi-gro WA) who then brought it over to Sydney... I just don't trust the government agencies to handle the import clearances of these things as freight.

 

[Greenpaph]

Tim,

I would take them out and let them grow all summer. There are some brown leaves in the flask. This leads me to believe that they will never make it to spring in the flask.

 

[Ross]

They look like big, healthy seedlings and it appears that there was some inevitable jumbling of the flask during transit because I think I see agar on some of the leaves. If those two observations are accurate, I would deflask the seedlings now. If your normal growing area is colder than normal this time of year, keep them inside. Small seedlings can grow well in light levels that are lower than adult plants need. Good Luck, whatever you decide.

 

[Darin]

I would seriously consider getting them out of the flasks. You can grow them indoors under lights (and even on your heating pad thingie to keep the temps up a bit for them). Moving them into a wardian case (or old aquarium) would be great to help the transition from humid flask to the relative dryness of your southern winter.

 

[Paphman910]

Hi Tim:
Your flask should be deflasked as soon as possible. Signs of browning leaves will get worst from my experiences. Soak medium with warm water for a few hours to soften agar and break the flask. Wash off as much agar as possilbe but don't be afraid if there is a bit of agar stuck on the delicate roots.

Paphman910

 

[bench72]

Thanks for all the advise guys... do you reckon it will be ok, to leave them till the weekend? i'd rather do it when i have a bit of time to spend doing it rather than rushing the whole experience...

cheers
t

 

[DavidH]

staying in the flask

You should be fine for the weekend. I received a flask in the mail from Sam about 2 weeks ago, and it got jumbled (agar on the leaves). But, I haven't had the time and the plants looked pretty small. The flask has been sitting by a window and I've been looking for any signs of browning. I've had the same experience that once you start seeing brown, it's time to pull. I'll probably plant them out this weekend.

I received another flask, and a bunch of plants, yesterday from a hobbyist who's selling his stuff due to a newborn showing up soon. The flask had shattered in the box, but the bottom is still intact. The plants are much smaller than I would like to pull out but the point is moot at this time so I'll have to deal with it. I'll probably use the Antec method and keep them all together with the agar mainly intact.

My biggest problem has been damping off. In the past, I've tried hydrogen peroxide, physan, and plain old tap water, and each usually suffers some die off. So, this time I'm going to use ozonated RO water (and I've since started sterilizing my media by putting it in the oven at 350 F for 45 minutes). My worst die off was losing 4 compots from 2 flasks overnight.

 

[bench72]

I just want to say first - thanks for all the help with info so far....

sooo.... I did the whole deflasking thing this weekend...

the little babies now look like this...

and the humidicrib that they live in....

question... should the humidicrib stay at 99% humidity (hence the bubbles all over the side) or should I lessen that?

cheers
t

 

[Carol]

Hi,

I do a minimum of flasks and compots but love your heat and grow. Where did you find it?

Carol

 

[bench72]

Hi Carol, I got the heat pad from a local Hydroponics store... at this stage, I am not too sure if it is what is keeping the temperature above 70F or if it is the light source... at this stage I am thinking light source... but then again, I am taking that reading from the little white thermometer... the heat pad does have it's own thermostat... but it is hard to gauge whether it is helping with the temperature...

* makes me think... is it the air temp or the soil temp which is important? I say that because, i read that the heat pad is suppose to generate warmth by conveying the heat through the water particles in the medium...

cheers
tim