How To Grow Orchids From Seed Pods – Orchid is beautiful and precious. Most cultivated orchids are found in tropical and subtropical regions and cloud forests, but they are found all over the world. As important plants, you can propagate orchids by division or from seeds and cuttings.
Growing orchids from seed requires a fertile environment and a source of orchid seeds. You must also clean the seeds and have a place to store them. Prepare the agar medium in which you will plant the seeds. After germination, remove the bottle and send the plants to the pot.
How To Grow Orchids From Seed Pods
Growing orchids from seed is a simple process that requires a sterile environment (which is why most seed producers work in the laboratory). However, in this guide you will learn how to grow orchids from seeds at home.
How To Grow Orchid From Seeds?
There are two ways to germinate orchid seeds. In nature, orchid seeds fall to the ground. However, unlike the seeds of other plants, orchid seeds do not store nutrients and cannot survive and grow without an external source of nutrients. To compensate for the lack of stored food, orchid seeds form a symbiotic relationship with fungi.
Mycorrhizal fungi in the soil have an improved ability to absorb nutrients. Fungi attach to orchid seeds and promote germination. Instead, the growing orchid uses photosynthesis to make food from nutrients.
What happens in nature is that the seed falls to the ground and is attacked by fungi. In some cases, fungi destroy the seed until the seed dies. In turn, the seed feeds on the fungus until the fungus dies. The seed then dies due to lack of other nutrients. In some cases, the seed resists the fungus, so the seed dies.
However, in a small number of cases the fungus attacks and at the same time destroys the seed and destroys the fungus. A symbiotic relationship blossoms and an orchid plant emerges.
In Defense Of Plants
Symbiotic growth in the laboratory mimics what happens in nature. Symbiotic germination is a complex process carried out by highly trained botanists in specialized laboratories. This guide looks at symbiotic growing that can be done at home.
Stratification involves the germination of orchid seeds in vitro using agar. Agar is a gelatinous mixture of nutrients and growth hormones. Planting is the most popular way to grow orchids from seed at home because it is cheap, easy, fast and reliable.
As we have already mentioned, growing orchids from seed is a very difficult task; therefore the environment must be right for these seeds to grow. Consider the following:
Orchid seeds are very small. Remember, an aspirin pill weighs 500,000 times more than one orchid seed. An orchid seed can contain anywhere from 1,000 to 3 million seeds.
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The seeds are so small that they can be spread long distances and blown into trees by the wind. This small size makes obtaining orchid seeds difficult.
Orchid seeds are very susceptible to diseases. Bacteria and fungi can damage the seeds, so if they are not treated, the seeds will not grow. For this reason, avoid buying from inexperienced herbalists.
Don’t buy your seeds through sites like eBay and Etsy. Buy from orchid growers you know or have a reputation for propagating orchids. However, the best way to get seeds that have a chance of successfully germinating is to harvest from an orchid plant that has split but still has a thick wall.
When you buy your seeds, you need to clean them. Orchid seeds are dusty, so make sure no moving air blows your seeds around. Use a sterilized scalpel to open the pod and scrape out the seeds.
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Use 3% hydrogen peroxide to clean the seeds. Add hydrogen peroxide to the seeds in a small container. Transfer to a small bottle, close the lid and shake well. Let the mixture sit. After a few hours of exposure to light, hydrogen peroxide decomposes into oxygen and water.
Store your fresh orchid seeds in a small safe container such as a 3 ml (0.1 oz) Eppendorf tube. Store in a dry, cool place away from light. Do not refrigerate as this can cause moisture to build up and encourage mold growth.
Although you can store seeds for months, even years, using them quickly increases the chance of successful germination. To keep the seeds dry, bury the Eppendorf tube in a bath of oven-dried rice.
At room temperature, agar will have a final pH between 4.8 and 5.2. To make your own agar medium, you will need agar powder and warm water.
Orchid Seed Germination: Can You Grow An Orchid From Seed
Start boiling water. You need 25 g (0.8 oz) of agar to make one liter of agar. Pour 100 ml (3.4 oz) of hot water into the cup. Gradually add the agar powder to 100 ml (3.4 oz) of water, stirring constantly. After mixing well, add the remaining water.
Bacteria, fungi and algae are enemies of orchid growth, so you need to clean your work area. Place your flask, beakers and tweezers in a 180°C (356°F) oven. Leave them in for about 10 minutes. Allow the lids to cool before sealing the lids.
Choose a clean room with an easy-to-clean desk. Use bleach to clean everything in the room you were assigned. If you can handle the glove box, that’s your best bet for creating a safe and sterile environment. While you can’t achieve lab-grade sterility, your goal is to kill all bacterial cells and fungal spores.
Put all your spatulas, dropper, tweezers, prepared medium and seeds in the glove box. Prepare a spray bottle full of bleach.
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If your glove box has a filter and air vent, connect them now. Put on your gloves, and spray everything in the box with bleach. Wash your gloved hands and hands with bleach.
Give the bleach a few minutes to work, then prepare the seed bottle and drop for the next step. Dip the dropper in the hydrogen peroxide mixture and get about 3 ml (0.1 oz). Pour about 100 ml (3.4 oz) of the agar nutrient mixture into the flask. Open the bottle immediately.
Take your Ziploc bags and spray them with bleach inside and out. The bags should be clear, as the germinating seeds need sunlight.
Place your bottle in a Ziploc bag. Label the bag with the date and name of the orchid species. When you have finished stratifying the orchids, place the bag in a clean area near a window where they will receive direct sunlight. Clean your work area so that loose seeds do not mix with the next seed later.
How Long Do Orchids Live?
Orchid seed germination begins with the swelling of the embryo. Some species of orchids can produce chlorophyll at this time, but others cannot. The embryo remains swollen until it bursts from the seed. Round or conical seeds are found. This process is known as the protocorm stage.
The first symptoms of leaf spot are seen as a small bump on the top of the seed. Dense hairs appear below and the protocorm expands. Soon the first leaves appear, followed by the first roots.
Some orchids germinate within days, but others may take months. Leave the bottles untouched, but check the progress often. Pot your orchids only after you have removed the roots.
If it is a slow growing medium, the agar may begin to crack due to water loss. If you see signs of dehydration, put the orchids in a new bottle. Use the same sterilization method that you used to germinate the orchid seeds. Before opening the old bottle, wipe it with a clean cloth dipped in bleach or 80% alcohol.
Aurantiaca Cattleya Seed Pod!
Orchid seedlings take four to eight weeks to reach their full size when transplanted. Each seed should be removed from the original bottle with the original agar and placed in a new container with the storage agar.
Finally, small orchids should be transferred to pots filled with thick bark and other materials. Transplant orchids only when roots are visible and the plant is large enough to handle. Wash the agar, and rinse the roots in distilled water to remove any remaining sugar. Organic waste can attract bacteria and mold.
When growing seedlings, you need to cover the plant with mulch. Start by watering the plant to keep the roots moist and loosen the center. This is a good way to fall sympodial and monopodial orchids.
Get a clean pot with several holes in the bottom, and fill the pot with fir bark up to 5.08 inches thick from the top. Add mahogany chips, corn and dolomite lime.
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Heat some water in a pan to 96°F (35.6°C). Double the orchid container to soak the agar for 30 minutes to an hour. Carefully pull out the seeds, being careful not to damage the roots. Wash the orchids with warm water to remove any remaining agar.
Plant your seedlings 2 feet (5.08 cm) apart in pots. Find a small bowl and put small stones in it. Pour water into a bowl, and put yours
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