Below are some pictures that I took while planting some of Ellens' Bletilla striata seeds. I used 2 disposable food containers, cutting holes in the top of one of them and into the bottom of the other. I cut pantyhose into strips. One strip I stretched into a string hanging from the hole in the bottom of one container. The other strip I covered the string inside the same container. I added soil to that container and soaked it well. I then sifted soil on top to be very fine. I patted that down and misted it. I added a couple of pieces of bark as well. I put some of the seeds on a 3X5 card and tapped it to spread the seeds over the surface. I loosely covered the container with plastic wrap. I filled the other container with water and thread the pantyhose from the first container through the top as a wick. I then placed my set-up under grow lights. About a week and a half later, the first signs of germination appeared!
I put a couple of pieces of an orchid root on the soil as well. I had read that the seeds needed something contained within the roots to help them germinate. Don't know if that helped or not, but it was worth a shot!
I'm sorry about the pictures being big and annoying, it was the only way my daughter Rachel could figure out how to post them. (
Rachel: "Hi!")
