ellen's Bletilla Striata seeds

[zero742]

I posted this link on the original thread, but I'll put it here, too.
Growing Orchids From Seed
I used the method with the sphag, cloth, and roots all in the terra-cotta pot. The attached picture is the result. I'll give updates if/when anything happens.

[cassier]

zero742,
What type of roots are you talking about?

[zero742]

Roots from an orchid plant. According to the website I attached in my previous post, the seeds get the mychorrizal fungi they need from the live orchid root. It recommends to chop up the orchid root and put it in there with the seeds. It doesn't, however, specify if they roots have to be from the same species or not. My friend and I imagine that although different species and families of orchids may have different types or amounts of mychorrizal fungi, they may have enough in common for it to work. I guess we'll see, since my rooms are from a Dendrobium that I repotted the same night.

[cassier]

Zero742;
Thanks for that post and website.
Still not sure about how I'm going to do it.
cassie

[Debbie Hayden]

Is bletilla striata a true orchid? It's not in my Ortho Complete Guide to Orchids book. I've been growing them for several years in my front flower bed. They have spread like crazy. Mine are the rosey purple color.

[Andrew]

Roots of the same species are usually recommended for germinating via the towel method, which is a problem if you've got seeds but no plant! I would have thought flasking is the way to go. Unless you know someone who has a home setup to do flasking, it's ultimately cheaper to get a commercial TC lab to do it for you. Even for low tech DIY setups the costs of getting started quickly add up. Be aware that some labs prefer greenpods rather than dry seed due to the problems involved with sterilising seed so make sure you ask first.

Debbie, Bletilla striata is a true orchid. While Ortho's is a good beginners guide to growing orchids, with over 20000 described orchid species, it only covers a small fraction of what's out there.

[patticake]

I don't think they are from the same family at all. I'm going to start my seeds tonight. I'm using the wick water method. I'll post photos as soon as my son comes over to help me! It's the method that I used when I started african violets and my zygo-cactus seeds. If these were true orchids, I wouldn't even attempt it! I may have to give my seedlings away(if I get any!) because we're in zone 4 and I don't think they'll winter over up here.

[Debbie Hayden]

Not if you put them in the ground, but if you pot them they could live in your house.

[Debbie Hayden]

update: Patticake, I looked it up on the internet and they really are true orchids. They are called terrestrial(sp?) orchids. I still say pot them up and keep inside. Do a search for bletilla striata on google or yahoo.

[11Orchid126]

Last year someone mentioned that bletilla striata seeds needed a cool spell and they recommended putting them in the refrigerator for a while. You might want to check on that.

[patticake]

Neat! I'll try... I have friends and family in South Carolina and will be passing thru there in August. If I have any by then, I'll give most of them new homes. I'll try with up here. Maybe experiment with one and mulch it quite a bit for winter.. It's worth a stab! First I need to grow some!

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by patticake

I don't think they are from the same family at all.

From Kew RBG's monocot checklist:

Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Rchb.f., Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 36: 75 (1878).
This name is accepted.
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Distribution: China to Japan
36 CHC CHN CHS 38 JAP KOR NNS 41 MYA
Lifeform: Rhizome geophyte
Family: Orchidaceae

They are in the Bletinae subtribe (Tribe:Arethuseae, Subfamily: Epidendroideae)- the same subtribe as Phaius, Calanthe, Spathoglottis etc.

[Debbie Hayden]

I knew that.

[patticake]

I stand corrected! I had seen them in a gardening catalog, and assumed that they were different. You know what they say about assuming!!!

[zero742]

Ok so first off, I apologize for the lack of updates over the past few weeks, but this semester is totally kicking my butt. I ended up making a few flasks with a friend of mine in the biological sciences dept here. Excellent results so far. These pictures were taken about 5-6 days after they were flasked. As you can see, there are quite a few embryos developing. Enjoy!

[patticake]

Awesome pics, Zero. Keep us posted.