5% Sugar-Water Solution

[phytogems]

Is it necessary to soak the orchid seeds to 5% Sugar-Water Solution for 12 hours before disinfection then sowing it in flask? Accordingly, this is necessary to wake up any spores or bacteria that might be in their "resting" state, they can be VERY resistant to even high temperatures when not actively growing. Can I skip this step and start with disinfections? Please advise…

[Andrew]

It is not necessary to presoak in sugar. Commonly used sterlising agents like bleach or chlorine will usually kill spores. However, if you are having problems sterilising seed or if you find the seed is being damaged at the recommended disinfectant concentrations/treatment times, pre-treating with sugar is worth trying. If you don't have the time to plate within the few hour window between when spores germinate an re-sporulate, don't worry about it.