Orchid protocorms

[stefni]

Does anyone get protocorms spontaneously appearing in the pot of a growing orchid? I have a phaleaonopsis with 4 small green protocorm-like structures in the bark. Any ideas what they could be? Thanks!

[yokurt]

?! mold, fungus, moss or maybe, just maybe, some stray orchid seed..

[LouisW]

Sometimes perlite with algae growing on it looks just like a little protocorm.

[stefni]

Thank you for the replies. I only found out about protocorms today while searching for the identity of these small green things on the bark in which my orchid is growing. A few weeks ago I found one and this week there were another 3. I will try and take a macro photo one of these days, maybe it'll help determine whether they are true protocorms.

From the little info I managed to find, it seems as though the symbiotic relationship with a fungus is required for germination from seeds. Does it means that if they already germinated the fungus is present in my growing medium? Also where would the orchid seeds be found? Is there a seed pod which forms?

Thanks for your trouble. I'm really hoping I manage to propagate some plants and this is a first for me

[yokurt]

Originally Posted by stefni

From the little info I managed to find, it seems as though the symbiotic relationship with a fungus is required for germination from seeds. Does it means that if they already germinated the fungus is present in my growing medium?

No, not necessarily. Some orchids can germinate w/o the fungus BUT will not develope further and will ultimately die.

Originally Posted by stefni

Also where would the orchid seeds be found? Is there a seed pod which forms?

Yes, a seed pod forms when the flower is pollinated. Pods take time to mature, any time from a few months to one year..

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by stefni

Does anyone get protocorms spontaneously appearing in the pot of a growing orchid? I have a phalaeonopsis with 4 small green protocorm-like structures in the bark. Any ideas what they could be?

I'm not sure what they are but I can safely say they are not phals unless your phal flower was pollinated and developed a seed pod that released its seed which now have germinated. I think you'd notice a phal seed pod if you had one. It looks like a big alien finger that swells up after the flower fades. Germination of orchid seed in cultivation is very difficult unless you have flasking facilities. Typically orchids are propagated through "flasking" a technique in which seeds are sown in agar inside a sterile flask. When the tiny baby orchids are big enough they are removed form the flask and potted up.

[yokurt]

no photos?

=(

[stefni]

Ok so after some reasearch and your replies, I had a closer look and concluded they're in fact perlite covered in algae! But I do have a little plant growing in that pot. It's just 2 tiny leaves still emerging from underneath the bark-compost mixture. Possibly connected to the mother plant, and which I could try to separate in the future. So I still get a shot at orchid propagation

Thanks for the feedback guys!

[kip]

I would guess that it's not an orchid, just some random seed that got blown into the pot. If it was a Phal keiki, you would be able to see where it was connected to the mother plant.

[stefni]

It is probably connected at the very bottom of the plant, below the soil surface. Could it still be a keiki?

[11Orchid126]

Oxalis loves the conditions of the orchid mediums.

[kip]

if a keiki grew under the medium, it would probably get crown rot before it ever reached the surface. if you post a picture, we'll be able to tell for sure if it's an orchid or not.

[yokurt]

Originally Posted by stefni

It is probably connected at the very bottom of the plant, below the soil surface. Could it still be a keiki?

Highly doubtful. Sorry to burst your bubble.. =\

[stefni]

Here's a picture of my tiny orchid growing in the same pot of an older orchid plant. I don't know if you'd call it a keiki or if it's a completely new plant. Any suggestions as to whether I should place it in a pot of its own when I repot the plant later in the year? Thanks!

[kip]

You can separate it from the mother plant if it has enough roots of its own. or, you could just leave it attached if you want.

[Brooke]

This type of growth is usually very hard to separate from the mature plant. It started from a dormant growing point on the root. It is common for Doritis, now reclassified as a Phal, to do this. I had a pulcherrima grow one several inches from the main stem. I had it growing in a basket and it grew from between the two lowest slats.

If you leave it as is you will have a magnificent display when both growths bloom.

Brooke