Two heavily pregnant phals

[orkidea]

I have two heavily pregnant phals after a successful hand-pollination on February 10th, 2011 (a pretty noid x Phal. Lennestad with each other's pollen). This is very much an unplanned but a happy pregnancy, a result of a pollination frenzy... On both plants the pods are green, healthy and show no signs opening, nor yellow color that may precede opening. The capsules are now 170 days old (!).I read in exasperatus2002's very informative and interesting thread that phal pods take about 110 days to mature. Mine are way overdue! Has it taken this long because it's winter and cooler here in New Zealand now (although I have kept the plants warm)? Do you think they are ready to be harvested? If not yet, when What should I see before I cut them? Where and how do I cut them off when it's time to harvest them?

One of them is also growing two new flower stems off the pregnant stems! Do you think cutting the pods off will affect the new flower stems? It was wonderful that the pollination didn't mess up the blooming of the unpollinated blossoms on this plant. It was in bloom almost 6 months with lots of blossoms on two stems! Only the pollinated ones wilted. Please have a look at the attached pictures taken today and see what you think. I’d appreciate your input a lot! Thanks in advance!

I'm having so much fun learning about orchids and taking care of them!
Although these crosses are the same, the pod plants are different. It'll be cool to see sometime in the future what the offspring looks like - that is if I succeed!

[koshki]

OMG! You got 5 pods on a single spike?! That's like a trillion seeds!

[BGGraham1]

It looks kind of like okra hanging on a vine!

[PaphMadMan]

110 days is a minimum for green pod seed, not for a mature pod. So they should be ready for green pod seed, but might still be a long way from a mature pod. I don't think the season would make much difference, especially if you haven't let them feel the cold. If you want mature seed I would harvest them as soon as they show the slightest hint of yellow, then the quicker you can get them sown the better. Just clip them off as close to the spike as you can.

If your plants are strong and healthy enough to support pods and start growing spike branches at the same time I don't think removing the pods would make much difference.

[orchidea]

Are you planning to flask seeds yourself?

[orchids4me]

Check out this info

http://troymeyers.com/direct/?025

Maybe you'll find some of your answers here

[orkidea]

Yeah, if I'm lucky, there may not be a shortage of Phals in my house in the next few years!! Want some, Koshki ?

Good to hear that maturing can take this long and we are still in business of hybridizing. Thank you Orchids4me for the link. It had lots of info I can use. I think I'll let them mature on the plant and try to collect the seed as instructed.

Orchidea, I was thinking of sending them away for flasking but it depends on whether I can find a lab here which would do it for me. I certainly have many pods on the two plants, so I may try flasking at least a couple pods myself, just to see if I can do it. I have to start getting ready no matter what I decide! What do labs usually charge for flasking?

I would love hear your advice, input, information, etc. if you have tried flasking at home.

I'll keep you posted on the progress and will attach some pictures too!

[orchids4me]

. Ok if you're going to try and flask Phals. Check out Aaron Hicks site at the orchid seed bank project. Here's some info they use a different media and you germinate these in darkness. Here's his link.

media information

[Orchidchick]

You've hit the mother lode orkidea! Wow seven pods ripening at the same time makes you one kick a** grower! Oops getting too excited here. I've never done it but if it were me I definately would try flasking two or three of the pods myself and send the rest off to a good lab. You would have one to learn from any mistakes made and then the other to successfully grow the seedlings. Whatever you do looks like you'll have to plan space for lots and lots of plants to sell or give away. I wouldn't mind being on that

[orkidea]

I found a lab here in NZ that does flasking for customers. They require a minimum order of 2 flasks per pod sown. Each flask contains 25 plants. I first thought I'd send away one pod from each podplant for them to flask. I'd end up with 100 plantlets! Now I'm thinking I might send just one pod away - but which one?? Practicality has kicked in and have to make a tough decision... Which plant would you choose as the podparent? Both are gorgeous. One had white blossoms with red lips on a single spike and the other grew two spikes with lots of dark pink blossoms. Any ideas what the offspring blooms might look like? Many thanks for any suggestions.

[-k-]

I'd vote to go with the pink one!

[OrchidsNZ]

Originally Posted by orkidea

I found a lab here in NZ that does flasking for customers. They require a minimum order of 2 flasks per pod sown. Each flask contains 25 plants. I first thought I'd send away one pod from each podplant for them to flask. I'd end up with 100 plantlets! Now I'm thinking I might send just one pod away - but which one?? Practicality has kicked in and have to make a tough decision... Which plant would you choose as the podparent? Both are gorgeous. One had white blossoms with red lips on a single spike and the other grew two spikes with lots of dark pink blossoms. Any ideas what the offspring blooms might look like? Many thanks for any suggestions.

If you wanted to flask yourself, you would need some agar, some fertilizer, a great recipe, and a pressure cooker to autoclave them. Then you would need the bottles to put them in. I have just ordered 4 brand new 500ml glass chemical storage bottles, with measurements on the side too lol.

A good lab though are Tuckers orchids, but reading the quote you recieved, thats where you looked I received the same. Not bad at all...

[orkidea]

I chose the pink one too! Maybe the 2-spike trait will be passed onto the babies! And it bloomed for almost 6 months!

OrchidsNZ, I have been in touch with Tuckers Orchids and they are going to flask the single pod I want to have for myself. Glad to hear they are good! If I wanted to try flasking at home, they would also send ready-to-go sterilized jars that have the medium in them already for $5/jar. I'm thinking that I might end up with a HUGE number of plants in a couple of years and I really don't have the space... That's why I won't try flasking at home and get them do one pod for me. But, I'm more than happy to send you my extra pods. Perhaps, you give me a plant from the white phal as a podparent if you get hundreds of little phals out of those seeds!

[OrchidsNZ]

Originally Posted by orkidea

I chose the pink one too! Maybe the 2-spike trait will be passed onto the babies! And it bloomed for almost 6 months!

OrchidsNZ, I have been in touch with Tuckers Orchids and they are going to flask the single pod I want to have for myself. Glad to hear they are good! If I wanted to try flasking at home, they would also send ready-to-go sterilized jars that have the medium in them already for $5/jar. I'm thinking that I might end up with a HUGE number of plants in a couple of years and I really don't have the space... That's why I won't try flasking at home and get them do one pod for me. But, I'm more than happy to send you my extra pods. Perhaps, you give me a plant from the white phal as a podparent if you get hundreds of little phals out of those seeds!

Sure, if i get them that far! LOL They never told me they did that! I might get in touch again and ask. I will mention that 'A friend' received that info Are they doing just one flask with the seed of one pod or are they dividing the seed for two?