Flaco's De-Flasking Project

[FLaCo]

I am opening up my flasks and planting 20 or so seedlings. I have taken a mix of your suggestions of you geeks and decided to used a 50/50 bark/perlite mix. I will soak the mix in a Physan 20 solution and spread it in a small Jiffy plastic greenhouse and cover it.

I am just going to make a dimple in the sterile bark mix and place the seedling and repeating this throughout.


What do you guys think? The seedlings should stay up on their own right? Should I add Spag. moss or just use my mix? Seedlings should always be moist right?


I will take pics tomorrow.

[FLaCo]

The day came and here are the pics. I took them out on Monday.

[FLaCo]

Here are the buggers in their house.


The pics of the process a few kilobytes larger than the allowed jpeg size. Meaning I can't post them.

[brookn]

Looks good, I bet it was quite the chore, but it will be well worth it someday.

[patticake]

Looks great FlaCo! What's the cross?

[FLaCo]

Thanks guys.

The crosses are:

Brassavola glauca X Pot Elizabeth Palmer

&

Ctna. Why Not X Enc. Plicata

[FLaCo]

Pictures of the parents...

[FLaCo]

How long until I can up the lid? 2 weeks? 4 weeks?

Should I re-water soon? Should I re-spray a light Physan solution?

[FLaCo]

Bump... I am bumping to see what people say about my seedlings.

In case they think it is an old thread.

[patticake]

I would play it by your senses. Just keep an eye on them.Your set up looks good! Others will know better.

[arleneg]

Since I can barely see thru the covering, it looks like you did a great job in transferring them into their new home.

Keep them moist. Wait 2 weeks before opening and watering/fertilizing. Careful with the Physan solution. It can burn the seedlings' leaves (happened to my Catt. and Phrag. seedlings). I suggest mixing a very small amount of Physan and spraying every one to two weeks.

[kmarch]

I think the second cross the Guaritonia x Encyclia cross wounds quite interesting and unusual. It's hard for me to guess what the outcome might be. The firs cross is more predictable. You'll probably get a nice big sunset colour catt with a big lip. That's nice too but I'm intrigued by the mystery of the first.

[FLaCo]

Patticake, I def. am using my senses at the moment. This is my first time do this...grafting fruit trees is similar in that sense where it becomes a delicate specimen.


Arleneg, thanks...I will take a better pic I promise. Thanks for the heads up on the Physan solution. I will make sure to go a bit lighter next time.


Kevin, that is the reason why I bought...it really does make you wonder...how will that thing look like?

[Ellen]

I wouldn't keep treating the plants with physan if there's no need to. As Arleneg said, this can harm the seedlings and inhibit their growth. Just keep them moist but not soaking wet, and keep them warm - no mold should grow. When I deflask, I do not use physan (or any other chemicals) at all, and only keep the cover of the container completely closed overnight, then gradually start opening it up, more each day. By the end of one week, the seedlings are completely open. For me, Catts usually do better if they stay in sphag compots for about a year, then go into individual pots once they've got a couple of nice pseudobulbs. Compots also save space! But everyone's conditions are different, so in the end you have to learn by trial and error what works for you.

[FLaCo]

Thanks for the reply, Ellen. As of now... the small greenhouse are at room temperature (75-80 F )with a pair of aquatic light bulbs 5 inches from the top of greenhouse see-through lid. They seem to doing well, still green leaves, light moisture droplets on the greenhouse lid, it doesn't smell funky (i know the moldy smell from my pepper and tomato seedlings).

Thanks again.

By the way can you show me what a community pot looks like?

[Ellen]

A community pot (aka compot) is just a larger pot with many seedlings planted together in it. Often the plants do better this way initially. Here's a pic of a dendrobium compot of young seedlings. Even though it looks like a big spreading plant, this is about a dozen plants with only one or two pseudobulbs each. They are planted in a 3.5" pot, in sphag. I usually leave seedlings in the compot for about a year before potting out. The ones in the pic had been in the compot for about 6 months at the time the photo was taken.

[FLaCo]

Two weeks ago Monday I removed my seedlings from their flasks and planted them. Here they are.

I finally the mini greenhouse for the first time to water them with a very light solution of the better gro stuff and a drop of superthrive. I noticed lush dark green leaves and new roots everywhere. I think they are doing good.

Ellen, thanks for the pic ...maybe I will do that when I remove my seedlings from their greenhouse.

Tell me what you guys think? What should my next step be? Should I tip the greenhouse's lid open just a bit for another two weeks?

[sandra]

Damien, this is all unfamiliar territory for me. No advice to give except to say this looks like advanced science to me, the subject that lowered my gpa in school. Those pics show lots of roots so you must be doing everything right. The crosses look very interesting.

[FLaCo]

Sandra, this is all new to me too. I was always the tinkering type in Biology, Chemistry class.

I am just wondering if the guides were right about the two week period.

[arleneg]

Damien,

That's a long and rather large compot! But then, it makes watering much easier. Anyway, you did a great job. They look nice and healthy.

Yes, you can open the lid a tad bit. I think a 1/2 inch or so is good.