How long does it take.....

[doodlekitty]

Hi all;

I'm presently about to attempt seed germination. I made up my jars of agar last Sunday (17th) and have been watching to see if any mold was growing. So far nothing!

Is a week enough time to wait?

[GrowInHydro]

Yup! you are good to go

[markclkk]

I thought you have to inoculate with specific ectomycorrhizal fungus to germinate orchid seeds?

[patticake]

I'm not brave enough to try this myself... I can't wait to see how you make out! Good Luck!!

[GrowInHydro]

Originally Posted by markclkk

I thought you have to inoculate with specific ectomycorrhizal fungus to germinate orchid seeds?

In the "wild" most orchid seed requires a mycorrhizal infection to germinate. In most cases, when a dry orchid seed comes into contact with water it swells and ruptures the seed coat. The seed will produce a few root hairs which the mycorrhizal hyphae will infect and continue up into the cells of the embryo, completely encircling the cell into what is called a peloton. This ball of fungal cells have a life span of a few days where after it consumed by the orchid cells and the embryo grows until the nutrient source is depleted. The cells will again become infected and the cycle will continue until the orchid is mature enough to produce chlorophyll where it will begin to produce some of its needed energy, while still keeping its mycorrhizal roots and consuming the fungus. Some orchids grow out of their dependence on mycorrhizal fungus, and some depend on it as adults.

With flasking today, all we need to do is supply the nutrients required for germination and growth. The sowing agar will have the nutritional requirements so there is no need for mycorrhizal cycle to provide sustenance.

[doodlekitty]

Thanks Patticake! Apparently I'm not very brave either because I still haven't sewn the seeds! I think tomorrow is going to be the big day.

Grow: Your response is by far the best, most understandable explanation I've heard or read. I have the information, but I would never have been able to answer the question the way you did....thanks!

[GrowInHydro]

Let me know if you have any questions along the way.

[Charles]

Don't be afraid. Try catching your pods green. This eliminated the whole seed sterilization effort. Much easier. I did four flasks of the same seed. Two have produced great results . One is gone. Another is iffy. Just do it. Read the step by step instructions available and just do it. Fail, succeed, just get going.

[solay]

Don't forget the pics. I find this germination stuff very interesting. I of course don't have the knowledge or the guts to try it. Good luck and keep us posted.

[doodlekitty]

Well thank you for all the encouragement. I'm so embarrassed!!!! I still haven't sewn the seeds! I made a new batch of media (a different kind this time) and everything looks good to go. Now I have about 30 jars of media waiting for some seeds and I'm scared to take the next step!


I have some dry seed but I'm mostly interested in using my pods which are currently too young to cut yet (I have 5 dend pods and 2 enc. pods) but it looks like the encs. are about "done". I think I need to take a DAY OFF to attemp this daunting feat!