Sowing Bletilla seed

[GrowInHydro]

I've searched and not found it...but I thought I happened across a thread once upon a time where someone had sown bletilla seed on soil and had some decent results.

I have about a dozen pods this year, and I usually just let them fade with fall but thought I may try this "flask-less" method as a bit of winter entertainment. I've got quite a bit of stuff under lights right now anyway, but I don't have an interest in flasking the seed.

I have been on a kick buying different gesneriad seed lately, so I was going to sow the bletilla the same way and see how it goes. Maybe mix in soil from around the parent plants.

Thanks for any info!

[patticake]

That was me. That worked for a while, but the soil gnat larvae ate the tiny roots faster than the tiny plants could grow. Here are the threads.
Planting Ellens' seeds!

update on my "Ellen" seeds

My first orchid demise....



I hope they help in your decision.

[GrowInHydro]

Hey Patticake, thanks for the links; I remember your thread now.

I know its too little too late, but I read that when flasking Bletilla, that it is better to re-plate when the seedlings are in their dormant cycle; which lead me to believe that the post protocorm seedlings are going to be deciduous so I would be re-plating the tubers.

With your experiment, your seedlings may have just gone dormant. My Bletilla bed in the yard dies back like all the perennials. I've never grown them in the greenhouse to know if they will keep their foliage through the winter in 55 - 65 temps. Guess I could google that

If you are interested in some seed to try it again, IM your address and I'll send some out to you.

Tonight I sowed a whole pod over a blend of sifted soil from the Bletilla bed, peat moss, and perlite.

We'll see how it goes!

Thanks

[patticake]

Awesome! I don't know if that's what happened to mine... You may be right. I wish you lots of luck! Keep us posted on how they come along...

[Brooke]

Jesse are you doing any flasks now?

Brooke

[solay]

My Bletilla plants still have leaves but it's in the GH. The temps. have dropped into the 50's at night due to my heater not being installed yet. I've been using a indoor heater as a temporary fix but it's not strong enough.
I'm also attempting to grow some gesneriad seeds using Chitosan powder. Suppose to help seeds germinate at a higher rate.

[GrowInHydro]

solay
I'm definitely interested in how the Chitosan powder works for you. I am getting about a 70% yeild on my gesneriad seeds. Are you using it as a fungicidal or does it have any auxin-like properties?

That gave me an idea...I wonder if the addition of Chitosan to my auger would reduce the instances of flask contamination. I usually just add PPM which does a decent job.

Originally Posted by Brooke

Jesse are you doing any flasks now?

Brooke

Hi Broke, no flasks now. I haven't had the time. I have most everything either hardening off in deli-trays or already in plugs. I had a lot of seed from Thailand that isn't viable anymore so I'm going to wait until my boys get a little older and I can get a little more free time

Right now just sowing seeds on peat moss is perfect to keep me occupied. Of course I can't leave my Gesneraids alone and keep tissue propagating them when they aren't doing it by themselves.

[solay]

I just PMed you on the Chitosan results by Markclkk. Oh and if you want to try some of the Chitosan, I can mail you a few capsules. The bottle cost me $24 plus shipping and there's more than I can use. You can see if it's worth buying more.

[GrowInHydro]

Thanks solay, I'll send you a SwampStick or I have been hybridizing my African Violets I'll can send you some seed when they are mature here in a few months. I have about 5 seed pods now that will take another 4 - 5 months to pop open.

I'm going to go and take a few photos of my Gloxinia and Sinningia seedlings so you can see where I'm now after about 3 weeks. I have a bunch of Kohleria seeds on order that should be here any day now.

[solay]

Yay! I'd love a swamp stick. Thanks in advance for the seeds. By the way, will they do OK in the GH or do they need cooler temps. I need to really do some research.

[GrowInHydro]

You know...I don't know. GH full of orchid here and I have my new gesnariad hobby inside under lights. I would think they would do great in the greenhouse...so long as you don't have any sprinklers pointed at them I'll have to see how a few like it out there.

[solay]

Thanks. I guess I'll find out. I was thinking about putting an aquarium light on it but I'm getting the "it's too expensive" on the electricity as is for the heater being on in the GH 15 hours a day now. LOL!!!

[GrowInHydro]

OK...here are a few pics!

Sinningia

[GrowInHydro]

Here are the Gloxinia

[solay]

They are so tiny. How long before they sprouted from time of sowing? Also I'm afraid of something getting in and eating them. How about the gnat larvae? Are you doing anything special to prevent that? Thanks.

[GrowInHydro]

And call me crazy...but 2 days in and the Bletilla embryos have already swollen.

[GrowInHydro]

A single of each showed up after about 10 days, by 3 weeks there was green all over the place. So I would say give them 3 weeks.

As for critters I didn't do anything this time around and so far so good. The Sinningia seeds actually molded the first week, so I covered them with a light dusting of sifted peat moss, and sprayed it.

I would say the one thing I guess I am doing that may be preventing the gnat larvae are the lids.

[solay]

I have a lid on them too. Hope that'll do it. I do have gnats in the GH so I'm a little worried. Thanks for the info.

[patticake]

Everything looks good! I used to raise violets from seed. They grow pretty fast compared to orchids. Good luck with the Bletilla. I hope you can stay away from those gnat larvae! I think if the plants had grown faster, the roots would have gotten too big to have been eaten on mine. Keep us posted!

[solay]

Here's my Bretilla corms? I started a while back. Still growing leaves and is in the GH. Not sure how long before it's BS.

[GrowInHydro]

Here's an update on the Bletilla seed