ORCHIDS
Growing and Helpful Tips
De-Flasking Orchids
It is good to know a little about the flasking process to help understand conditions the orchid are grown in while in the flask (bottle) before empting to de-flask seedlings. There are no smoke and mirrors in the basics of de-flasking anyone can give it a go!!!!
Flasking anyone can give it a go too!!!! but you will need some dedicated equipment e.g.:- blender/autoclave (pressure cooker) flow cabinet/medium and a temperature controlled room/lab helps heaps trust me. These are only required to get the plants to a stable size in the bottle
The bulk of orchids grown in cultivation are from flasks. The native wild conditions that the orchids would be found are sometimes very hard to replicate to produce seedlings as a result most seedling orchids are grown in laboratories all over the world.
The basics:- As in the picture above you can see small orchid plants growing. Their grown on a medium mixed with selected chemicals and agar (makes it into a firm jelly) and sometimes mixed with banana, pineapple juice or coconut milk to name a few. when mixed and sterilized in a flask (in this case a jar) it makes a firm jelly. The chemicals are to try to replicate the right conditions needed by the orchid seed. The additives used vary for different types of orchids.
Pictured here are a few different types of flasks
The one major advantage to this is that orchids can be shipped from all over the world in sterile conditions for you and I to grow. Without this we would not have the amount of crosses and types of orchids available to us today.
As you can imagine due to the additives in the flask if it was not 100% sterile mould would grow. So when growing orchids from seed this way you have to make sure all equipment, seed, flask, preparation areas are 100% clean and sterile. In the laboratory the seed is sown onto the medium (jelly) in a laminar flow cabinet or sterile chamber (a home made fish tank on its side with the front covered with hand holes).
Please Click on this link
bellow for more information on how to build a home made cabinet
http://www.orchideenvermehrung.at/english/index.htm
Once sown the seed can take from 1 week to months to germinate. Ok here we go!! the sometimes whitish coloured seed turns light green and then goes into what I call the lumpy stage. small protocorms form green round lumps/balls and then grow small tails (look like small green tadpoles trying to stand on their head). the tails turn into small leaves and over time become small plants in a bottle ready for you and I to de-flask. Please keep in mind I have left a lot out and it is ashamed it is not quite that quick.
Flasking Seed Stage
Flasking 1st Stage
Flasking 2nd Stage
Flasking 3rd Stage
Don't be scared off by flasking. De-flasking only requires patience when you get your bottle DON"T TAKE THE LID OFF OR CORK OUT!!!! (this will contaminate the flask only open when ready to pot out) keep it indoors in a shaded spot no direct sunlight, the seedlings are small and in the bottle will cook. Depending on size of plants amount of medium (jelly) and mould outbreak they will be fine for a few weeks (some times few months). There is no rush if there is no sign of mould or browning of plants/roots etc.. in the bottle. Once the bottle is opened then you must pot the seedlings out without hesitation
List of what you will need:-
2 x Ice cream containers washed clean "just in case you didn't lick it clean"
1 x packet of fongarid only cost a few dollars from any garden centre plant/hardware shop. If you don't have fongarid you can de-flask without it. Fongarid is to help protect against root rot
A pair of disposal gloves
10-60 tubes/tray or pots if com-potting if not new washed with boiling water (com-potting is when more then one plant is potted in the one pot)
Your potting/growing mix
Area set aside for growing remember conditions
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What's next, You need a covered area in your shade house/patio etc.. with no wind/breeze as this will dry them out and cause wind burn. You will need around 90% shade cloth around the area to protect them from sun and direct heat saying this most growers don't de-flask in winter as night temperatures can cause problems. It may help to have plastic sheet around seedlings to help keep humidity up. Remember you are initially trying to replicate the conditions in the bottle after sometime this can come off. Once you have your setup you will need to get your potting mix ready, there is a few ways to do this some growers get a small tray place a few sheets of newspaper down and with this lay the babies on it and keep moist till hardened off. some growers do the same but put some small bark/perlite/vermiculite mix on top of the paper and lay the babies on top or just into the mix.
As usual we are the exception we have two basic ways use sphagnum moss and lightly wrap each individual baby plant around the roots and place lightly in a plug (like a tube but is a tray of 20-54 tubes moulded into a tray like a punnet you would buy your veggie seedlings in). And the other way is to pot straight into tubes with a mix of mini-bark, perlite, chip, charcoal, peat. We vary the mix to suit different plant types even some times just peat and perlite mix by it self works fine as long as you do not allow to dry out. Whatever the mix you try remember the golden rule orchids like it moist not wet. once you get your mix ready soak it in a bucket ready for use, it is easier and better for the plants to pot with a pre soaked mix.
Now Ready
Using disposable gloves set yourself up near the tap/garden hose in the shade so you don't burn your little plants. Get the ice cream container and make up the fongarid mix as directed on the packet. With your gloves on open flask/bottle, gently pull/shake out the babies onto a clean surface.
Wash over second ice-cream container under running water (This is in case you drop one makes it easier to find, also remember if you have a hose on to waste the first bit of water in case it is red hot from the sun). You must be as careful and gentle as possible. Remove all that is possible of the jelly.
Once washed put them gently into the ice cream container with the fongarid mix in it. keep cleaning till all babies are in the fongarid, then leave in the fongarid for a further 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes you can very carefully pot/plant/lay them out in your mix and put in your growing area.
Remember you must now keep them moist (not wet). We water them every second day in winter and sometimes 2 times a day in the peak of summer. They will need to be cared for 3-6 months before being able to pot out with other orchids.
HAPPY GROWING