Orchid_Flasking

Simple orchid flasking

The idea of this article is to put to rest the thought that you must have a complete Laboratory setup to germinate Orchid Seed.

Orchid Seed can be germinated with a few simple items, most found in any ones kitchen.

You will need the following items :-

2 linen Tea Towels - White King Bleach - 1lt size Orchid Medium ( advertised in all Orchid Magazines) - small 10ml glass bottles/jars - Calcium hypochlorite (CaHc) -

1 litre Demineralised water - Bucket - 6 x 250ml jam jars - disposable gloves - Pressure Cooker - Coffee filter paper - small container egg cup size -

To start with you need to do the following two things -

1. Make up your medium with the one you can purchase through the magazines, you only need to add distilled water to a pot, add the powder slowly until mixed, bring almost to the boil then turn the flame off ( with most dehydrated media Im pretty sure it is already at the correct PH, but if you do have access to a ph metre or strips then check it for 5.4) Pour the medium while it is in liquid form into your 6 jars , screw the lids ( not too tight) on the jars, then place them in your pressure cooker ( which is set for 15psi) and bring up till the steam makes the weight jiggle around ( its up to pressure) then turn it down too low and time it for 20 mins. I recommend that you leave the pressure cooker until completely cold before opening it up, then screw the lids tight. Leave this for at least 5 days to make sure you have no fungal flasks.

2. Next you must make up the Calcium hypochlorite 650g/kg ( available from Pool Shops ). You make up a Stock Solution first - too 276mls of distilled water you add 1/4 teaspoonful (0.85gm) of Calcium hypochlorite, shake well until dissolved. Fold a coffee filter into a 1/4 then shape it like a funnel; place this funnel in a Amber bottle and slowly pour the 276mls of mixture through the filter. Wrap some Aluminium Foil around the amber bottle to keep out any light; this is stored in your fridge and will last for about 6 months.

Seed Sterilising - in a small container add 5ml (1 teaspoon) of the Stock Solution to 40ml (8 teaspoons) of Distilled Water add 1 drop of detergent and 5 drops of vinegar to bring it down to between ph5 and ph6. (this mixture should be used within 1 hour, if you are interrupted make up a new lot). Place enough seed into the small bottle ( enough about the size of a grain of rice; remember this amount of Orchid seed represents 100's of seeds more than enough to germinate) using the above mixture that you have made up from the Stock, pour about 5ml into each of the seed bottles; this needs to be shaken occasional for the next 10-15 mins. One bottle of seed per flask.

You are now ready to start the job, firstly you need to place 100ml of White king in your bucket, add 900mls of tap water. Now put on the disposable Gloves which must be dipped into the White King solution before and after every thing you now do. Place a pile of 5 sheets of newspaper on your table/bench, place the 2 Linen Tea towels into the bucket until totally wet, screw out as much liquid as you can and lay the two on the newspaper ; all the work is down between the two tea towels.

Next take one Flask, seed bottle and empty small container and wash it well in the W/King solution and place in-between the two tea towels, ( remember to mark/number the flasks to the seed bottles; so you will know when you have finished what each flask has sown in it.) while keeping the tea towels together as much as possible, unscrew the flask and also the top off the seed bottle and pour contents into the flask, replace the lid and take you hands out and wait for 5 mins. Re-enter under the towel and without lifting up the towel very slowly tip the flask so the contents tip into the empty container. During the 5 mins some of the seed would have dropped to the bottom of the solution and attached itself to the medium; sure, you will have poured out some of the seed,but you will still have plenty of seed still left on top of the medium. Take the flask out and screw it up tightly. Continue this process until you have finished the flasking you have to do.

The idea of this process is you don't do any replating of the protocorms, as you are only sowing a small amount of seed in each flask.

The flasks need to be in a well lit place ( not outside in the sun as they will cook) the idea situation is to set them under a Fluro Tube ( placed about 30cm above) and lit up for a period of 12 hours each day. Germination time varies according to genera sown, but some can germinate in 10 days.

I think the hardest part of Flasking, is the waiting.

The procedure described above came from an article written by Fred J. Bergman.

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