Asymbiotic Technique Of Orchid Seed Germination

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  1. Development Of Orchid Seed Pod

Orchideenvermehrung Ederer. Orchid seeds are very small (like dust) and do not contain any food reserves which feed the embryo in his first steps of life like other. Asymbiotic technique of orchid seed germination by Aaron J Hicks, 1999, Orchid Seedbank Project edition, Unknown Binding in English - 1st ed edition.

Development Of Orchid Seed Pod

Germination Orchid seed orchid seeds orchid seed germination asymbiotic orchid seed germination Orchid seed orchid seeds orchid seed germination asymbiotic orchid seed germination Hi Nadine! Nadine Vreeland Never grown orchids from seed before? We regularly get requests for seed from those who enjoy orchids, but have never been introduced to the technical rigors behind their production. For many plants, the seed propagation consists of sticking some seeds in dirt or sand, and giving them a little heat and moisture. Unfortunately, growing orchids from seed is more technically daunting.

First off, the seeds of orchids are very small- vanishingly small, in fact. Many orchids have seeds that weigh less than a microgram per seed; a 500 milligram aspirin tablet would weigh as much as more than 500,000 of these seeds. Some are much larger, but even at 10 micrograms per seed (a very large orchid seed), that same tablet would weigh as much as 50,000 seeds.

Secondly, because the seeds contain virtually no nutrition (called endosperm), they require external sources of nutrition. In the case of orchid seeds, we provide this in the form of sugar. Like children who prefer soda to something more nutritious, they also need other elements to their diet, and these are provided in the form of a chemical salt. These are combined with water, and then set into a semi-solid gel (like gelatin) using a gelling agent produced from seaweed or bacteria, called agar or gellan gum, respectively. However, because this sugar and salt mix is very good at growing bacteria and fungi, it must be sterilized in an autoclave or a pressure cooker first. Once the nutrient media is prepared and sterilized, the seeds must have any bacteria or fungi riding on them destroyed, but without injuring the seed.

This is done using certain chemical techniques. Once the seeds have been disinfected, they are sown on the media; this mmust be done in a sterile environment, usually provided in a glove box or in specially filtered air, produced by a high efficiency particle air (HEPA) filter. If the seeds are viable and the conditions are correct, they will germinate in several days or weeks (sometimes months). After several weeks or months on the germination medium, they must be transferred to a new medium in a process called replate. Once they are on replate medium, they may continue to grow, or be transferred to another replate flask.

After several months or even years, the seedlings have grown large enough and produced roots to the point where they stand a good chance at surviving out of flask, and are removed. The entire process can take over three years, but 12-18 months is typical. This is one reason that orchids are expensive relative to other plants- they require specialized conditions for germination, and are very slow to grow. On the bright side, they’re kept absolutely sterile, and unless the flasks get contaminated, they are free of pests and pathogens. While this sounds remarkably difficult and technical, it is worth noting that these techniques are used every day to produce orchid seedlings in homes and commercial facilities all around the world. Everything required for orchid seed germination is available on the web, and many components can be organized in your home with ease. The specialized media are available by mail order, and complete instructions for growing orchids from seed are available in and on the web.

Don’t let any of the above scare you off, but be forewarned that just scattering orchid seeds in dirt isn’t very effective, if at all. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us and we’ll do our best to help. Questions?

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Our Books Orchid seed orchid seeds orchid seed germination asymbiotic orchid seed germination Orchid seed orchid seeds orchid seed germination asymbiotic orchid seed germination Hi Nadine! Nadine Vreeland Now available: Asymbiotic Technique of Orchid Seed Germination By Aaron J.

Hicks The Orchid Seedbank Project, PO Box 7042 Chandler, AZ 85246 USA Copyright 2009. 145 pp, paperback. 14 b/w diagrams, 1 color diagram, 14 b/w photos, 21 color photos, and 6 tables. 8' x 10-1/2' format.

Orchid seed germination media

With references. ISBN 0-9673049-0-3 US $54 + shipping/handling Currently in sixth printing Available from the or at We’re working on second edition, and we do not have a release date. We also have a that is a little smaller and contains more pertinent information with less technical background.

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