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Growing Orchids from Seed
Those who have not grown orchids from seed before should be familiarized with their requirements. Most species of orchids produce huge numbers of seeds to compensate for the fact that the probability of any given seed growing to maturity is very low. In the wild, the seed needs to land in the correct location, be infected with an appropriate fungus, germinate, and manage to survive predation, drying winds, and other hazards. From a single capsule with hundreds of thousands of seeds, only a small number may actually germinate. In practice, a plant that produces several capsules over its lifespan, each with tens or hundreds of thousands of seeds will have (on the average) one of its progeny reach the stage where it will grow, flower, and in turn produce seeds.
Only a few techniques existed to increase the number of orchids in collections until the early 1920's. Some existing plants could sometimes be divided. More orchids could be collected from the wild. And orchids could be grown from seed, provided that the seeds were fertile, and that a suitable substrate could be found. Early success in this endeavor resulted when growers found that the seeds germinated best when sprinkled on the roots of the mother plant. In this manner, the mycorrhizal fungi that resides within the roots could infect the seeds, permitting them to germinate.
Starting in the late 1910's, Louis Knudson modified techniques used to grow corn so that orchids could be grown from seed. Instead of employing a fungus (which produced sugars that allowed orchid seeds to germinate), Knudson delivered the sugars directly. The only problem was that the seeds, the media, the environment in which the seeds were sown- everything had to be sterile. Otherwise, the media provided an excellent growth surface for bacteria and fungi. The seeds were disinfected with chlorine-based compounds, destroying the microorganisms and their spores. Still today this step (disinfection) remains problematic.
Growing orchids from seed at home has been possible for over 50 years now. The chemicals and media for germination and culture are commercially available, and the culture vessels can be anything from milk bottles to baby food jars. Pool chlorine can be used for disinfection, or even laundry bleach.
For those that have not grown orchids from seed before, the following are important to note:
You will need a sterile workspace. This can be an aquarium, a cooler tipped on its side, or even two sheets of glass. You will need culture vessels, such as Erlenmeyer flasks, baby food jars, and so forth. We use Mason jars, which have many advantages. You will require disinfectant for your seeds and surfaces. Bleach is fine. Calcium hypochlorite may be purchased from pool supply stores; this is a hazardous compound, and a strong oxidizer. Be careful with it. A pressure cooker or autoclave is required for sterilizing flasks, media, and so forth. Clean, dry orchid seeds lend themselves best to disinfection. The cleaner the better: flasks will be less likely to contaminate if the seed has been harvested, handled, and stored correctly. Instructions on how to grow orchids from seed are hard to find. The most complete text on the subject is available from Botana Books and Art. More information on the book is available here.
A few other things to consider. Orchids aren't much of a commercial crop because they can take years to flower from seed- at least two years, and sometimes more than ten. If you are trying to grow your own cross, bear this in mind: if you decided to cross a couple of orchids you just happened to have, it's going to take time, energy, space, and money- and you'll end up with tens or thousands of hybrid mutts. Sure, there's always the chance you'll end up with the next FCC, but most likely, you'll end up with ugly flowers. This doesn't mean you shouldn't make your own hybrids- but you should educate yourself in the finer points of hybridization before you begin.
If you'd like to start somewhere, start with a species- preferably one you like. We stock orchid species seed from all over the world. If you desire, we'll send you seeds of species that have germinated recently for us. This will help you with efforts to grow orchids that are certain to germinate given the correct conditions. All you need to do is provide the conditions!
Drop us a line. Let us know how we can help you.
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