I decided to go ahead with it, even if the numbers are a little low. So, I will see you on Thursday - it should be a lot of fun for everyone - it will be for me!!
Thanks for another informative video. Have you decided that treating the newly deflasked seedlings with a weak Physan solution is not necessary to help with fungal control?
I have only decided that, if I am running out of time at the end of the day, the Physan treatment can wait. It was a long day and the highest priority was getting the plants wetted down and situated in the culture room. You ask really good questions and I wish that I had the answers to go along with them....
Thanks for the video, I like a lot to look at seed trays. Look at all the seedlings growing is always very pleasant to me, and when they are orchids it is even better. Thank you so much 👍👍I cannot tell you how much I would like to attend the flasking class, but I am in Brazil😥 Sorry, but I need to ask you this, I heard from local breeders that some mutations, like albinism, always produce weaker plants, is there a chance that the tiny ones you are culling to be mutants? Is there a way to check for that in early seedling stage? Thanks again 👍👍
Thanks for your comment and I am also sorry that you cannot attend my class. For the mutations affecting growth, it depends. Mutations drive evolution so the good mutations are great. But, more often, the mutations are not good and you will get reduced vigor or a bad flower. Chloroplast mutations will usually lead to plants with reduced photosynthetic capacity so this is not good. In this case, if the mutation adds to the character of the plant, it may be desirable, even with a reduction in vigor. I found another variegated cattleya a few days ago and will need to see how that plant does - if it stabilizes, it could be very cool. The weaker seedlings may not be the result of any mutations and may reflect an inferior combination of genes from both parents. I have heard that the weaker plants will produce the nicest flowers but I do not believe that - or, I do not want to wait and see if they do.....
thanks for the great info and experience, as usual! I really think you should look into importing some of your flasks to europe ;) you can send them straight to us (cause we need the practice, hahaha). oh, and hire a lab lakcy and start flasking for outside customers like us!!!
Thanks for sharing. Unflasked and my first IKEA container is on the rack. You spray the fertilizer and fungicide directly on the leaves? What fungicide and fertilizer brands are you using? It will be great to know the concentration in g and ppm/microsiemens for both. Thanks. Daniel
I spray a weak concentration of Physan20 on the plants right after deflasking but I am not sure if that is necessary. I remove and add water weekly. I apply fertilizer 2-3 weeks after deflasking - also a weak concentration at the start. I do not treat my seedlings with regular fungicide. I am starting to add mycorrhizae 4 weeks after deflasking - this is not a fertilizer or a fungicide but a mix of beneficial fungi. I do not know ppm of any of this. Sorry - I do not use these units for my fertilizer applications. I hope that your plants do well!
Hi is the water you're using (hydrating the Orchiata, watering the freshly deflasked plants etc) non ph adjusted tap water or is there an RO filter for the water that goes to the lab?
People can get very particular about their water - this is city tap water. I use hot water to hydrate the orchiata because the hot water penetrates a little more efficiently. I learned of some big growers that do the same, which I did not know when I started doing this. The water is not pH adjusted, which can be tough for water because there is no buffer in it. City tap water for the deflasked orchids - I do use distilled water to make my media though.....
That makes sense especially b/c aren't in a genus that's especially sensitive to water hardness/ec (Cool cloud forest orchids like Masdevallia/Dracula/Miltoniopsis etc) @@plantpropagator
