Orchid seeds: how they look in the photo, the differences between real seeds and fake ones, can they be planted in a nutrient medium and grown at home?

Orchid seeds in the photo

Below are photos of orchid seeds and the process of planting orchid seeds:

How to plant an orchid baby?

How to plant an orchid with children at home? Planting orchids by children consists of several stages.

When planting children, they are separated from the escape immediately, without layering, and are simply rooted in the air, without soil.

For this, a plastic cup is taken with drainage holes made in the bottom. The first layer is the drainage: small pebbles or pebbles.

To the question: is drainage necessary for orchids? The answer is unequivocal - yes, it is needed. It is also important to care for the orchid baby after planting, which will be discussed below.

The second layer is wet moss. A baby is placed on a horizontal support in the upper part of the glass so that it does not touch the moss. From above, all this is covered with another glass, of a larger diameter with several ventilation holes

It is important to maintain high temperature and humidity. When roots appear 5-6 cm long, the plant is planted in the ground.

A baby is planted in the prepared and disinfected bark, moss is laid out on top. Spraying is carried out daily. The container is covered with a lid and placed in a warm, well-lit place.

Planting an orchid in a glass pot using bark is a common way of growing these plants. As well as planting orchid babies at home, the process is becoming increasingly popular among flower growers.

Planting an orchid baby is clearly visible in the video:

Planting an orchid with a bulb

How to plant orchids with bulbs? In general, it is more convenient to plant sympodial (bush) orchids with bulbs.

It is important to understand how plant an orchid bulb right. Such a bulb is planted in an ordinary dry substrate for orchids.

For rooting, she will need a plastic pot with holes in the bottom and walls. Drainage is laid at the bottom of the container, then the soil and bark. The bulb is not buried in the ground or watered until true long roots appear. Growing an orchid from a bulb takes about 1.5-3 years.

You can also plant a large plant with bulbs

In a well-grown orchid, the roots are carefully separated during transplantation. Each rhizome should have 2-3 full-fledged false bulbs

After separation, each plant is housed separately and cared for as usual.

How to plant an orchid with a scion?

Some varieties of domestic orchids are monopodial (one stem) and easily propagate by lateral stem processes, at the ends of which "babies" are formed.

These shoots appear after the end of the flowering of the plant. The peduncle is cut to half and a lateral process-baby grows from the remaining part of it. How to plant an orchid shoot at home? More precisely, how to properly plant an orchid shoot so that it takes root and does not dry out.

As the shoot grows, it is taken to a nearby pot and placed on wet moss for rooting. From above, the baby must be tightly covered with a plastic glass. After the roots appear, the baby is separated from the mother's shoot and the cut site is treated with crushed charcoal or activated carbon. Then the young plant is transplanted into the ground for further growth, without removing the shelter.

It is imperative to provide the plant with good lighting and optimal temperature throughout the entire process.

You can also separate the scion immediately and place it in warm water with a little fertilizer. After waiting for the roots to appear, the process is planted in the ground.This is the easiest way to plant orchid shoots.

What do orchid seeds look like?

In a dry, opening with three or six valves, a capsule or pod, about 4 million dust-like seeds ripen, which are spread by gusts of wind. They are so tiny that it is difficult to see them without a microscope.

The length of each seed varies from 0.35 to 3.3 mm, and the width, respectively, from 0.08 to 0.3 mm. Orchid seed dust is not black, but light yellowish-cream in color. The embryo is even more difficult to see, its dimensions are quite miniature - approximately 0.05 - 0.26 mm in length and 0.04-0.19 mm in width.

Why orchid seeds cannot be grown in an ordinary substrate

In the cells of a mature embryo there are only proteins and fat-like substances, and there are absolutely no starch grains containing carbohydrate reserves to ensure the process of cell division. In botanical terms, the endosperm is completely absent - the nutrient tissue that surrounds the embryo and is characteristic of the seeds of most flowering plants. Without obtaining organic substances from the outside, orchid seeds have no possibility of germination.

Orchids have found a way out for survival in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi that penetrate seeds. Occasionally, if the fungus turns out to be stronger, it destroys the seed, but usually organisms still coexist with mutual benefit for each other.

Often young plants germinate next to the mother's, which is absolutely not surprising, because an adult orchid, as a rule, grows on a mycelium. Seeds blown away by the wind germinate only if they manage to get to the place where the mushrooms live. The rest die, therefore, caring nature and made sure that a lot of planting material is obtained in the process of pollination.

This is interesting: Top dressing of orchids during flowering at home

How to pollinate orchids and harvest their seeds

In their natural environment, most orchids are pollinated by insects. In apartment conditions, you will have to do it yourself.

In orchids, cross-pollination is possible, so it is possible only if there are two simultaneously flowering plants of the same species, for example, phalaenopsis. The color scheme of new plants obtained from seeds as a result of such manipulation is distinguished by more varied shades compared to parent orchids. Pollination is carried out in the following order:

In the upper part of the flower there are anthers, in the nest of which pollen is formed, glued into compact lumps - pollinia. They are surrounded by a thin film.
With disinfected tweezers, carefully open the shell.
They grab a small lump of pollinium from the flower of the first orchid and transfer it to a small notch of the column located at the bottom of the flower of another phalaenopsis.
The same procedure is repeated once more, but with the polylines of the second orchid and the first column. It turns out two cross-pollinated flowers.
If all the actions turned out to be correct, after a day, the anther nests of both plants are closed.

Soon, the pollinated flower withers, and a fruit begins to form in its place after one and a half to two weeks. If a wilted flower falls off, it means that pollination has failed.
The fruit is a pod or capsule tightly packed with microscopic seeds. They take a long time to ripen - from six months to 8 months.

At first, the pod is greenish, and as it ripens, it acquires a beige yellowness. In order not to miss its cracking, a paper envelope is fixed around it.
Since it is quite problematic to pollinate and collect seeds at home, they are more often bought from orchid suppliers, usually from Chinese.

Features of growing orchids from seeds

Growing an orchid from seed is a very laborious process that requires patience and painstaking work.The first flowering begins only 4–5 years after planting, but this does not prevent growers from successfully planting a decorative flower at home.

Planting material is obtained in two ways:

purchased in a specialized store;
self-pollinate the plant at home.

Planting material can be obtained by self-pollination of the flower

Preparation of planting material

Regardless of how the seeds were obtained, the procedure for preparing them for sowing is the same in both cases. The first difficulty that growers face is the very small size of the planting material. To prevent pathogenic microorganisms from growing in the seeds, they must be subjected to a disinfection procedure:

make an aqueous solution of bleach (100 ml of liquid per 15 g of substance);
filter the resulting substance;
place the seeds inside and shake for 10 minutes.

Orchid seeds are microscopic in size

Required inventory

It is impossible to grow an orchid at home without the right equipment. Experienced growers recommend using glass test tubes, but regular jars will work as well. They are taken in the following sizes: height - 15 cm, diameter - 1.5 cm. The main condition for choosing dishes is heat-resistant glass, since all containers will need to be sterilized.

To make it easier to place the seeds in the flasks, use a syringe or pipette. Instruments must also be sterilized by high temperatures.

After placing the planting material on Wednesday, the container must be closed with a tight stopper. If jars are used for the procedure, a gauze pad is placed under the lid. The tubes are closed with a cotton swab wrapped in a bandage.

You can correctly place the flasks with the planting material during planting using a lattice or a special tripod.

Selection or self-preparation of the substrate

Florists do not recommend sowing phalaenopsis seeds in the ground, since the percentage of their survival rate is significantly reduced. The best option is Knudson's or Cherevchenko's ready-made nutrient medium. Both mixtures contain all the necessary salts and trace elements, as well as a polysaccharide from seaweed.

Some flower growers prefer to prepare the substrate themselves. There are quite a few recipes, but they are all similar in components and cooking technology. One of the popular recipes has the following composition:

boiled, distilled water - 0.4 l;
a special agent for feeding orchids (dosage according to instructions);
sugar and honey (4 g each);
agar agar (80 g);
1 tablet of activated carbon;
banana puree (25 g).

All components are mixed with water and placed on the stove. Stirring constantly, the mixture is kept on fire for as long as it takes to form a thick homogeneous substance.

For orchids, the acidity of the nutrient medium is very important. The flower grows well only at a pH level of 4.8-5.2. You can check this indicator using a litmus test. If it is below normal, a few drops of lemon juice should be added to the substrate, if higher - an aqueous solution of baking soda.

Sterilization of the culture medium

After preparing the culture medium, it must be sterilized. At home, this is done in an oven or pressure cooker. The procedure algorithm is as follows:

The mixture is poured into containers so that it reaches a mark of 2 cm and does not fall on the walls of the vessel. To do this, use a pipette or syringe.
The flasks are hermetically closed.
Install them vertically.
Sterilized for 45 minutes at 120 ° C.
With further heating, the time is increased by a third. Thus, the duration of the process is at least 1 hour.
Cool the substrate to room temperature. If the consistency of the culture medium is too thick or liquid, the acidity level is adjusted and the mixture is re-sterilized.

Video: "Recipe for the preparation of a nutrient medium"

This video demonstrates how to prepare an orchid seed growing medium at home.

Step by step instructions on how to plant

Since orchid seeds are very capricious, when planting them on their own, it is very important to properly prepare equipment, a nutrient medium, sow and care for seedlings. Even with ideal conditions, only a small percentage of seeds can turn into a real flower.

Therefore, neglecting at least one of the points, you risk not growing a single plant at all.

Preparation of the culture medium

For planting, you can use either a purchased nutrient medium or one made by yourself. Let us dwell on the second option in detail. You can prepare a nutrient medium as follows:

Watch a video on how to prepare a seed growing medium.

For sowing, a device is used that additionally sterilizes the seeds. Sowing is done like this:

Place a grid on a container with water, on it - a substrate in a flask.
After sterilization, suck the seeds out of the solution with a pipette and place them on the surface of the substrate.
Next, close the flasks or jars with cotton swabs or lids, put on germination.
The temperature should be monitored all the time: it should be 18-23 degrees Celsius, the duration of daylight hours - an average of 12-14 hours.

Next, you can see a photo of what the seeds look like and what has grown from them:

After a few weeks or months, changes begin to occur with the crops. Green balls appear on them, then the first leaves. After the appearance of two or three leaves, roots begin to appear. Only after a year can the seedlings be transplanted into a pot. A substrate of moss, fern roots and pine bark is suitable for filling the pot.

The soil should be as small as possible. The sprouts are removed from the flask with forceps as carefully as possible, washed in water and transplanted into a substrate, which is pre-poured with boiling water for 30 minutes. Plants need lighting and high humidity all the time.

Step-by-step instructions on how to plant correctly

Inventory

Before proceeding with sowing, you need to prepare equipment and appropriate utensils:

glass flasks with a volume of 100 grams, or test tubes, but you can take small glass jars with tightly closing lids;
cotton and gauze plugs;
tripod, if it is decided to germinate seeds in test tubes;
litmus test;
2% hydrogen peroxide;
sterile syringe.

If you chose simple jars with lids, then a hole is made in them and a small glass tube is inserted. Subsequently, a small piece of cotton wool should be placed in it, then the air will pass into the jar without hindrance, and bacteria and dust will settle on the cotton wool.

Sterilization

To sterilize dishes, use:

a double boiler;
oven with thermostat;
microwave oven.

Actions:

The containers are sterilized directly with the culture medium in a tightly closed state in an upright position.
Sterilization is carried out at a temperature of 120 degrees for at least 45 minutes. It is worth considering the heating of the oven or double boiler, so 20 minutes are added to the original time.
Then cool the containers with the medium to room temperature.

Preparation of the culture medium

Attention! Creating a nutrient medium for planting orchid seeds is a very time-consuming process, but you can buy it at a specialty store.

If you want to go all the difficult way of growing a beautiful plant from seeds, then prepare the mixture yourself.

So, you will need:

agar-agar - 8 g;
complex phosphorus-nitrogen-potassium fertilizer - 1.5 g;
glucose - 10 g;
fructose - 10 g;
activated carbon - 1 g;
root-forming stimulant - 5 drops;
1 liter of distilled water.

Algorithm of actions during cooking:

In boiling distilled water in a volume of half a liter, add glucose, fructose, agar-agar.Cook the mixture over low heat until the last ingredient is dissolved.
In the next half liter of heated water add coal, fertilizer and phytostimulant, mix well.
Combine both compositions.
Bring the acidity of the composition to a certain level. If the pH is high, a potash solution is used, low - orthophosphoric acid. Seeds will germinate only in an environment of 4.8-5.2 pH.

The culture medium should be like jelly. Pour 30 mg of the composition into each jar and close tightly. Sterilize the jars with the medium as described earlier. Then we leave the sterilized nutrient medium for 5 days, if during this time mold has appeared in it, discard the substrate and start all over again. A video detailing how to prepare a nutrient medium for orchid seeds:

The site has such information about planting and growing orchids: soil, pot, choosing a Thai orchid, orchids from Vietnam, growing a flower in a flask and especially being in a closed system, planting babies, growing by hydroponics.

Sowing

How to sow correctly:

Seeds must be sterilized before placing them in the nutrient mixture. Dilute bleach in water at a ratio of 10%. After prolonged shaking, the solution should be well filtered. Soak the seeds in chlorine solution for 10 minutes and plant immediately.
The sterilized seeds are pulled out of the solution with a sterile syringe and placed into the nutrient mixture through tubes, which are closed with sterile cotton wool.

You can put seeds for germination. In this case, the air temperature should be 18-23 degrees. Daylight hours 12-14 hours.

Reference! Germination can last from a week to several months. But it is worth remembering that the sprouts cannot be touched for a year, since there is a possibility of infecting an immature plant with an infection. As soon as the orchid seedlings are strong enough, you can proceed to the next stage.

We suggest watching a video on how to properly sow orchid seeds at home:

Read more about how to plant an orchid here.

Sowing

Before starting sowing, you should prepare the necessary tools and materials.

Certain instruments are used to transplant orchids.

Equipment

Everything that is needed for sowing is quite simple to find:

Conical flasks for 200-300 ml, jars of the same volume with screw caps;
Cotton plugs covered with gauze or rubber with a hole for a glass tube covered with a piece of cotton wool;
Litmus strip;
Hydrogen peroxide, 2%;
Two disposable sterile syringes;
Chemical pipette.

A hole is made in the lid, a short glass tube is inserted into it, the upper end of which is plugged with cotton.

Nutrient substrate

In specialized stores, you can buy a substrate for germinating orchid seeds:

Knudson agar nutrient medium;
Modified Cherevchenko's environment for orchids.

The mixture is diluted strictly according to the instructions, preferably with distilled water. The acidity (pH) of the mixture for growing orchids should be in the range of 5.0-5.3.

The composition of the nutrient mixture includes agar-agar - a natural polysaccharide, after dissolving it gives the medium density.

Warm nutrient solution is poured into containers up to 3 cm thick, test tubes are closed with corks, jars - with lids in which glass tubes are installed.

Advice! If the formula is too thin or too dense, the acidity must be corrected. A little baking soda is added to a solution with high acidity, and a few drops of hydrochloric acid are added to a solid solution. The acidity of the medium is checked with a litmus strip.

Pre-preparation, sterilization

Dishes prepared for work with a nutrient medium are sterilized:

In a double boiler or pressure cooker;
In an oven with a temperature controller.

The duration of sterilization depends on the temperature in the oven: at 120 ℃, it is enough to stand for 45 minutes.Since a double boiler or oven must first warm up, the sterilization time is increased to 60 minutes.

All utensils and instruments are thoroughly sterilized before use.

The prepared nutrient mixture is cooled at room temperature.

Important! After cooling, the nutrient agar takes on a jelly-like appearance.

After completing all the recommendations, you can proceed to planting seeds.

Conditions for germination

Seed material is sown quickly to avoid contamination of the environment:

Work is carried out on the steam of boiling water in a large-diameter saucepan;
It is recommended to attach the rack to the pan.

Before sowing, the seeds are sterilized:

Place in a sterile empty container, close with a stopper or lid;
A couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide (2%) are added with a sterile chemical pipette, the jar is closed;
Stand for about 5-10 minutes;
With a disposable syringe or a sterile chemical pipette, the seminal material with the liquid is taken and distributed over the solid surface of the medium.

The containers are placed in a well-lit place, the required air temperature is 20-23 ℃. The duration of daylight hours is at least 12 hours.

Within 7 days, contamination with extraneous microflora may appear, which forms colonies on the surface of the nutrient medium.

Result

The sprouting period differs between different orchid species and can vary from four to five weeks to 7-9 months:

The first to appear is a small green ball with processes in the form of threads - rhizoids. They absorb water and keep the seedling tightly on the surface;
After a while, the seedling develops the first leaves, after which the real roots develop.

After 10-12 months, the small orchid is ready for transplant.

Planting seedlings in the ground

The transplant of formed small plants is carried out into a sterilized (steamed) mixture, consisting of:

From finely chopped pine bark, sphagnum moss and crushed fern rhizomes in a ratio of 1: 1: 1;
10 crushed activated carbon tablets are added to 1 liter of the finished substrate.

The prepared mixture is introduced into a small disposable cup, and a layer of expanded clay is first laid out on the bottom. Now you can plant seedlings in it:

A little water is added to a jar with plants, and the entire contents are poured into a wide container, 2 ml of a 0.5% Fundazole solution are added, left for 10 minutes, then the seedlings are removed with a brush;
After planting, the plants do not need watering, they are periodically sprayed with settled water, the soil is kept moist;
After 6 months, the plant can be transplanted into a regular orchid substrate.

Further care is no different from caring for an adult orchid.

Small tips for growing orchids from seed

1. Preparing inventory

So, if you have already chosen the right orchid seeds, then it's time to take care of the necessary inventory. You will need seed growing containers with corks or screw caps

Since the vessels will have to be sterilized, it is important to take care that they do not burst under the influence of temperature. The sterilization process is most conveniently carried out using a conventional pressure cooker.

2. Making a solution

The next step is to prepare a special solution for growing seeds. At home, Knudson's medium is used, which is prepared according to a specific recipe. To do this, measure out 150-200 g of water (distilled water is best suited) and pour it over the agar-agar prepared in advance. As soon as it swells, transfer the container with the mixture to a pot of boiling water until the mixture is completely dissolved. As the agar melts, add the Knudson proto-feed ingredients there in the order indicated in the recipe. Be careful not to overexpose the agar as this will only worsen its properties.

Now you need to make sure that the medium is of the desired acidity (check with litmus paper).If the pH level is closer to neutral (6.5-7), then you will need to add a few drops of diluted hydrochloric or nitric acid. The ideal seed environment is 4.8-5.2 pH. After that the solution it will be necessary to warm it up again in a saucepan of boiling water, stirring constantly.

3. Sterilize containers

Then the solution is poured into sterilized dishes 1.5-2 cm high. The lids must be tightened tightly. Do everything very carefully, trying not to tilt the containers (the solution with proto-feed on the walls can cause the development of unwanted microorganisms). The containers will need to be sterilized again using a pressure cooker. Install a special mesh on the pan and pour water in such an amount that it barely reaches the mesh. After boiling water, place the containers with the solution there for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the pressure cooker and let the containers cool on a flat surface, avoiding the solution getting on the walls. They can now be stored in the refrigerator for several months.

4. Sow the seeds

Before sowing, the seeds are disinfected to prevent the formation of unwanted microorganisms. To do this, place them in a container with a solution of bleach and shake for 10 minutes. For the sowing procedure, a pressure cooker is also used, so that spores and microbes do not get into the seed container. A container with the prepared solution is immersed in a pot of boiling water, the seeds are opened and transferred using a sterilized test tube into the solution. The container is slightly shaken to distribute the seeds and immediately closed. All actions are performed extremely quickly.

5. Care of seedlings

Ready-made flasks or jars should be stored at a temperature of +18 - +22 degrees in the same conditions as for adult orchids (diffused light for at least 12 hours a day). If after a few days you do not find any plaque or mucous formations, then you can assume that the sowing was successful.

After a while, on the surface of the solution, you will notice the formation of several leaves for each plant, after which roots will begin to grow. After growing the seedlings for a year, it will be necessary to transplant them into a substrate from the bark of conifers and sphagnum moss (the bark must be of a fine fraction). To do this, you will need to carefully remove the tender sprouts, rinse with running water and place in a pre-steamed substrate. The humidity and light of the environment must meet the same standards as for adult plants.

The process of growing seedlings is quite laborious and time-consuming (you will not be able to see a blooming orchid earlier than in 4-5 years), therefore, you will have to stock up on endurance and patience. But just imagine how the first lovely flowers on your own-grown tropical beauty will delight you! We hope we have answered your question about how to grow an orchid from seeds.