It is impossible to indifferently refer to these delicate and graceful flowers, which are often called the "aristocrats of the plant world". They fascinate with their exquisite beauty, a variety of colors and shapes. The flowers of exotic beauties in shape can resemble birds, butterflies, even lizards or slippers.
Many lovers of indoor plants dream of an orchid decorating their collection. However, many have heard about the demanding care and difficulties with the reproduction of these flowers at home. Indeed, it is difficult for a beginner in indoor floriculture to grow such a plant. More recently, it was believed that it was impossible to grow an orchid from seeds at home. But in recent years, the chances of success of this method of reproduction have increased. It should be recognized that the technology is complex, requiring its exact observance.
Today, the main supplier of seeds for these plants are producers from China. How to plant orchid seeds at home? How to care for them? What conditions need to be created for seedlings? We will try to answer these questions in this article.
How do orchids grow in nature?
Orchids or Orchidaceae (Orchidaceae) are herbaceous perennials that occur under natural conditions in various climatic conditions - from the tropics to the forest-tundra. The most spectacular varieties, admire the amazing color and shape of flowers, grow in tropical forests. Even experts find it difficult to name the exact number of representatives of the family - today the existence of about 35 thousand different orchids is officially confirmed, including natural hybrids - plants with the ability to cross, including interspecific, as well as varieties bred by breeders around the world.
It is hard to imagine, but the 800 genera that make up the family comprise about 10% of all plants on our planet. The vast majority of them lead an epiphytic lifestyle, growing on trees, which they use as a support, while not parasitizing on them. All plant nutrients and moisture are obtained from the air with the help of perfectly developed air roots. They are covered with a thick layer of a special fabric - velamena.
What do seeds look like?
Before talking about how to plant orchid seeds at home, you should find out how they look. The seeds of these plants are so small that they are easily mistaken for dust. They are 15 thousand times smaller than wheat grains. Unlike the seeds of most crops that have a stock of endosperm or nutrients, the planting material of these flowers has a minimal amount. How do such vulnerable seeds allow orchids to reproduce in vivo?
It's all about their quantity. One flower produces 3 to 5 million seeds. Due to their small size and weight, they are carried by the wind and settle on the bark of trees and shrubs. True, not all of them will turn into beautiful flowers - these will be only a few. This is natural selection.
How to collect seeds?
You will need two simultaneously flowering orchids for manual pollination. Pollen is removed from the stamens of one of them with a soft brush or cotton swab and transferred to the pistil of another plant. Pollinated in this way, the flower will fade and this is a completely normal reaction. If he fell, then the procedure was successful. After two weeks, you will notice the onset of fetal formation.
Each orchid box or pod contains over a million seeds. They are so small that it is impossible to examine them with the naked eye - you need a microscope. At home, it is very problematic to collect seeds, although with artificial pollination (including interspecific), boxes and pods are tied pretty quickly. For this reason, many gardeners use orchid seeds from China. How to plant them, we will describe further. It is important to strictly follow all recommendations.
How to germinate the seeds?
Most orchids growers vegetatively. Many of them do not know how to plant orchid seeds at home. After all, just recently it was believed that the reproduction of these exotic beauties is possible only with special equipment and in laboratory conditions. However, time does not stand still and today amateur gardeners can gain a unique experience by trying to conduct such an experiment in their home. We will tell you how to plant indoor orchid seeds, but we want to warn that the slightest deviation from the instructions can negate all your efforts.
Necessary equipment
Anyone who is interested in planting orchid seeds needs to know that ordinary containers or pots are not suitable for these flowers. It is necessary to purchase special glass flasks or containers with a narrow neck for chemicals, with a volume of about 300 ml. An Erlenmeyer conical flask, for example, is suitable. If you can’t purchase such dishes, use glass jars with tightly screwed lids. Tanks must be closed tightly.
As a rule, corks are also sold complete with flasks. If they are not there, make them yourself - twist a tight gauze or cotton swab and wrap it with aluminum foil. Four holes with a diameter of several millimeters are drilled in the lids of the cans and clogged tightly with cotton.
What should be the soil?
Even special soil for orchids, which is sold in specialized stores, is not suitable in our case. The question arises: "In what soil to plant orchid seeds?" Some gardeners sow them in finely chopped moist sphagnum moss, but it is more advisable to use a special nutrient mixture. The fact is that when using moss it is difficult, and often impossible, to observe complete sterility, the necessary level of acidity and provide nutrition at the same time.
The basis of the mixture is agar-agar, which is a mixture of polysaccharides, which is obtained from some varieties of red and brown seaweed. A white or yellowish powder turns into a jelly-like mass, dissolving in hot water. You can prepare the mixture yourself. To do this, you will need:
- 10-15 g agar agar;
- 200 ml of distilled water;
- 10 g of glucose and fructose;
- potash or potassium carbonate solution;
- orthophosphoric acid.
The last two ingredients are used to create the necessary acidity. For orchid seeds, the pH is considered to be the best indicator - 4.8–5.2. You can check its value using special indicator strips made of litmus paper. They are sold in chemical stores. Alkali and acid are added in a few drops and the acidity of the mixture is checked immediately.
Preparing a mixture
Agar-agar pour a glass of ordinary tap water and leave to swell for several hours. Boil distilled water, pour fructose, glucose and swollen agar agar into it. Stir the mixture constantly in one direction while heating in a water bath, until the powder dissolves and the mass thickens.
Preparing for planting seeds
It consists in creating absolute sterility. Dishes, seeds, and a nutritious mixture must be sanitized. In laboratory conditions, special autoclaves are used for this, at home they use a pressure cooker or an ordinary oven.
Flasks and jars must be calcined for half an hour at a temperature of about 150 ° C. Homemade corks are heated in boiling water. Re-containers are sterilized along with the nutrient mixture. Hot water is poured into each of them at the rate of 30–40 g per 100 ml of volume and tightly closed. Re-sterilization will take the same amount of time.
Treated containers are left closed for five days. This is necessary in order to check how the sterilization is carried out. If during this period the nutrient mixture did not mold, the procedure was successful. Do not tilt the containers until the jelly hardens.
Seeds must be sterilized for a quarter of an hour in a solution of calcium hypochloride (bleach). They are poured with a composition of 10 g of lime and distilled water (100 ml). The container is continuously shaken. After that, the seeds are sown in a nutrient mixture.
How to plant orchid seeds: step by step instructions
Compared to preparatory work, sowing is a simple procedure. It is important to maintain complete sterility. Secure the net or wire rack over a wide container of boiling water. Fix on it a vessel with a nutrient mixture. Use a special chemical pipette or sterile syringe to remove seeds from the solution in which they are sterilized in small portions and distribute them on the surface of the mixture, but do not touch it. Manipulations must be carried out as quickly as possible.
Gently shake the flasks so that the seeds are evenly distributed. Close the containers tightly and place them in a home mini-greenhouse, home-made greenhouse or florarium. Depending on the type of orchid, the appearance of seedlings varies from one and a half weeks to six months.
Seedling Care
We talked about how to plant orchid seeds. Now you need to learn how to care for seedlings so that your labors are not in vain. Orchids need bright, but diffuse lighting. The light source is placed at a small angle of 30 cm above the landings. Daylight hours should be at least 14 hours, air temperature about + 25 ° C with humidity not less than 70%.
Emergence of seedlings
Knowing how to plant orchid seeds, you need to be patient and wait for seedlings. At first, very small green balls appear. A little later, they form rhizoids, allowing the plant to absorb nutrients. They resemble hairs. After that, leaves and, last but not least, roots appear. This happens when the plant already has at least three true leaves.
After a year, the seedlings are removed from the container, using forceps or tweezers, in a circular motion, as if unscrewing them. Wash off the nutrient mixture very carefully with them. You can use an alternative method - pour warm water into the container, gently shake it in a circular motion. Pour the mixture with seedlings into a wide shallow container, add a 0.5% solution of Fundazolum (2-3 ml). Leave for 10 minutes, remove the seedlings with a thin soft brush.
Fill plastic cups with drainage. The height of the containers should match or slightly exceed the diameter of the roots. It is desirable that they be transparent - this will allow you to monitor the state of the root system. Orchids are transplanted into the substrate from the rhizomes of fern, chopped sphagnum moss and pine roots in equal proportions. The more uniform it turns out, the better. To prevent mold, add activated carbon crushed into powder (10 tablets per liter of mixture).
All components of the substrate are preliminarily poured with boiling water for half an hour. Seedlings should not be watered - they are regularly sprayed with settled water at room temperature. The substrate should not completely dry.
A few words in conclusion
We talked about how to plant orchid seeds. As you can see, the process is complex, requiring accuracy, strict observance of all the rules from the grower, certain skill and patience. Subject to these conditions, you will be rewarded with the appearance of luxurious flowers in your collection.