orchid seeds is a tricky one for beginners.

It requires special knowledge, certain skills and great patience.

If you have the desire and perseverance, then, in the end, the reward will be the appearance of the sprouts of this exotic plant, and after a few years their extraordinary flowering.

phalaenopsis extremely small and more like dust. Under natural conditions, they are very low percentage of germination, so the plant produces up to a million seeds per season.

All of them are practically deprived of spare nutrients. In order for the embryo to develop, it is necessary fungal infection that form mycorrhiza.

He grows into the embryo and provides the seedling with water and essential minerals.

Phalaenopsis seeds are extremely small and more like dust.

For a long time, this has been an obstacle to artificial seed orchids.

The problem was resolved only after the development by the American biologist L. Knudson of the composition of the mineral nutrient medium with sucrose, on which for the first time it was possible germinate orchid seeds.

This method has revolutionized breeding phalaenopsis and the creation of numerous hybrid forms that are now widely available in stores.

Possible difficulties

Reproduction of phalaenopsis at home- a rather complicated and time-consuming process:

• Seeds are highly susceptible to microbial contamination;
• For storage and then planting, sterile conditions are necessary, which are quite difficult to achieve in an apartment;
• The formation of seedlings on an artificial medium lasts at least 9 months.

Attention! Strict adherence to the rules of sterilization and sowing technology is the basis for the successful cultivation of orchids from seeds at home.

In order to sow orchid seeds, first carry out preparatory work.

Preparation of glassware, related instruments and reagents

Before starting work, you should prepare dishes and related equipment:

• Test tubes or 100-gram glass flasks, which can be replaced with 100-gram jars with sealed lids;
• Cotton-gauze plugs;
• Test tube rack if you choose to use test tubes;
• Litmus test;
• Hydrogen peroxide, 2%;
• Sterile syringe or microbiological pipette.

If you chose jars with screw caps for work, then they should make a hole, in which you need to insert a small piece of glass tube.

A piece of cotton wool is placed in it, then air can pass inside the jar, and cotton wool will trap dust and bacteria.

Culture medium preparation

For growing phalaenopsis from seeds use agar Knudson medium or modified Cherevchenko medium.

They can buy from the store or make your own with the required components.

From ready mix

The recipe for ready-made mixtures, in addition to the necessary salts and sugar, includes agar-agar - a polysaccharide that derived from seaweed.

It is better to prepare such mixtures with distilled water, strictly following the instructions. After that they can pour into dishes and sterilize.

Independent

For this it is necessary purchase components included in the formulation of one of the nutrient media:

Knudson nutrient medium (g/l):

• Calcium nitrate - 1.0;
• Ammonium sulphate - 0.50;
• Potassium monophosphate - 0.25;
• Magnesium sulfate - 0.25;
• Iron sulphate - 0.025;
• Manganese sulfate - 0.0075;
• Sucrose 20.0;
• Agar - 15.0.

Modified nutrient medium Cherevchenko, (g/l):

• Calcium nitrate - 1.0;
• Potassium monophosphate - 0.25;
• Magnesium sulfate - 0.25;
• Ammonium sulphate - 0.50;
• Iron chelate - 0.05;
• Sodium humate - 0.05;
• Activated carbon - 1.0;
• Sucrose - 20.0;
• Agar - 10.0.

Prepare nutrient mixtures, following the sequence of actions:

The nutrient medium should be poured into the prepared container with a layer of about 2-3 cm and close it with a tightly folded cotton plug with a gauze coating or a lid with a glass tube. Now she ready for sterilization.

Sterilization

For sterilization of utensils, nutrient medium and household equipment, it is most suitable:

• Double boiler;
• Oven with temperature control.

The pipette is tightly wrapped in paper. Closed containers with spilled medium are installed in a vertical position.

If it's a pressure cooker, to the bottom laying a special grid.
Sterilization time at 120℃ is 45 minutes.

Taking into account the heating of the double boiler or oven, it increase for another 15-20 minutes.

So the total duration sterilization should be at least 60 min.

After that, the nutrient medium cool down to room temperature.

Important! Refrigerated formula should not be solid or very liquid. In its consistency, it should resemble jelly.

If the density of the culture medium does not meet the recommendations, adjust the pH value and re-sterilize the medium.

How to plant?

To avoid infection, all manipulations are carried out extremely quickly over steam.

To do this, put a wide pot of boiling water on the fire. Above it is better to fix the grate on which you can put the dishes.

Right before sowing seed surface sterilized:

Within 7 days on the surface of the agar medium microbial colonies can form.

If this didn't happen, means that the seeding was successful.

Seedling care

Vessels with seeds are placed in diffused light at a temperature of 20-23℃. Light day should last at least 12 hours.

Depending on the type of orchid, the time germination can vary from 4-5 weeks to 7-9 months:

• First from seed small green balls with rhizoids are formed- filamentous outgrowths, thanks to which phalaenopsis is fixed on the surface and absorbs water with dissolved minerals;
• Over time, the seedling first leaves are formed, and then - real.

After 10-12 months young plants in sterilized (steamed) soil, which includes crushed coniferous bark, sphagnum moss, fern rhizomes in a ratio of 1: 1: 1.

Crushed activated carbon is added to the mixture (10 tablets per liter of soil):

• Plastic cups fill with drainage material, then prepared substrate;
• sprouts carefully, in a circular motion, remove from the container and wash the roots. In another way, a little water is poured into the container, then it is poured together with the seedlings into a wide vessel. Add a 0.5% solution of Fundazol (2 ml), incubate for 10 minutes, then carefully extract seedlings with a brush;
• Planted plants are not. They must be regularly sprayed with soft water at room temperature. The substrate must always remain moist;
• Six months later young plant transplanted in standard orchid soil.

If you overcome all difficulties growing phalaenopsis from seed, then this exotic plant will delight you at home for many years.

Seeds from China: possible problems

Usually, orchid seeds received through an online store from China.

This can lead to a number of difficulties:

Advice! It is better to put an orchid on a window on the east or west side of the apartment, so as not to burn the leaves from direct sunlight. If it grows in the back of the room, the plant will need additional lighting.

Useful video

In the video, grower tips on how to grow phalaenopsis from seeds:

Video recipe for preparing a nutrient medium for sowing phalaenopsis orchid seeds:

Video tips for seedlings:

Watch the video, phalaenopsis orchid seeds from China:

Conclusion

Compared to other indoor plants, growing phalaenopsis from seeds is much more difficult.

However, this experience will give new impressions, and hand grown flower will bring a lot of joy.

In contact with

On Chinese sites, you can most often order orchid seeds of the most popular Phalaenopsis species, there are also species of Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Vanda, Cattleya of various varieties. These species are hybrid, created by breeders specifically to grow at home with the least labor costs and delight the owners with beauty.

Can this be cultivated?

If you are lucky enough to get real orchid seeds from a Chinese site, then theoretically you can grow an orchid from it. But, unfortunately, this is a very long and laborious process. You will have to purchase the necessary equipment and materials, maintain sterility and the desired temperature. Some flower growers, jokingly, call it all a real laboratory. In addition, the result will have to wait a long time.

REFERENCE: the planted seed will be able to turn into a full-fledged adult orchid flower in 4-6 years.

When ordering seeds from China, you can often encounter unscrupulous sellers who pass off seeds of other plants and even seeds of lawn grass or weeds as orchid seeds. Many in this case feel sorry for the time and labor spent on trying to grow, and they are disappointed in this idea.

But, fortunately, they are inexpensive and if there is a strong desire to try to grow them, you can order again. After all, if you manage to grow a flower on your own, you will get incomparable pleasure, watching its growth, and then the most beautiful adult blooming orchid.

How do they look?

Orchid seeds are very small and easily mistaken for dust. Their size is 15 thousand times smaller than the size of a grain of wheat. In addition, they, unlike other seeds of most crops, which have a supply of nutrients or endosperm, have it in negligible amounts in the germ.

How do such vulnerable seeds exist in nature and enable orchids to reproduce? It's about their numbers. One orchid flower is capable of producing from 3 to 5 million seeds, and due to their small weight and size, they are easily carried by the wind, settling on the bark of trees. However, not all of them will be destined to turn into adult flowers, only a few of those fixed on the tree will do this. Such is the harsh natural selection.

Where to buy, how much do they cost?

You can order orchid seeds on popular Chinese online trading platforms. in the sections "Home and garden", "For the garden and vegetable garden", "Seeds" and the like. The cost of a pack of seeds is about 35 Russian rubles.

How to check the purchase for authenticity?

After receiving the seeds, open the package and study the material received before planting the change properly at home. Remember that real seeds must:

Watch the video on how to prepare seed growing medium.

Sowing

ATTENTION! Seeds also need to be sterilized. To do this, prepare the 10th solution of bleach, shake, filter, hold the seeds there for 10 minutes and plant immediately.

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

1. Place a grate on a container of water, on it - a substrate in.
2. Seeds after sterilization, pull the pipette out of the solution and place on the surface of the substrate.
3. Next, close the flasks or jars with cotton swabs or lids, put on germination.
4. You should always monitor the temperature: it should be 18-23 degrees Celsius, the duration of daylight hours should be an average of 12-14 hours.

Photo

Care

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 a year later, seedlings can be transplanted into. To fill the pot, a substrate of moss, fern roots and pine bark is suitable.

Should be as small as possible. The sprouts are taken out of the flask as carefully as possible with tongs, washed in water and transplanted into a substrate, which is first poured with boiling water for 30 minutes. Plants need light and high humidity all the time.

Problems and difficulties

Problems with can wait at any stage. However, the most frequently encountered the reason for low germination is poor-quality seeds, the slightest flaws in sterility, non-compliance with temperature and humidity conditions. As a result, the death of seeds or seedlings and the absence of a result in the form of a beautiful flower. When starting this process, it is worth analyzing your conditions, the availability of time and money, as well as a lot of patience so as not to be disappointed by the difficulties.

Conclusion

Many difficulties await those who decide to independently grow orchids from Chinese seeds. Starting from a huge number of fakes sold by enterprising merchants from the Middle Kingdom, ending with a very painstaking period of their landing and growth. But still, if you have a strong desire, it's worth a try!

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Kira Stoletova

When breeding indoor orchids, flower growers use different breeding methods. One of the most popular is the seed method of cultivation. Orchid seeds ripen with successful pollination of the plant. In order for the seeds to germinate in the soil, a sterile environment with the presence of mycelium is required.

Seed Features

Phalaenopsis orchids have small seeds. To see what the seeds of a room orchid look like is possible only under a microscope.

Phalaenopsis orchid seeds have some physiological features that impede the process of their successful germination:

• There is no shell (endosperm) that surrounds the embryo. Such a shell helps the seeds to absorb from the soil all the necessary micro and macro elements for full growth and development. In tropical orchids, seed embryos form a symbiosis with fungi, sticking to their mycelium. Almost any type of mushroom is suitable for this process - mushrooms, tinder fungi, rhizoctonia or phytophthora.li>
• Seedlings that do not contain a protective shell are sensitive to environmental conditions. They do not have strong immunity to various diseases and pests. If they are not provided with optimal microclimate conditions, it will not work to get new plants from them.

It is necessary to create greenhouse conditions for the seedlings with a consistently high temperature, air humidity and good lighting. Under such conditions, you can grow new specimens that will bloom for the first time 4-5 years after sowing.

How to collect

To get an orchid seed, you need 2 flowering specimens.

Collect pollen from the stamen of one plant with a brush and apply to the pistil of another flower. After that, the pollinated flower will wither. If the plant throws off the foliage, then the pollination process was unsuccessful. With a positive result, the fruit box will begin to form 2 weeks after the manipulation.

The ripening seed is small, resembling white dust. Collecting seeds is problematic, despite the fact that artificial pollination is almost always successful.

Most often, flower growers order material in specialized stores. The main supplier is China. Therefore, growing orchids from Chinese seeds is a hot topic for many flower growers.

What to breed

Growing orchids from seeds is carried out in a special container - a glass flask. Planting seeds in plastic pots, vases, bowls and ceramic flowerpots is not worth it. Some flower growers use vessels for chemical reagents with a volume of 200-300 ml.

If you do not have such dishes, you can use the usual half-liter transparent jar.

To successfully germinate seedlings, containers with absolute tightness should be used. For flasks, special stoppers are used. If there are no corks, you can make a dense cotton swab to seal the container. In the lids of the jars, 2-3 holes should be made and hammered tightly with cotton wool.

substrate for sprouting

To successfully grow oridea with seeds, it is advised to plant them in crushed sphagnum moss. You can also use a special substrate.

This substance includes several polysaccharides, which are obtained from different types of red and brown algae. After the extraction process, this mixture turns into a white or yellowish powder. But when it reacts with water, it turns into a jelly-like mass.

The most optimal substrate is the nutrient medium of Lewis Knudson. This mixture is used in the industrial germination of orchids by seeds. The advantage of such a mixture is that germination occurs without creating a symbiosis with fungi.

Recipe

Agar-agar is the basis of any nutrient substrate for the reproduction of these flowers. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase this substance, you can cook it yourself.

The recipe is simple and consists of several ingredients:

• orthophosphoric acid;
• potassium carbonate solution (potash);
• fructose and glucose - 10 g each;
• agar-agar - 10-15 g;
• distilled water - 200 ml.

Cooking

Instructions for preparing the nutrient mixture:

1. First fill the agar-agar with water. Set aside for a while to swell.
2. Add fructose, glucose and swollen substance to boiled distilled water. Mix well and hold a little more in a water bath until a homogeneous jelly-like mass is obtained.

The first two components from the list are used to create the necessary acidity of the medium. The optimal level of this indicator (Рн) for plant seeds is 4.8-5.2. You can determine the level of soil acidity using special indicator strips (litmus). You can buy them at any chemical supply store. A drop of each component is added to the mixture, then the acidity level is checked, and so on until the acidity reaches the required level.

Sowing preparation

To grow an orchid from seeds at home, you will need to carry out a number of preparatory activities.

Sterilization of the flask and mixture

To grow orchids from seeds at home successfully, prepare containers in advance - wash and sterilize well

Banks or flasks are calcined in an oven at a temperature of 150 ° for half an hour. Corks, lids are poured with boiling water.

The second stage of sterilization consists in calcining the jars along with the contents - the nutrient mixture. 70-80 g of the nutrient mixture is poured into a container with a volume of 200 ml. Then they are tightly sealed and placed in an oven for the same time and at the same temperature as in the previous case.

Sterilized jars are set aside in closed form, and after 5 days they check how well they are sterilized. If the mixture is not covered with mold, the disinfection process is carried out efficiently. You can store this mixture unopened and without seeds for about 2 months in the refrigerator. Before sowing, it is heated in a water bath to melt the jelly-like mass.

Seed disinfection

Before planting orchid seeds from China, they are disinfected. They are dipped in a solution of calcium hypochloride (chlorine lime). The recipe is simple - add 10 g of the substance to 100 ml of boiled water, then stir well.

Seeds are poured into a disinfectant solution for 15 minutes, shaken periodically. After sterilization, the material is seeded.

Landing technology

The planting of orchid seeds itself is not very difficult. Below is a step by step process of this technology. Sprouts grow from seeds for 6-9 months, depending on the plant variety.

Germination conditions:

• scattered light;
• long daylight hours - 14 hours;
• temperature - 25-28 °;
• air humidity - 70-80%.

In such conditions, the seedlings are until they germinate.

Sowing

Sow orchid seeds from China stand over fallow to ensure complete sterility of the process.

Put a pot of water on the burner, bring to a boil. Then a grate with a vessel and a mixture is attached above it. The lid is placed on the rack.

The seeds are removed from the disinfectant solution using a sterile syringe or pipette in small portions and distributed over the surface of the nutrient mixture. It is necessary to sow the material as soon as possible to prevent its infection with microbes and bacteria.

Shake the container to spread the seedlings evenly. After the orchid seeds have been planted, the flask is placed in a mini-greenhouse, greenhouse or florarium.

The appearance of sprouts

From the resulting mixture, orchid seeds germinate in about 2-3 weeks. At first they resemble microscopic green balls, then they transform into thin threads, on which leaves appear and, at the very end, roots.

extraction

Growing an orchid at home from seeds will not work quickly. This will take at least a year for the seedlings to grow up, get stronger and be ready for transplanting into pots.

You can remove the sprouts with tweezers. But this method is risky, since you can easily injure tender seedlings. There is another, more reliable way to extract seedlings - fill the nutrient mixture with warm water, shake it slightly and pour all the contents into a shallow and wide bowl. Add a couple of drops of Fundazol 0.5% concentration. After 15 minutes, you can remove small plants.

Transplanting into pots

Growing orchids from seeds after germination is on the same principle as adult plants.

You can plant your flowers in plastic, transparent containers with several holes at the bottom. The height and width of the pots should match the size of the root system.

For planting plants, a substrate is used from the following components:

• pine bark;
• crushed fern rhizome;
• pieces of sphagnum moss.

All components should be taken in equal parts and mixed. To prevent infection and decay, the substrate is poured with boiling water, then sprinkled with charcoal powder (10 tablets are consumed per liter of the finished mixture).

Care

Phalaenopsis grown from seeds needs regular care:

• seedlings are sprayed every day with warm settled water from a spray bottle;
• provide 12-hour daylight;
• high humidity in the room - about 80%;

Orchids are not cheap plants, and many flower growers are making attempts to reduce the cost of obtaining them. Seed propagation has a serious advantage in this sense: a large number of plants are obtained with minimal financial investment. However, this is by no means a simple and fast process, it requires patience and a number of specific skills. How to get orchid seeds, sow them and grow seedlings is described in the proposed material.

The problem of purchasing orchid seeds from China

There are many seed producers in Russia, but none of them deals with orchids. On sale you can not find the usual bags from the firms "SeDek" or "Aelita", filled with orchid seeds. And European stores do not offer such a product. Therefore, those flower growers who wish to grow an orchid from seeds, willy-nilly, have to turn to Chinese trading floors.

In Chinese online stores, the range of orchid seeds is impressive. Colors - the most diverse, up to non-existent in nature. Their prices are also very affordable - from 30 to 80 rubles per bag of 100 pieces.

The problem is that Chinese seeds either do not germinate at all, or something else grows out of them. It is impossible to find reviews indicating a positive experience in growing orchids from such material.

Important! Chinese orchid seeds are sold not only in such Internet hypermarkets as Aliexpress or Tiu. They also come across on world trading floors, for example, on " eBay. There they cost a little more - 150-300 rubles per bag, but the result of growing will be the same.

Technology of artificial pollination of orchids

There are only two ways to get normal orchid seed:

• meet an orchid collector and order seeds from him;
• pollinate the plant yourself and collect the seeds.

The first method is suitable for those who do not have their blooming orchids at their disposal or want to grow some variety from seeds that is not in their own collection. Orchid owners who want to experiment with artificial pollination can go the second way.

Artificial pollination is a fairly simple procedure if you know what to do and get a little "hands on". It is produced using the following technology:

• The flower has a column - a reproductive organ in the form of a small "nose" ("stigma") in the center of the flower. At its top, translucent specks are usually noticeable - these are pollen grains that have matured inside the column.
• Take a toothpick or wooden skewer. The column is gently lifted with its tip, and pollen grains are removed.
• Pollen grains are transferred deep into the column, into its lower open sinus.

If pollination fails, after 2-3 days the flower will simply wither and fall off. If pollination is successful, on the second day you will notice that the column axil begins to close. This process will last for several days, after which the petals will wither, but the flower itself will not fall off. Its pedicel will begin to turn green and thicken - this is how the ovary is formed. From this moment on, you need to be patient, because the ripening of the fetus in orchids takes as long as in humans - up to 9 months.

Collection and storage of orchid seeds at home

The fruit of an orchid is an elongated box with valves that are visible in the form of longitudinal grooves. At first it has a green color, but gradually changes color to brown or yellowish. As soon as the color change begins, put a small paper cap on the box. It will keep the seeds from falling out.

A box that has dried is considered fully ripe. She can be cut from the peduncle and opened. Inside, many dusty seeds are found. They are so small that in each orchid fruit they ripen from half a million to several million. This circumstance once again proves that buying orchid seeds in bags of 100 or 200 pieces is a waste of money. First, it is not clear how 100 dust particles are counted. Secondly, not all of them have an embryo, and the percentage of germination of orchid seeds is very low.

The collected seeds can be sown immediately. If sowing is delayed, you can store them in the refrigerator, wrapping them in pieces of paper and folding them into a plastic airtight container.

Tip #1 It is convenient to open the box on a white sheet of paper. Having opened the valves, you need to take the petiole and knock the top of the fruit on the leaf. Seeds spill out reluctantly, because inside the box they sit in a loose fluffy mass that holds most of the seeds. These fibers need to be turned several times to extract all the contents.

Recipes for a nutrient medium for sowing orchid seeds

Sowing orchid seeds is the most difficult procedure in the growing process. This also applies to the preparation of the substrate. Orchids are never sown in the soil. They require a special sterile nutrient medium.

Nutrient formulations for orchid seeds resemble microbiological media. There are many recipes that allow you to cook them at home. The most common options are the following:

Recipe	Ingredients	Cooking
Medium on agar-agar	Agar-agar - 15 g Dextrose or regular sugar - 20 g	According to the instructions, the required amount of fertilizer is diluted per 1 liter of water. The solution is heated to 95 0 C, sugar and agar-agar are introduced into it. The mixture is stirred.
medium on starch	Corn or potato starch - 80 g Sugar and honey - 4 g each Activated charcoal - 1 tablet Banana puree - 25 g Complex fertilizer for orchids	In 400 ml of water, dilute the required amount of fertilizer, puree, sugar and honey. Crush a tablet of coal, add to the solution. Introduce starch, put on the stove and bring to a thickening, stirring constantly.

The prepared medium must be poured hot into a sterile half-liter jar and covered with a lid. The layer height should be about 3 cm. Next, the jar is sterilized in a water bath for minutes, after which it is tightly corked and left to cool.

Sowing seeds for nutrient solution

At all stages of sowing orchid seeds, it is extremely important to observe complete sterility. Ideally, this process takes place only in microbiological boxes. However, even without them, you can try to minimize the risk of contamination of the nutrient medium by microorganisms. This will require the following tools and materials:

• hydrogen peroxide:
• any chlorine solution (for example, household "Whiteness");
• sterile surgical gloves and gauze;
• small sterile containers for seeds (for example, test tubes);
• disposable syringes without a needle or laboratory pipettes;
• sterile scissors;
• scotch.

The seeding procedure is as follows:

Stage	Performance
Preparation	moisten a piece of gauze abundantly with a chlorine solution and wipe the jars with the medium from the outside; pour the seeds into test tubes and pour 2 ml of peroxide for 1 minute.
Sowing	with a syringe or pipette, draw a solution of peroxide with seeds; open the jar with the medium, quickly drip a few drops of the solution and distribute it evenly over the surface.
Sealing	close the jar with a sterile twist-off lid; wrap the neck of the jar together with the lid with tape.

Next, the banks are placed on a shelf lit by a phytolamp. The air temperature should be from +25 to +28 0 C. Thus, the same conditions are created under which orchids are grown in glass flasks on orchid farms.

Transplanting orchid seedlings from a jar

If the seeds are well ripened and germinate, you can observe the process of their germination in 2-3 weeks. Seedlings develop slowly, for about six months. All this time, you need to maintain the desired temperature and light the jars. It is impossible to open them prematurely (ventilate or water).

The opening of a jar with seedlings can take place when they grow roots of sufficient length and 2-3 leaves each. Extraction of seedlings is done like this:

• the bank is opened;
• under a stream of warm, but not hot water, the nutrient medium is eroded;
• seedlings pour out with water.

Then cups are prepared for their planting. At first, it is very convenient to use ordinary plastic, disposable, 2 pieces per seedling. In one, many holes are made on the bottom and walls. A substrate is laid in it, consisting of finely chopped pine bark and sphagnum moss. A seedling is planted in the substrate. A little expanded clay is poured onto the bottom of the second cup, and the "leaky" cup is inserted into it.

Transplanted seedlings need to provide good light, warm air and moderate humidity. Until full rooting, they are not fed. It is possible to give a weak solution of fertilizer only after the seedlings start growing in a new place.

Reference! There are more than 30,000 varieties of this magnificent plant in the world, 300 of which are selected in China.

These varieties have not only a variety of shades and shapes, but also have a delicate, peculiar aroma. The most popular and sought after are:

• dendrobium (Dendrobium);
• cymbidium (Cymbidium);
• vanda.

This plant grows in nature in hard-to-reach places, impassable thickets and secluded valleys, far from people. Therefore, in China, this flower is a symbol of moderation, solitude and modesty.

Is it possible to grow a flower from it?

If you become the proud owner of real orchid seeds bought on a Chinese site, then, in theory, you can grow a flower from them.

But it is worth understanding that Growing orchids from seeds is a very long and laborious process.. You will have to buy the necessary material and equipment, maintain the optimum temperature and sterility. You will have to equip a real laboratory at home, as experienced flower growers jokingly call the process of seed germination. In this case, you will have to stock up on patience, since it will take a very long time to wait for seedlings. Seeds will turn into real, flowering plants can only be in 4-6 years.

For more information on whether seeds can be used to cultivate orchids, read.

Features to Consider

Not all Chinese sellers are conscientious, and often you may encounter such a problem that instead of orchid seeds, planting material, such as lawn grass or weeds, may come. After such a deception, many are disappointed and stop trying to write out to grow the seeds of this exotic plant.

Attention! The seeds are not expensive, so do not stop trying and order on another site. If you get real planting material and grow an exotic beauty out of it, then there will be no limit to your satisfaction and joy.

What does it look like?

Orchid seeds look like dust- they are so small. If we compare an orchid seed with a grain of wheat, then it is 15,000 times smaller. In addition, they have practically no supply of nutrients for germination. The question arises, how does an orchid reproduce by seeds in nature? The answer is simple - the number of seeds. One plant can produce up to 5 million seeds, which are quickly carried by the wind and deposited on trees, but only a few subsequently germinate - this is a harsh natural selection.

Photo

In the photo you can see the orchid seeds themselves, as well as what has grown from them.
This is what the seeds look like:

And this is a mature plant:

Where and at what price can you buy?

You can order on the Chinese website in the "seeds" or "for the garden" section, one bag costs around 35 rubles.

How to check for authenticity?

After receiving the package, open the package and carefully examine its contents before planting seeds at home. Real seeds must be:

• very small, like dust. The size of one seed is from 0.35 to 3 mm in length and 0.08-0.3 mm in width;
• beige, cream or light brown;
• the shape is narrow and elongated.

Important! If the package contains seeds of a different shape, color or size, then you are out of luck, anything will grow from this planting material, but not an orchid.

Very often, flower growers make a purchase after reading positive reviews on the seller’s website and looking at a high rating. But reviews in most cases talk about the speed of delivery or packaging.. Photos of plants are usually not applied, as it takes a long time to grow.

Sometimes flower lovers, having received large seeds in the mail, hope that this is a box of seeds. But it should be green in color and no more than 3 cm long, shaped like a grain of wheat. Besides,<как только семена в коробочке созревают, она раскрывается, поэтому получить по почте ее в закрытом виде невозможно.

Step by step instructions on how to plant

Inventory

Before you start sowing, you need to prepare inventory and appropriate utensils:

If you chose simple jars with lids, then they make a hole in them and insert a small glass tube. Subsequently, you need to place a small piece of cotton wool in it, then the air will pass into the jar unhindered, and bacteria and dust will settle on the cotton wool.

Sterilization

To sterilize dishes, use:

• double boiler;
• oven with thermostat;
• microwave oven.

Actions:

1. The containers are sterilized immediately with a nutrient medium in a tightly closed state in an upright position.
2. 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 initial time.
3. Then cool the containers with the medium to room temperature.

Culture medium preparation

Attention! Creating a nutrient medium for planting orchid seeds is a very laborious process, but it can be bought at a specialized store.

If you want to go all the way through the arduous journey of growing a beautiful plant from seed, make your own mixture.

So you need:

Algorithm of actions during cooking:

1. 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.
2. In the next half-liter of heated water, add coal, fertilizer and phytostimulant, mix well.
3. Connect both compositions.
4. Bring the acidity of the composition to a certain indicator. If the pH is high - use a solution of potash, low - phosphoric acid. Seeds will germinate only in an environment of 4.8-5.2 pH.

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

Sowing

How to properly sow:

1. Before placing the seeds in the nutrient mixture, they must be sterilized. Dilute bleach in water at a ratio of 10%. The solution after prolonged shaking should be well filtered. Soak the seeds in a chlorine solution for 10 minutes and plant immediately.
2. Sterilized seeds are pulled out of the solution with a sterile syringe and placed in a nutrient mixture through tubes, which are covered with sterile cotton wool.

You can put the seeds to germinate. In this case, the air temperature should be 18-23 degrees. Light day 12-14 hours.

Reference! Germination can last from a week to several months. But it is worth remembering that the sprouts should not be touched for a year, as there is a possibility of infecting a fragile plant with an infection. Once the orchid seedlings are strong enough, you can proceed to the next step.

We offer you to watch a video on how to sow orchid seeds at home:

Read more about how to plant an orchid.

Aftercare

Once the seeds are sown, it is enough to simply maintain the optimum temperature and daylight hours.

Problems and difficulties

The physiology of seeds is such that often these factors become a barrier to sowing at home:

• seeds are very small;
• they do not have endosperm, which allows them to draw and absorb nutrients from the soil;
• even a slight impact from the outside can destroy the material;
• seeds are very susceptible to pathogens.

Conclusion

As you can see, the process of growing orchids from seeds is quite laborious and lengthy, but very exciting. If you do everything correctly and according to the instructions, then the result will be positive. Be patient and after a while you will have a large number of magnificent, exotic flowers.

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