Hopefully you have had fun over the past month thinking about what orchids you could cross and propagate (Propagating Orchids – Part 1). It can certainly lead to exciting possibilities! Even when you cross flowers from the same plant, known as “selfing,” the resulting plants may have blooms that exhibit different characteristics. Such is the fascinating exploration of genetics.

Last month’s Part 1 article discussed the process of propagating orchids to include pollinating and flasking orchids.  After months of waiting and wondering how your seed pod was faring, a package will arrive in the mail from your flasking site. Meyers Conservatory boxes will be small and lightweight since the orchid seedlings are conveniently packaged in whirl packs during their journey to you. Other flasking labs may send you a padded box containing multiple glass flasks.  Whirl packs are easy to open, but the glass flasks may seem a bit daunting to break open.  Depending on whether the orchid seedlings arrived in flask or whirl pack, a grower has a couple of choices.

What To Do With a Flask

Upon receiving a glass flask, you can decide to deflask the seedlings or leave them in the flask a while longer. Some reasons for deflasking immediately include:

• Seedlings are grown-up significantly and are reaching the narrow portion of the flask
• You can see brown patches on some of the leaves indicating that leaves may be prone to rot if they do not receive air movement
• The flask was significantly shaken during shipping and agar solution is covering the seedlings.

If the seedlings appear healthy and are doing well, simply put the flask in a 70-80 degree area that receives indirect sunlight and allow it to continue growing in its nutrient-rich, sterile environment.

When it comes time to deflask orchids, I prefer to wrap the entire flask with newspaper before holding the flask at an angle over a concrete surface. Giving the widest part or edge of the flask’s base a significant wrap with a hammer usually causes the base of the flask to crack nicely. Be sure to wear eye protection and beware of glass shards in the agar.

The seedlings in their agar solution may be placed on top of orchid seedling mix as the first step. This is a convenient way of starting the first compot (community pot).  The seedlings will be shocked by their removal from the flask. By using this method, they have their roots in the agar solution that they are accustomed to.  As the agar dissolves you will need to replace it with mix to allow the seedling’s roots to grow into the media over time. Though seedling mix preferences are quite varied among orchid growers, I typically use one that consists of small coconut husk chips, charcoal, perlite and sphagnum moss. Much of what growers use in media mixes is determined by their growing environments and watering routines.  You may soak the potting media in a solution of water and Dyna-Gro K-L-N (1-3 teaspoons per gallon of water) prior to potting your seedlings. Dyna-Gro K-L-N is a root stimulator that contains Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin) and two rooting hormones, NAA (naphthalene acetic acid) and IBA (Indolebutyric acid).

An alternative to moving flasks directly to a media-based compot would be to rinse the orchids and follow the process that we will be discussing under “What to do with a whirl pack.”

What To Do With a Whirl Pack

If you receive several whirl packs of your orchid seedlings, you will need to pot them within 24-48 hours so they will not begin to rot. Working with only one whirl pack at a time, prepare plant tags indicating the orchid name and date potted.  While preparing your pots and media, you may soak the seedlings in a solution of water and Dyna-Gro K-L-N to help promote root development. The majority of seedlings grow quite well when deflasked and potted into Sphagnum moss.

New Zealand Sphagnum moss has long fibers and is quite clean compared to other mosses that are littered with twigs that can impede the potting process. Soaking the moss in a water and Dyna-Gro K-L-N solution will allow the moss to expand and is typically ready to use within an hour.  At the end of your potting, if you have not used all of the moss that you soaked, squeeze out the excess liquid and allow it to dry. You will be able to use the retained moss for a potting project at a later date.

To make a compot, gently sqeeze excess water from the moss, though it should still be hydrated enough to easily work with. Using a clear plastic orchid pot (so you will be able to track the plants’ root development), fill the bottom of the pot with enough moss to allow the longest roots of the seedlings adequate room to lie without curling to fit.  It is ideal to group the seedlings by size so the larger seedlings are in one compot while smaller ones are in a separate compot. This way, the larger ones will not crowd out the smaller seedlings and they will also be ready to pot individually at the same time. The smaller ones can continue to grow in their compot until they are ready to up-pot months later. Line one side of the pot with a layer, about ½” thick, of moss. Then lay seedlings side by side along the moss layer, leaving about 1 centimeter between each seedling. For example, in a 3 ¼” clear square pot, you might be able to lay five seedlings in a row.  Cover the roots up to the base of the orchid seedling with another row of moss, about ½” thick. Continue this way until you have several rows of seedlings.  For pictures showing this process, please see www.troymeyers.com and select his “Compotting Method” link. He also gives directions for creating a clever jig that will help as you try to pot the last two rows of seedlings in the compot.

Growing Your Seedlings

Seedlings typically prefer an environment that is slightly more moist and warm than grown orchids require. After potting the seedlings in either mix or Sphagnum moss, you may not need to water for a few days. However, if the media or moss appears to be drying, gently spray the media or moss with water to ensure the roots have access to moisture. The moss should never fully dry, as it is difficult to fully hydrate the moss once it dries and the seedlings are quite sensitive to moisture variations. Air movement is also extremely important as water can easily collect in the crowns of the plants and result in rot. A small fan near the seedlings should prevent any water from collecting on the orchids’ leaves for too long. It is ideal to approach humidity of 65-70%, a temperature range of 70-85 degrees, and full but indirect light. A seedling heating mat used underneath the seedling pots will also help to encourage root and plant growth.

Fertilizer is another consideration for seedlings. An ideal start for any seedling would be a half-strength solution of Maxicrop Original Liquid Seaweed. Seaweed has been shown to decrease plant stress and improve chlorophyll production.  A few weeks after being de-flasked, you may use Maxicrop or Alaska Fish Fertilizer to improve root structure and development. Seaweed and fish fertilizers may be alternated when you fertilize your plants weekly. Once the seedlings have grown at least an inch in height, a complete fertilizer such as Dyna-Gro Grow 7-9-5 may be used at a rate of ¼ teaspoon per gallon of water. If you find that your plants respond better to the organic fish or seaweed products, you may prefer to continue the organic route and utilize Mineral Matrix two times a month to provide all of the essential micronutrients your plants require.

To protect orchid seedlings from unwanted pests, consider spraying a Neem Oil solution on the plants weekly. However, it is ideal to use the Neem Oil in the early morning hours so the leaves can dry before receiving significant sunlight. This will reduce the risk of the plants’ leaves burning.

Seedling Graduation

Once the seedlings have grown to about 4 inches tall, they are ready to graduate to a new pot and stand on their own.  A seedling that is ready to be independent is usually most comfortable in a 2 ¼” to 3 ¼” clear pot. You will likely choose a potting media that is the same as the media the parent orchid is growing in. Keep in mind that fir bark based mixes and Sphagnum moss should be changed yearly while coconut husk mixes can last 3-5 years before deteriorating. Growers who use Aliflor, compressed clay pellets, may keep plants in this media for five or more years.  As always, the media used should be a decision based on how you have seen the orchid perform in various mixes, your watering routine, and the plant’s preference for moist or dry conditions.Orchid propagation can be an exciting and fun experiment that may result in years of anticipating the first bloom from one of your seedlings.  In the meantime, hopefully you have been able to brighten the day of a family member, friend or neighbor with a seedling from your collection!

Amanda Sylvie is the owner of Lone Star Orchids and may be contacted by calling 866.433.8256 or e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also visit her website at www.lonestarorchids.com.