Orchid Flask
How do you breed orchids I would like a detailed explanation.?
I would like to breed some orchids together I would like some diagrams if possible. Now all I need to know is how to do it and where to do it. I’m just speaking general orchids here no specific breeds. If you know a good site about breeding orchids a normal person could understand then give me a link. This goes for diagrams to it would also be good if you could go over anything that is needed the breed the paint brushes flasks etc. That would be great also point out the breeding season and if the pollen bearing plant will die or not.
If you could answer these questions that would be great.
By breed I mean by taking then pollen by hand or tool or inserting it into the plants sex organ then what do I do
Although all orchids belong to the same taxonomic family (Orchidaceae, if ya wanna go techie), not all orchids can be cross-bred, because they are not closely related within the family. Some orchids are so distantly related that you’d have about the same success as breeding potatos with corn (and no, the result of that cross would not be “porn). So the first thing you need to do is make sure the pollen parent (the Dad) and the pod-parent (the Mommie), are closely-enough related that they can be bred.
Generally speaking, the orchid family can be broken down into tribes (that’s actually the correct term), and also generally, plants within the same tribe can conceivably be crossed, but not always. Within each tribe there are usually several natural genera (the plural of genus), and each genus has (usually) a few species. When orchid from different genera inside of a particular tribe are crossed, this is referred to as an “inter-generic” cross. Sometimes, because such crosses involve distant relatives, the distance may be too wide for the cross to work, but a substantial number of inter-generic crosses have been made in the past 100-plus years, so it is do-able. Easier still, are crosses between different species within a single genus (”interspeciffic crosses”), because the genetic distances are much less, and a successful cross is more likely.
Sometimes, however, even closely related plants will not cross-breed, because of atypical, weird chromosomal number mutations or differences.
Bottom-line, you are wasting your time trying to cross orchids from different tribes.
Next, the mechanics: An orchid is botanically defined as an orchid because of its very unique sexual organs. Instead of having the male and female organs separate as in most other plants, orchids have a unique structure, called a column, which combined male and female. If you strip the petals and sepals, and leave the column bare, you will see the very tip of the colum has a pollen cap, which can be gently pushed away, to reveal the pollinia, which are the pollen-bearing structures. with tweezers or a toothpick, you carefully grasp the pollinia from behind (where they attach to the column, careful not to crush the pollinia) and remove from the column. It is important to time it so the pollen is ripe, and you just have to knowck off the cap and examine the pollinia as they mature on the plant and ripen (sometimes you can tell because they get a dusty-looking appearance).
Next, examine the pod-parent’s column, about a third of the way down from the top. You will see a slight depression. That is the female area where you carefully insert the pollinia from the pollen-parent. Since pollinia can have a sticky substance, you may need a second toothpick in the other hand to push the pollinia away from the tweezers. Make sure the pollinia ar firmly in the female reception area.
If you did everything correctly, and if everything was ripe, them the columns will detect the pollinia and close-over the female area with the pollinia inside over a period of a couple of days. Thereafter the column will swell and form a pod. Different species have different lengths of time for the pod to ripen.
The last stage is the trickiest one and the one most likely to require techincal assistance. Most hobbyists send their pods to a lab, because it is so tricky:
In the wild, orchid seed can only germinate where there is a symbiotic fungus available to combine with the seed. In captivity, the correct fungus is nnever avaialable and 99% of orchid seed cannot germinate under ordinary circumstances, instead rots or deteriorates. To get around this, orchid seed is sown in a sterile jar that is full of nutrient jelly (agar), under sterile conditions using a gadget called a laminar-flow device.
If all goes well, the orchid seed germinates, and over many months, fills the jar with seedlings. When they have hardened off enough, the jar is opened, the seedlings carefully washed out and planted in beds, and gradually hardened until they can take ordinary cultural conditions.
I know you asked for instructions to do everything, but believe me, you really don’t want to try your hand at sterile sowing. It’s a bitch. Even if you go out and buy all the equipment, and set up your own lab, it’s still somewhat of an art (I tried it, and it just wasn’t worth it . . . much better to pay your $25-$100 to let others do the work and send you a flask full of babies).
Bottom line, you can do the cross, but let others germinate. Oh, and I almost forgot: Do *not* let the pod mature fully until it bursts, because the seed will become contaminated with environmental bugs, and will no longer be sterile, and cant be sown anymore 9e.g. it’s all wasted). Instead, wait until the pod is a couple of days from bursting, rush it to the local lab, and hope for the best.
How long to wait before cutting the pod and sending it to the lab? That’s a very tough question: It varies from species to species. If you wait too long, the thing’ll burst, and be garbage. If you wait too little, the seed wont be mature enough and wont germinate. There are too many species of orchid for me to tell you what the waiting time should be. I suggest you identify the pod parent species, and locate a local lab, and have them tell you teh recommended gestation period.
Good luck!
Have fun.
Thailand, RSTDC: 17 Visitors from Malaysia at a Largest Orchid Farm in Chiangmai
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