orchid seed on cardboard

[winwen]

These are the first pictures of the new orchid seed attempt with cardboard.
the first picture are Cypripedium reginae seedlings sown on 16/09/2012
and the second picture are Dactylorhiza sp. sown on 7/08/2012
the other seedlings from the test are too small to capture on a picture, but the results are promising
greetings
Lily-Anne

Lily-Anne,

it's really amazing to see the fungal hyphae creeping over the medium. Is this the first time that you are trying to grow Cypripedium on cardboard or did you have success with that species before? Could you eventually give us infos about the species that you have already grown successfully on cardboard?
You compost-heap seems to contain the right fungi - I wish I had such a compost-heap!

[lily-anne]

Hello Winwen,
it's the first time I sow Cypripedium , so it is very experimental ,hopefully they continue to grow.
I have already grown successfully on cardboard :Bletilla striata and dactylorhiza sp.
This autumn I have sown pretty much different orchids with cardboard, wait and see, but it already looks very promising. For photos, they are still too small
Greetings
Lily-Anne

[winwen]

Lily-Ann,
how are your Cypripedium-seedlings doing? Are they still growing or already in winter-rest?

[lily-anne]

I will try to make a picture and post it tomorrow
Greetings
Lily- Anne

[winwen]

Lily-Ann, may I ask you if you have some photos for us?

[lily-anne]

Excuse me for my late reply. busy, busy ... This year it's not so good with all my sowings on cardboard. The start was good, with good swelling of the seeds and good mold, but now I have the impression that the fungus is deteriorating and that the seeds do not look so good. Whatever the cause is, I do not know. This is a photo of Cypripedium reginae today. I hope it's clear enough. Let us hope that it still will be fine.
greetings
Lily-Anne

[winwen]

I have deflasked my orchids (sown last autumn) today and trasplanted them in plastik-boxes filled with sterilized orchid-soil.
These boxes are now standig in a sheltered place during winter-rest.
I also looked for my cardboard-sown seeds but despite of good germination, there has been no further growth. It is fairly the same as in my earlier attempts using the B1 on wood-based soil: good germination but virtually no growth afterwards.
In my oatmeal based sowings, protocorms have reached a size of about 10mm with a 5-10mm long bud.
Thus for me it is clear, how to do my next sowings.
Maybe that with other fungi, things may go better on cardboard, but since these fungi have not been isolated and are not available for the hobbyists in pure culture, I think that the cardboard-method can not be called a reliable method for sowing orchids. It is rather like a kind of roulette.... 

[mark smyth]

Do you buy or mix your own oat seeding medium

[winwen]

Mark,

there is no need to buy such a mix.
I simply take 3g instant-oatflakes (easily dissolve in water), 7g Agar-Agar for one liter of tapwater for germination.
My replate-medium is fairly the same: 4g instant-oatflakes, 7g Agar-Agar and 2g extra sugar - that's it (plus 1 liter tapwater of course)!

If you transplant to regular orchid-soil early (before or immediately after winter-rest, but better before-so they can even freeze in winter which is not possible if they are still in flasks), this is all you need.
If you plan to keep the seedlings flasked for the first year, you should add 1g active charcoal to the replate-medium. This darkens the medium which helps for good growth of roots. You will also have to feed the plants in the flasks with oatmeal every 6-8 weeks.

If you transplant early (the easier way!), you are almost done now. Plants will stay in the container (sealed) for the rest of their first year (outside - they have leaves and need sunlight for photosynthesis although not much heat!). After leves have died down in autumn, they make their 2nd winter-rest (I keep them in the fridge - unearthed, just a bit sphagnum around them). The following spring they are ready to be planted out in beds or open containers - just as you like.

[sottych]

hello everybody !
Winwen what kind of orchid you sow ?
i've experimented with several preparations and media , with a sprinkling of Pleiones realized the 24/12/12 .
Today I just watched , and half mixture appears green seeds , maybe germination will begin !
Good cultivation un your essays
Christian

[winwen]

Hello Christian,
I'm growing mainly those orchids that are germinated and supoorted in growth by the "B1" (a symbiotic fungus that has made it's way to nearly all amateurs that sow symbiotically) but mainly Dactylorhiza. I also have Calopogon tuberosus, which can easily be propagated vegetatively (as well as by seeds: it is reported that Calopogon even germinate on 30g Oatmeal-Agar WITHOUT the presence of a symbiotic fungus  ).

Beside my orchids, I am trying to cultivate Lilium gloriosoides (chinese mainland-variety), which is very very hard to cultivate successfully over more than 2 years (at least for me). Since some years now, I am also looking for something "blue" (since this color can't be found in lilies or terrestrial orchids). Therefore, I am also interested in Iris (reticulatae), Scillae and far eastern Corydalis.

[sottych]

Hello Winwen ,
In what form do you buy your oatmeal ? we do not know this in France !
And how and where do you find this fungus ?
I will soon post my pictures of my seed trials on board, the first mixture to be quick germination is a mixture based banana I made myself !
See you soon
Christian

[Neil]

Christian

Oatmeal is Oats that have been ground up.

Is easy to make just put some oats in a blender and and let it run then sieve out the larger pieces.

[Maggi Young]

Does everyone know what we mean by "oats" ?  Avena sativa

[winwen]

Hello Winwen ,
In what form do you buy your oatmeal ? we do not know this in France !
And how and where do you find this fungus ?
I will soon post my pictures of my seed trials on board, the first mixture to be quick germination is a mixture based banana I made myself !
See you soon
Christian

Hello Christian,

Maggie is right - Oats (Hafer in german, Avoine in french) means Avena sativa.
The "B1"-Fungus was isolated by the "fungus-bank"-team of the HOS many years ago from the roots of a Dactylorhiza fuchsii and can still be bought via the HOS as a pure culture.
There are other fungi as well but as far as I know, the B1 is the most productive of the symbiotic fungi available to the public, especially when it comes to hardy or semi-hardy terrestrial orchids. As far as we have found out, it germinates and supports at least around 60-80 species of 10-12 orchid-genera until the plants are ready for being planted out: mainly Dactylorhiza and the "new" Anacamptis but also Spiranthes, Gymnadenia, Platanthera, Herminium, Goodyeara, Nigritella(?), etc.
However it does NOT germinate and support Orchis, Ophrys, Cypripedium, Cephalanthera, Calypso etc.
Recent attempts to DNA-analysis gave rise to the assumption that the B1 belongs to the genus Ceratobasidium (not Tulasnella as many might have expected).
The fungus is quite dominant and also has the ability to break down Cellulose-based matter which should make it possible to raise orchids with the help of the fungus on cardboard based substrates (although I was not successful with that) in a non-sterile environment.
Nevertheless on Oatmeal-Agar development is quite rapid and you will get plants with roots and green leaves within 2 (Anacamptis morio) to 6 (Dactylorhiza maculata, Platanthera bifolia) months after sowing.