The Mad Orchidist: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Deflasking Seedlings

While waiting for some of my own orchid seeds to germinate and grow, I have been busy shopping. Recently, I ordered flasks of several Schomburgkia (Laelia) hybrids from a grower on eBay:

Schomburgkia hybrid flasks from eBay
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Flasks often get a little "scrambled" in shipping, so the seedlings usually need to come out fairly quickly. One of these four was exceptionally jumbled, so it's where I'll start.

Orchid Seedlings and Agar in a Scrambled Flask
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I had some nice New Zealand sphagnum moss on hand, so I decided to try it for potting these new seedlings. I used some lava rocks in the bottom of the pots to bring the level up - no need to fill the whole pot with expensive moss!

Deflasking Materials
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

When the delicate little orchid seedlings first come out of the flask, conditions in the "real world" can be shocking to them; especially the lower humidity. Many growers use plastic tubs or bags to maintain high humidity, and then "harden off" the seedlings by gradually introducing them to regular growing conditions. I decided to use an old aquarium I had in the garage to this effect. It already had a nice compact fluorescent lamp in the hood too - bonus!

Seedling Humidity Chamber
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

OK, so it's time to get the little guys out of glass. Rather than breaking the bottle, I simply ran some lukewarm water into it and swirled it around a bit. Because this particular flask was already pretty jumbled up (and had a wide mouth), it was not difficult to flush all of the agar and plant material out into a large pyrex bowl. The others I will probably have to break.

So here is what I got:

Flask Contents Rinsed into Bowl
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I then began the arduous task of teasing the seedlings apart and rinsing as much agar media as possible off of them. As expected, there were a handful of "heroes" (nice big growing seedlings) and also many smaller plants. Here are the largest of the group separated out:

After picking out everything that looked like it was worth trying to save, I was left with a bowl of media, broken roots and shoots, and some plants too tiny to bother with . . . the whole mess went right down the disposal in the kitchen sink.

Deflasking Leftovers
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

The remaining plants went into Community Pots, or "compots." I very carefully tried to get all of the roots covered in moss and then placed the pots into the humidity chamber. There is a layer of lava rock on the bottom of the aquarium so that I can pour water in it to maintain high humidity. I also tossed in a length of heat cable I had laying around; If I like how it works, I'll bury it in the lava.

Seedlings in Community Pots ("compots")
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

So there you have it. Buying flasks is not only an economical (although patience requiring) way to get a lot of plants, it is the best way to get in on the "ground floor" with new hybrids.

One flask done, three more to go . . . .maybe tomorrow . . .

Friday, February 24, 2012

Greenhouse Progress

There haven't been many updates because I have been so busy lately, but I have found time for some orchid related fun. I have been working on getting my new Harbor Freight Greenhouse up and running, and it's pretty close to done . . . lately the time I have for it is in the evenings, and it looks pretty neat lit from inside at night:

By solving the problem of nighttime lows with a greenhouse, I have created a new problem of daytime highs . . . sigh. I knew that I needed a good exhaust fan, and I spent quite a while shopping online. These things aren't cheap, and I am a compulsive deal hunter. Eventually I settled on a 12" model with self closing louvers/shutters; gravity closes them, and the fan's output opens them - perfect.

New Greenhouse Exhaust Fan
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I added some extra aluminum angle to mount the fan to (see lower photos) and removed the panel it would penetrate.

Panel Removed for Fan Installation
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Exhaust Fan Interior
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I cut out the fan shape with a sharp razor blade, and it fits great! I have siliconed about half the panels on so far, so when I finish I will seal around the fan too.

Exhaust Fan Exterior
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I also got some benches built in there. I ended up using "closet maid" wire shelving as the size was nearly perfect, and it was so simple . . .

Greenhouse Bench Construction
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I have moved a few orchids in so far since the weather looks mild this week. My thermostats arrived yesterday (1 for heating, 1 for cooling), and I have 2 small electric space heaters ready to go. By the end of next week I should have complete climate control. A misting system is the last element I think . . .

Orchids moving in tentatively . . .
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I am so excited to finally see plants in there. More to come soon!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Speaking Engagement

I was recently honored by being asked to give a talk at the Orchid Society of Santa Barbara. Word got around that I had delivered a brief talk about orchid propagation methods at my society one month, when we couldn't get a "real" speaker, and the Santa Barbara group was interested in hearing it.

A photo from the first talk, in Lompoc, CA.
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

This was simultaneously exciting and terrifying! That group is full of world class orchid growers and experts, so I thought, "who am I to try and give them a lecture about orchids?" But then I remembered that all societies have members of all levels of interest and expertise. I also realized that I could expand the talk to include some of my home laboratory endeavors, which even veteran growers might be curious about.

After stressing, preparing, rehearsing, and becoming much more cozy with PowerPoint, I delivered my talk "Orchid Propagation: Where Do Orchids Come From?" on Wednesday night. Success! It was well received by the club, and there were excellent questions and engagement throughout.

I brought along prepared specimens, including seeds and pollinia, as well as a plant with a pod on it. I even brought my homemade GloveBox to illustrate that even more advanced culture can be accomplished at home with minimal investment and a bit of effort.

I want to thank the members for being so supportive and interested, and for making me feel like a "real" speaker. Once I got over being nervous, I actually really enjoyed it! Also, thanks again to Wayne and Frank (vice-pres. and pres. of OSSB) for their confidence.

If I come up with any pictures from that night, I'll be sure to add them here . . .

Monday, February 13, 2012

Dendrobium Dehiscence

A while back, in this post, I self pollinated Dendrobium Hamana Smile. Almost exactly two months later, the seed pods were mature and began to split. For an orchid, that's fast!

D. Hamana Smile Orchid Seeds
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

As you can see, I was ready for the seeds with a clean coffee filter. Once these opened more fully, a gentle tap knocked out all the seed I'll ever need. I haven't gotten them flasked up yet, so I will update this post when I do . . .

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Goodbye Grandma

This blog is about orchids, so it is in that context that I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to my grandmother, Patti. She died at home the other morning after a mercifully quick encounter with metastatic breast cancer. She was just shy of 90 years old.

My wonderful Grandma and some beautiful Cattleya hybrids

Like me, she was captivated by the beauty and elegance of these exotic flowers, and also like me, she was introduced to them by my grandfather. After his death years ago, she kept a small part of his collection around the house. She was genuinely excited when I began to follow in his footsteps and collect my own orchids.

We would go out to breakfast on a weekend and then meander over to a local nursery to pick out something new. Those were really great times.

Grandma and a young MadOrchidist shopping

She was also probably my biggest supporter when I decided to go back to UCSB and finish my biology degree. Even back then she would say, "I don't know if I'll be around to see you graduate." Well, around she was, and I was proud to have her at my graduation, when I finally took my B.S. in Zoology.

Grandma and I at Graduation

So, it is with a heavy heart that I am reconciling the loss of one of my biggest fans. Her support has helped me to be the orchidist and person that I am today, and I will miss her dearly. Goodbye Grandma.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Greenhouse and Stonehouse

Here is a favorite orchid from my collection, Cattleya Stonehouse, enjoying the honor of being first in the new greenhouse:

It doesn't actually need to be in there, but it is blooming beautifully right now and I couldn't resist the cheesy word-play. "The Stonehouse" (as I like to call it) is famed for its resilience and willingness to bloom. I have heard tales from other growers of specimens in Santa Barbara happily blooming with frost on the flowers during an unusually cold winter several years ago. See a beautiful close-up of the flowers at the end of this post.

Anyway, it took me a while to get the panels onto the greenhouse frame, since I was searching for the perfect way to secure them against the wind.

I settled on self-drilling sheet metal screws with neoprene washers; they go right through the panel and into the aluminum braces underneath:

Before attaching them, I taped the edges of the panels with foil HVAC tape. Not only does it seal the insulating airspaces inside the panels, but it keeps insects and debris from getting inside.

I laughed at the idea of needing to keep insects out, but after one night outside, there was an earwig inside of an untaped panel! That was all the convincing I needed.