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Flasking – the process

Nov 15, 2009 Orchid Propagation

My flasking process. This only covers the actual process I used to sow my orchid seeds. Note that there are some preparation steps that you need to take before you are at this point (obtaining seed, obtaining sowing materials, preparing the flasks). Anyhow, I hope this helps you all out.

Prepare the seeds. The night before I sow the orchid seeds, I prepare my seeds. I separate a small quantity of seeds and put them into a small test tube. It is difficult to tell how many seeds, but I estimate a couple hundred or so. I then place a few drops (10-15) or water (distilled or Reverse Osmosis works fine) in the test tube. I let this sit over night.

Seed sowing day.

I set up my glove box with all my supplies and orchid seeds. The first thing I did was I put about 20 drops (more or less) of Hydrogen Peroxide into each test tube of orchid seeds. This is used to disinfect the seeds. The items I put in the glove box were: 8 mason jars (my flasks), my spray bottle of IPA (alcohol), 8 small glass pipettes (with the little rubber bulbs off of them), a test tube holder with the test tubes of seeds and a small bowl for used water/hydrogen peroxide.

I place my hands (no gloves) inside the box and spray down the inside with the IPA. I give each of my hands a spray also. I spray the pipets. Then I put the little rubber bulb on each of them. I let that sit for about 15 minutes while I take each test tube and swirl the seeds around in the peroxide.

Next, I take the rings off of the mason jars and spray the inside of the glove box with the IPA again. Oh, yeah, it is a good idea to do this in a well ventilated area (open the windows or something). I carefully remove the lids from 2 mason jars. I sow 2 flasks of each variety in case of contamination. I use a new pipette for each flask. I dip the pipette into the seeds/hydrogen peroxide and remove some excess (and put it in the bowl). If you keep the amount of water and peroxide low in the first place, you can skip that step. I fill the pipette with the seeds and peroxide. Then I drop about 10 drops into the flask. I have tried just making drops and then some where I swirled the mixture around in the flask a little bit. I will have to wait to see if either works better.

I close up the flask and tighten the rings. Then I move on to the next variety. If your aquarium is small, you can move the flasks out at that time and then just remember to re-spray a little IPA on your hands and your work area – this has worked fine for me.

For my first flasking, I used the following seeds:

encyclia alta (from the Orchid Seedbank Project – #3153)
encylia oncidioides (OSP #3695)
dendrobium secundum (ebay special)
dendrobium unicum (another ebay special)

Tags: flasking, orchids, seed