My cup runneth over, and over and over.

[flowerbug]

They last longer if you soak them once in a while!

and don't have your heat go out...

 

[Titan Farm]

interesting that the growing medium contains charcoal. it is likely sterile by nature of how it is made, large surface area for bacteria/fungi, but with a sterile medium that is defeated, so what is it for? carbon source and a few trace nutrients? do you have to innoculate the growing medium with certain fungi?

Charcoal in a planting mix is mostly used as a pH buffer and to absorb toxins.

 

[jackb]

Today I "replated" almost all of the seedlings, selecting the largest darkest green seedlings for replating. Replating is literally scooping them out of the vessel and placing them on a plate then transferring them to vessels with fresh media. They were replated because I noticed the growth slowing down almost to a halt. Hopefully, I have carried out the replating in time. This is the step that has the most chance of introducing contamination, so I used several vessels to lower the odds. The slope in the media is deliberate so that the condensation runs to the low side and does not puddle and drown the seedlings.

 

[jackb]

This is what you do not want to see: contamination. I knew that the replate step was risky and there was an increased possibility of contamination. The large professional labs deal with contamination also and expect a certain amount. About 25% of my vessels have contamination, however, I have ordered an alcohol lamp and a longer set of tweezers to lower the risks, somewhat. Next time I do this, and there will be a next time, I will make several corrections. Chief among them will be to limit the number of seeds in a vessel. There were so many seeds that germinated that they depleted the nutrients in the media far too quickly, forcing replating. And, that if the corms are not touching the media they will not grow. That being said, there are still several corms that look like they may form plants. It is not exactly like there is a step by step manual for this process, so it has been trial and error for me. Getting more orchids is not my objective, learning the process is what it is all about.

 

[catjac1975]

View attachment 26653

This is what you do not want to see: contamination. I knew that the replate step was risky and there was an increased possibility of contamination. The large professional labs deal with contamination also and expect a certain amount. About 25% of my vessels have contamination, however, I have ordered an alcohol lamp and a longer set of tweezers to lower the risks, somewhat. Next time I do this, and there will be a next time, I will make several corrections. Chief among them will be to limit the number of seeds in a vessel. There were so many seeds that germinated that they depleted the nutrients in the media far too quickly, forcing replating. And, that if the corms are not touching the media they will not grow. That being said, there are still several corms that look like they may form plants. It is not exactly like there is a step by step manual for this process, so it has been trial and error for me. Getting more orchids is not my objective, learning the process is what it is all about.

Is that mold? Are the plants ruined?

 

[jackb]

Is that mold? Are the plants ruined?

Yes, and yes. If caught early you could try to save them with a hydrogen peroxide bath, but the chance of success is really small. I intend to make another cross as soon as flowers open. The downside, as you know, will be the flowers do not last after being pollinated.

 

[flowerbug]

do you mean like keeping your containers tipped sideways so the stuff in the air can't settle out on your media?

 

[jackb]

do you mean like keeping your containers tipped sideways so the stuff in the air can't settle out on your media?

No, as little exposure to the air as possible. Making the transfer under a sterile hood and holding the cover over the vessel while the transfer is being made, with as little exposure to the air as possible. The vessel is then sealed with surgical tape to prevent contaminants from entering. The process really should be carried out under a laminar flow hood, but they are expensive. All of the instruments must be sterilized in a pressure cooker or autoclave for 22 minutes at 15 psi. It really is a very technical procedure to attempt at home with made do equipment, but it can be done. So, if you want a challenge give it a try.

 

[jackb]

I look forward to checking on the progress of this project each day, it is kind of like watching an old Saturday serial movie; things are happening, but happening slowly. Thinking that the major contributing factor to plant growth is light, I decided to change the quality and quantity of the lighting, drastically.
Today the lighting was changed from a small compact fluorescent to a small LED grow light tuned to both vegetative and flowering spectra.
The intensity has changed by a factor of 10, from 50 footcandles to 500 footcandles.

 

[flowerbug]

that's one of our favorite movies...