The Mad Orchidist

Mad Science Grants

2014-08-08T11:27:00.001-07:00

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Orange Embers x Maronii - Flower-to-Flask

2012-07-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

The seed pods from crosses I made in the spring are finally maturing. I am gearing up to do a lot of flasking, so that I can get to them all before they dehisce. So far, I much prefer the ease of "green pod" sowing, so I will try to do it that way whenever possible.

I thought I would use this post to show a sequence of photographs of the stages of one of these spring crosses up to this point. The pod parent in this case is LC Orange Embers 'Firecracker':

LC Orange Embers 'Firecracker'
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

The pollen parent is the delicate looking Laelia Maronii:

Laelia Maronii
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Both of these plants have the Mexican Species Laelia anceps in their background, so i would expect any progeny to be hardy and tolerant of a wide range of temperatures. Why did I make this cross? Well, to be honest, because they were both blooming! I have finally started to make some crosses that deliberately factor into a larger breeding plan and direction (more on that later), but I am still practicing my flasking techniques too, so there are quite a few of these "practice pods" coming along as well.

As usual, after pollination, the flowers begin to fade and the ovaries begin to swell into pods. Interestingly, I also made the reverse cross, with the Maronii as the pod parent, but it didn't take and no pod was produced.

Pods just beginning to swell
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I pollinated these flowers in early March. By late July, the fruits/pods were looking plump and ready for harvest - almost five months later. I actually made three different crosses with this pod parent, but the one from this post is on the left. Perhaps you can see in the next photo that it is beginning to yellow a bit. This is a pretty good indicator that it will begin to dry and split soon, so it's time to get moving if I want to sow it "green pod."

Three pods on the Orange Embers parent
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Speaking of that, here is a photo of the pod cut open, inside the glove box during flasking:

Seed Pod open in the glove box, showing fine seed
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

The seed was light, fairly loose, and dry-ish in there. I think that bodes well for its maturity. If it was still damp and green inside, that would probably mean that it wasn't fully mature yet. Harvesting green pods is a bit of a guessing game. If you pluck one too early, the seed may not be ready, and if you wait too long, it may split open and release the seed.

It turns out that seed capsule growth and timing is pretty much entirely determined by the pod parent. This makes sense when you realize that the pod is made from "maternal" tissues and is not the product of the new hybrid gene combinations inside the seeds. Any hybrid traits will only be in evidence in the offspring themselves, when and if they grow and flower.

Completed Mother Flasks
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

So, here are the two mother flasks I made with this seed. I will be watching them closely over the next couple of weeks for germination and/or contamination. I am always hoping for more of the former and less of the latter - fingers crossed.

Back to Work!

2012-07-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm still here! This blog and my orchid lab have grown a touch dusty, but that's about to change!

Cattley Resplendens
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

It was not my plan to let my pet project lie fallow for this long, but, as John Lennon said: "Life is what happens while you are making other plans."

Even though I have been absent from the blog for a bit, I haven't been ignoring my orchids entirely. Since my last post, the greenhouse has doubled in size and I have made some exciting new crosses and acquisitions. I have seed pods bursting at the seams all over, and I am ready to get back into the gloves and do some flasking.

In my natural habitat!
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Stay tuned for some great new posts. I have repaired/upgraded my glove box and will be flasking new hybrids as well as replating some earlier efforts.

A spotted hybrid - clearly!
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

In the meantime, you can see photos of what's been blooming in my Flickr photo stream.

Thank you so much to everyone who has continued to discover, read, and comment on this blog in my absence. It's great to know that I am not the only one interested in doing this kind of mad science at home!

Central Coast Orchid Show 2012

2012-03-30T13:40:00.002-07:00

Well, hot on the heels (2 weekends later) of the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is the Central Coast Orchid Show & Sale. It is sponsored by the Five Cities Orchid Society and takes place in Arroyo Grande, CA.

Central Coast Orchid Show & Sale

Volunteers from the Coastal Valley Orchid Society and I set up our display on Thursday, and the show is open to the public Saturday and Sunday. Here is a quick preview of our efforts:

CVOS display preview
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Bug Box and Bird Cage
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

The show's theme this year is "stepping back in time." Our display is Victorian-(ish), and features an enlarged facsimile of Charles Darwin's 1862 orchid book: "On the various contrivances by which British and foreign Orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing," including enlargements of several illustrations.

I even brought in a selection of insects (the wooden box in the center of the photo above) from my personal collection, representing different kinds of possible pollinators.

Insect Collection
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

When I was at UCSB, I was required to assemble an insect collection for an invertebrate zoology class. I enjoyed it so much that I went right on collecting after graduation, and I still enjoy it to this day. Darwin was also an avid collector of insects (as were many other Victorians), and it seemed like a nice tie-in with the book and display.

We also included other period touches, including a Tiffany Dragonfly Lamp (very late Victorian). Of course, it's a replica, or I'd never let it out of the house! Other props include an actual antique candle table, authentic tea cups, and even a real chamber pot!

Detail of the CVOS display with Tiffany lamp and Orchids
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Oh, did I mention that it's chock-full of beautiful orchids!

Wide Angle CVOS Display
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Santa Barbara International Orchid Show 2012

2012-03-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the big spring orchid show in Santa Barbara. I was there for most of four days (setup, judging, shopping, teardown, etc.), and I think I have a bit of an orchid hangover, but it was totally worth it! The theme was "Orchidelic," (like psychedelic) so there was plenty of peace and love in the air. Here are just a few pictures:

Orchidelic Volkswagen Beetle
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Turnout was good despite the inclement weather outside.
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Two views, from different sides, of the amazing display put in by Andy's Orchids
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Orchids and Lava Lamps - Orchidelic!
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

My society put in a display, for which we received a third place yellow ribbon. I am also a member of OSSB, who placed 2nd in our class. If you are reading this and you are not a member of a local orchid society, I high recommend that you find one and join!

I brought in the lava lamps from my desk at work to add the right mood to our display:

Coastal Valley Orchid Society Display
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

My favorite:

One of the only Schomburgkias in the whole show - undulata 'Ft. Caroline'
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Perhaps the best part of the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is getting together with other orchid people, and 2012 was no exception. Some folks come from the far corners of the world, but there are plenty of experts right here in the area too. Here is a nice shot of local orchid legend Paul Gripp and I (thanks to Frank Methman for the photo):

Paul and I at the show
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

And then, just as quickly as it began, it was all over . . .

The party's over . . .
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I didn't take any pictures of the vendor area, but stay tuned for a post about all the cool orchids I picked up!

More Deflasking

2012-03-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got the rest of my Schomburgkia hybrid flasks potted up. Here are a few photos:

Flask full of seedlings ready to come out
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

It was easier to break this one than try to fish everything out through the neck.

A seedling flask without the flask!
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Big seedlings with healthy roots
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

In all, the contents of four flasks (four different crosses) went into pots and into the humidity chamber. I didn't expect them to fill the whole tank, but it's pretty packed in there:

A full house
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Heat and Humidity
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

What's Blooming

2012-03-01T21:07:00.001-08:00

Just for fun, here are photos of some of the beautiful orchids that were blooming during the month of February. March is looking like it could shape up nicely too . . .

This first one is really a gem, and the water droplets make for a gorgeous photograph:

SLC Bright Angel x Circle of Life
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

This Australian Dendrobium hybrid has beautiful deep maroon spots all over the outside of the buds, but almost none of that color shows up on the front of the butter yellow flowers:

Dendrobium Sheena
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Here is a neat primary hybrid registered in 1904, Laelia rubescens x Laelia anceps = L. Maronii
It sure looks to take more after the rubescens parent, but the anceps shows a bit in the throat:

Laelia Maronii
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

LC Frank Shadle 'Highland' (pollinated on the left)
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

LC Orange Embers 'Firecracker' (from the Gene B. collection)
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

As featured in a previous post, the Stonehouse was also showing off in February:

C/LC Stonehouse
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

OK, for this last one I'm cheating a little bit. I took the photo, and I now have two of these plants (thanks again Gene!), but this bloom isn't mine. It belongs to a division of the big Schomburgkia undulata at the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. The plant took best in show at the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show in 2006 and is one of my all time favorite species. The big mother plant appears to be taking some time off, but several divisions were blooming, just begging to be photographed:

Schomburgkia undulata (or Laelia, depending who you ask)
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Some great hybrids have been made with this species, and I think I'm going to try making one of my own when mine bloom next . . .

Deflasking Seedlings

2012-02-29T15:33:00.003-08:00

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 . . .

Greenhouse Progress

2012-02-24T09:21:00.001-08:00

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!

Speaking Engagement

2012-02-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

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 . . .

Dendrobium Dehiscence

2012-02-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

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 . . .

Goodbye Grandma

2012-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

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.

Greenhouse and Stonehouse

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

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

Cattleya Stonehouse (formerly Laeleocattleya)
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

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.

Greenhouse Construction
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

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.

Foil tape on polycarbonate greenhouse panel
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

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.

Earwig inside greenhouse panel
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Scottish Terrier "Helping"
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Here are a few more photos of the finished product:

Greenhouse on cinder-block foundation
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Assembled HF Greenhouse
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Empty Greenhouse . . . not for long . . .
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

And finally, here is a nice close-up of the flowers of the Stonehouse:

Flowers of Cattleya Stonehouse
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

To get your hands on your own beautiful specimen of Stonehouse, check out the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate.

A Work In Progress

2012-01-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

I have to start this post by bursting my own bubble. The beautiful LC Frank Shadle that I bragged was so temperature tolerant, finally succumbed to the nightly lows. It got even colder the night after that post, and when I came out in the morning, the beautiful flowers of the day before had turned to wet tissue paper!

LaelioCattleya Frank Shadle - wilted
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I had been trying to do little things to keep the frost at bay, like stringing some old holiday lights around the orchid zone at night for a little extra heat:

X-mas lights weren't enough
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

No quick fix is going to secure the future of my collection, so I finally broke down and decided I need a greenhouse. Being on a tight budget, and not wanting to rack up a large bill heating, I opted for a small kit from Harbor Freight Tools. I know this isn't the highest quality around, but the price was right for my first foray into more serious climate control.

Harbor Freight GreenHouse Kit
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

So, I have to turn this pile of aluminum into an orchid paradise:

Harbor Freight Greenhouse Parts
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

One of the drawbacks of this small kit is it's height. I am a fairly tall guy, and the door frame is at about my eye level. I opted to cobble together a row of cinderblocks and a pressure-treated 4x4 sill to raise the kit up off the ground a bit. I will have to step over the sill to enter, but at least I won't hit my head!

Nitrile gloves are't just for the lab!
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I had some help for the first phase of construction; thanks Dave!! Here I am admiring the empty frame, partially built:

Phase one of greenhouse frame construction
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

The next step is to get the double-walled polycarbonate panels installed and secured. It gets windy here, so I will have to go above and beyond the manufacturer's recommendations.

Once that is done, I will chase the spiders out of my breaker panel and add a circuit for some outdoor outlets:

A space just asking for a new outdoor circuit
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

This is all very timely, since I have identified a new direction in collecting and breeding that interests me, and some of the plants I have my eye on are not all that temperature tolerant. More on that to come!

Safety In Numbers

2012-01-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

This post is mostly about contamination, but I figured I had better start out with a picture of a beautiful orchid, lest I scare away any readers:

LaelioCattleya Frank Shadle
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

This is LC Franks Shadle, happily blooming away in (what I consider) frigid conditions outside right now (I am pretty sure it hit freezing last night). This kind of temperature tolerance should definitely be selected for, and I have already pollinated the flower (as if there would be any question).

Anyway, on to the real issue at hand. A little while ago, I had a marathon session in the glovebox flasking up some seeds I ordered on eBay. I opted to make two flasks of each species as insurance against contamination.

Contaminated Flask
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

It is a cruel irony of orchid culture that if something goes wrong, you will probably find the unpleasant result very quickly, but if something goes right, it may take months (or years) on end to reward you. Such is the case here.

Ascocentrum and Gastrochilus flasks contaminated
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Two of the 8 total flasks in this group have grown a white fluffy fungus - one Gastrochilus bellinus and one Ascocentrum ampullaceum. These are the two in which I was most interested, so I am glad to have a backup flask of each that appears uncontaminated. Really, the fact that some flasks have turned up contaminated means I can probably breathe easy about those remaining. After more than 2 weeks, none of this cohort has yet shown any signs of germination, but as with all things orchid, it could take a while . . .

So, having sown seeds in 18 mother flasks thus far in my laboratory career, two of them have grown something rather unpleasant. That is a contamination rate of about 0.11 -- improvable, but also acceptable to me at this stage.

Of the remaining seed flasks, three Epidendrums have begun growing, and everything else shows no sign of life - either desirable or undesirable. More waiting.

I have long been growing Orchids for their beautiful flowers, so I understand the waiting game, but there is a trick for the impatient like me. If you have enough plants, the likelihood that something will be blooming at any given moment increases dramatically. I remember becoming aware, several years ago, that I had reached this "critical mass" of Orchids. My off the cuff estimate is that once you reach a couple of hundred different plants (provided they are of a variety of varieties), you can pretty much count on having at least something blooming all the time.

The Mad Orchidist in his natural habitat

I think that the same phenomenon will eventually kick in with my laboratory operation. Right now, because I have a modest number of flasks and seed pods going, it sometimes seems as if nothing is happening. If this adventure picks up momentum, which I hope it will, then at some point in the no-so-distant future it will seem that there is always something interesting going on. Safety, and excitement, in numbers!

A Flask 6 Months in the Making

2012-01-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

Back in July 2011 I attempted my first orchid pollination. Since then I have been pollinating other flowers and learning/testing laboratory flasking procedures with seeds obtained elsewhere. Now the seed capsule resulting from that first pollination attempt is mature, and it is finally time to put the lab to use with my own seeds!

Ripe Seed Pod with Coffee Filter Safety Net
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I brought the pod-parent plant inside recently so that I could keep an eye on the ripening pod. I have been propping a clean coffee filter under it to catch seeds in case it should burst when I'm not looking. Well, today I caught it in the act. I walked into my office and noticed that the end had suddenly turned yellow; closer examination revealed that it had begun to split open. Time to harvest those seeds!

Dried LC Schilleriana Orchid, Cut From Ripe Seed Pod
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Above is a photo of what's left of the original flower I pollinated - I'd say it's a bit less attractive now than it was nearly 6 months ago. I snipped the pod from the plant and cut away the stem and dried flower remnant.

Preparing the Pod for Seed Harvesting
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Since the capsule had only just begun to dehisce (dry and open), I helped it along a bit with a scalpel. Here is what it looks like split open:

Splitting an Orchid Seed Pod
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Since I didn't do anything new with cleaning and flasking the seeds, and all my glove-box photos look pretty much alike, I'll leave that part out of this post. Instead, here are some more photos of the seeds to give a sense of scale to both their size (very small) and number (very large).

Here is a low-power micrograph of the seeds still in a section of the capsule:

Orchid Seed Micrograph
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

You can see some individually along the edge, but in the middle it is just a dense fluff of innumerable seeds. I tapped and scraped out a bunch onto a clean sheet of white printer paper. There are more seeds there than I could ever possibly need or want! I sowed a portion of them into 4 mother flasks tonight and put a bunch more into cold storage. That way, if these flasks become contaminated, I can try it again.

Thousands and Thousands . . . and Thousands of seeds
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Below is my favorite picture of the day. That is the razor sharp edge of a surgical scalpel, and each of those white flecks is a tiny seed!

Tiny Tiny Seeds on a Scalpel
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

It's one thing to know that Orchids have very small seeds; it's another entirely to look through the 'scope and really "feel" how small they are - or exhale while opening the capsule and see a cloud of them rise into the air . . . both experiences I feel richer for having had.

With my limited magnification power and light sources, it's hard to determine if there are viable embryos in there. I didn't see anything that positively confirmed viability, but that doesn't necessarily rule it out either. Time will tell . . .

Little Victories

2012-01-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

Progress! The tiny green dots in the blurry photo below are actually what this blog madness is all about:

Epidendrum Orchid Protocorms In Vitro
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

These Epidendrum seeds have germinated; at this stage, the little green balls of undifferentiated and dividing cells are called protocorms. Most importantly, there are no obvious signs of contamination! All three of the flasks I made up with these seeds (dry and then sterilized) are looking good; here is another one:

Succesful Orchid Germination
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

In this case, the orchids themselves (reed-stem Epidendrums with no ID) aren't that exciting, but that fact that I was able to sterilize, flask, and germinate them successfully at home is. In fact, of the more than a dozen mother flasks I have sown with various seeds so far, none are showing any contamination (yet) - a good sign that my home-grown laboratory and procedures are viable.

Further progress toward my eventual goal of actually breeding my own new orchids is also being made. Today I noticed that the seed capsule of the first cross I made back in July 2011 has matured. It is turning yellow and has just begun to split at the end where the flower was. This eliminates any chance of sowing these with the "green pod" method, since I must presume the seeds are contaminated now that they have been exposed to the outside world. I will definitely get on to flasking them up soon.

LaleoCattleya Seed Capsule Maturing
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

These will hopefully be the fist new orchids that are completely my own, from pollination to germination. This was just the shot of encouragement I needed to stay excited about this orchid odyssey . . .

New Year's Flasking

2012-01-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! 2011 was the beginning of a new chapter in my orchid hobby, and I am looking forward to continuing the madness in 2012. I started off right, with some ambitious orchid seed flasking.

A while back I ordered dry seeds of a few orchid species from Thailand on eBay. They arrived in tidy little packets, and I popped them in the refrigerator for safe keeping until I could get around to them. I actually only ordered the first two in the picture below; the seller threw in a couple of others. What a nice surprise!

Gastrochilus bellinus, Ascocentrum ampullaceum,Dendrobium pachyphyllum, and Gastrochilus patinatus
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Here's an open packet showing the bright yellow seeds of Dendrobium pachyphyllum:

Dendrobium pachyphyllum Seeds
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

And here are is a closeup of some of the Ascocentrum seeds using my iPhone and an antique dissecting microscope - what a cool combo! If you look closely, you can see the fibers of the white printer paper to give you a sense of how small they are:

Ascocentrum ampullaceum seeds magnified under my stereo dissecting scope
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

I got a little ambitious and decided that I would try to sow all four species in one flasking session in the glove box.

Orderly Preparation - don't want to mix them up!
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

After numbering and labeling syringes to correspond to the right species and flasks, I got to sterilizing the seeds.

Orchid Seed Solution
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Since my first attempt hasn't yet shown any contamination, I used the same procedure for these seeds. The biggest difference is that I did four syringes instead of one, and I only used the "filter" cap I made on one of them. The others I just let settle a bit longer after every rinse to avoid squirting out too many seeds.

Once more into the box
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Four at once turned out to be a bit more than was comfortable. It required me to have a lot more stuff in the glove box (multiply empty flasks and sterile water jars by four), and the possibility for cross-contamination or a mix-up seemed high.

Crowded and Messy in the glove box
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Finally, mother flasks of the four species are sealed and out of the box. This took a while, and it made me realize how non-ergonomic my glove box is. I have to hunch over it to get the best view through the acrylic window on top while working, and it gets to my neck eventually.

New Orchid Flasks
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

The whitish particles below are a thin layer of seeds and water in a finished flask.

Orchid seeds in vitro
©2012 MadOrchidist.com

Here are some representative photos of these species from the Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia (click on the name below a photo for more info).

Gastrochilus patinatus

Ascocentrum ampullaceum

Dendrobium pachyphyllum

Gastrochilus bellinus

Green Pod Sowing

2011-12-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

This is basically the second half of an earlier post in which I flasked up some Epidendrum seeds. I finally (after the intervening holiday) got around to sowing the green pod.

The seeds come from the same "Pod Parent" (mother plant) as the dry ones, but there is no way to know if the same pollen got into both flowers, or if the two pods have different "Pollen Parents." I also don't know when they were pollinated, so I cannot be sure that the seed in this one is mature enough to germinate - only one way to find out . . .

The procedure for this one is a bit more straightforward than for loose seed because the capsule is sealed. Theoretically, the seeds inside have had no contact with the outside world and thus are uncontaminated by bacterial and/or fungal spores. That's one of the things that draws me to this method, so I hope it works out. Since I have sterile mother flasks all made up, the main points are: sterilize the outside of the pod, cut it open, and get the seeds into the flasks without getting anything contaminated in there.

To begin sterilizing the outside of the seed capsule, I first soaked it in a 1:4 bleach solution with a tiny bit of soap surfactant. I shook up the jar and brushed at the pod a bit with the toothbrush periodically while I autoclaved some distilled water (for rinsing later) along with my scalpels and forceps.

That probably would be good enough, but I have also seen green pods soaked in alcohol, and even lit on fire! That sounded right up my Mad Scientist alley, so I gave it a shot:

Here is a quick video I shot outside the glovebox (with one hand, while working with the other), of flaming the green seed pod. It is probably overkill in this case, but it looked fun and I wanted to try it! I don't think I'll make it part of my regular procedure because I don't want to melt or blow up my sealed plastic box, and there isn't much benefit to doing it outside of the box (except the fun factor, of course).

Then it was back into the bleach and into the glovebox with my tools. Once the box was sealed and clean, I scrubbed at the capsule a bit more and then rinsed it in the sterile distilled water.

I use a small plastic cutting board in the glovebox as a work surface. Covering it with aluminum foil makes a quick and easy to sterilize cutting surface with the added benefit that cleanup is easy.

Then, the big moment; I cut it open. Here is what the capsule looks like inside:

The above photo is of the leftovers, after I was done. There was more of the same whitish seed and fibrous material initially, and some of it is now in flasks:

I Just scraped some out with the edge of the scalpel and tapped it in. Once the flasks were sealed again, I tapped and shook them around a bit to distribute the seeds across the surface of the nutrient media.

I opted to make up three flasks, as with the dry pod. I will be anxiously awaiting any comparisons I can make between the two groups. If these do not germinate, the pod may have been too immature, but as long as no contamination grows, I will consider it a success either way!

Flasking My First Orchid Seeds

2011-12-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

This is what it's all about; sowing some Orchid seeds in flasks! A couple of my own crosses capsules' are nearing maturity, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to practice on some that just came along.

The other night was the Orchid Society Holiday Party. Our host had some Reed-stem Epidendrums out in the yard that he says set seed all the time. As it happened there was a dry pod that had split open and a green one still sealed, both on the same plant. I have been considering whether I should go with the "green pod" method or wait for my pods to spit naturally and then sterilize the seed, and here was an opportunity to try both and compare! He let me take them both to sacrifice to the learning process in my lab (thanks Van!).

Given that the Epidendrum was probably pollinated by an insect, I have no way of knowing what the pollen parent was. All I know for sure is that the pod parent is pink; its tag is pictured above, plus I saw a few of the flowers on another spike. Since this is sort of an experiment, I am not really worried about the pedigree. If I end up growing anything from these they will be good for landscaping; Reed-stem Epis are practically bulletproof outdoors in this climate. Let's hope the seeds are hardy too:

I decided to deal with the open capsule first. Once an orchid seed pod dries, it splits open to release the thousands upon thousands (sometimes even millions) of tiny seeds inside. After this happens, the seeds must be considered contaminated and their surfaces sterilized before sowing.

I opted to use household bleach in a ratio of one part bleach to nine parts distilled water as my sterilizing solution. Several online tutorials and discussions recommended using a syringe to clean the seeds. I bought dispensing syringes with caps on Amazon.com and made one cap into a filter by melting a couple of holes in it with a heated pin and then placing a small piece of coffee filter inside.

Basically, I drew up about 10mL of the sterilizing solution through the filter cap and then banged the syringe on my hand and the table for at least ten minutes to try and eliminate all of the tiny air pockets that cause the seeds to float and prevent the solution from doing its job. Below is a close up photo of the tiny orchid seeds in the syringe of sterilizing bleach solution:

I put the syringe, several jars of autoclave sterilized distilled water (for rinsing seeds), a few pre-made flasks with seed sowing media, and a jar of stronger bleach solution (to clean the outside of the syringe and any tools I used) into my Glove Box and sealed it up.

It is unfortunately impossible for me to have my hands in the gloves working and take pictures at the same time. At some point a small tripod and/or an intrepid volunteer will enable me to post more photos of what goes on inside the sterile glove box.

Briefly, I squirted out the bleach solution, drew up a rinse of distilled water a couple of times, and then squirted a small remaining amount of water with the seeds into a few flasks. The result is pictured below:

I got some seeds on the sides of the flask, but there are plenty in there on the agar media too. I also ended up with more water than I would have liked in the flasks, so we'll see if that hurts things any.

I'll try to get to the green pod tonight or tomorrow so that I can make a fair comparison of the results. I also received some seeds today in the mail that I ordered from Thailand on eBay. I think I will give today's flasks a few days to see if contamination develops, so I can change my methods if necessary before trying again. For now, those seeds will go into my pollen storage unit in the refrigerator.

As for these flasks, now we wait . . . it's a theme with orchids . . .

Failure is Always an Option

2011-12-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

Well the point of this blog is, at least partly, to keep track of my Orchid culture progress, so I would be remiss not to include the occasional failure. Here are a few things that have not gone according to plan lately.

These first few photos are of flowers that were pollinated, but then withered away without developing a seed pod. I am willing to give up enjoyment of the flower in return for a seed pod, but when you lose both it really stinks!

These next few pictures are of the Dendrobium nodes that I flasked up in this post. All three of them developed contamination.

I had acknowledged previously that stems are tough to get completely sterile for this type of culture; now I know first-hand. I could try to clean and replate them, but they were really just for practice and I'll probably let them go.

So, with some failures under my belt, I feel like I am making progress. Next, on to some seed sowing . . .

Orchid Pollen Storage

2011-12-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Since I have been pollinating my orchids, I have obviously been harvesting pollen. In addition to using it fresh to cross two blooming plants, I have been saving some pollinia in the refrigerator for future use.

Supposedly orchid pollen can stay viable in the refrigerator for months, allowing crosses between plants whose blooming times don't coincide. I already have at least one seed pod developing nicely that was made with refrigerated pollen.

Well as I began to make more crosses, I accumulated more and more folded paper pollen packets in my refrigerator. Today I decided to upgrade the way they were stored and organized.

Orchid Pollen Storage in the Refrigerator

I used a small 15 drawer organizer that previously held random screws and bits in the garage. Now, every time I open the refrigerator I smile at how geeky this looks . . .

Sibling Rivalry

2011-12-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

This post is about one of the things that is attracting me to Orchid Breeding: genetic variability. I have two different specimens of a particular orchid cross blooming right now, and they are an excellent example of the variation that is common.

These two plants are siblings from the same cross - Cattleya Claesiana x Laelia milleri. Both plants are originally from the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate (though I got at least one of them secondhand) and have been grown under similar conditions. Their site features another flower from this same cross that seems somewhere between my two:

Photo from www.sborchid.com

The blooms vary in most of the parameters one would want to look at: flower count, size, color, orientation, etc. Even the plants themselves are quite different in size.

The one on the left has a single flower, and it "looks up" in a way that is typical of many of the small rupiculous (rock growing) Laelias, the group to which milleri belongs. However, milleri has multiple flowers per spike, like the plant on the right. Those blooms are a salmon-ish pink-ish orange-ish color compared to the cooler pale magenta of the single flower - a color that is probably from the Claesiana parent.

Here they are together in one photo for direct flower size and shape comparison:

I really enjoy the mental exercise of trying to figure out which parent contributed what quality, though it is impossible to know for sure. You can see, just from these two, that when carefully selecting parents to make a cross you won't always end up with something in between. You could end up with the best or worst qualities of both, or an interesting shuffle as with these . . .

Laboratory Upgrade!

2011-12-08T22:17:00.001-08:00

Today my Home Laboratory got a big upgrade!

My boss gave me an old metal restaurant/laboratory table that the business no longer had a place for (thanks Pat). It has an 8 foot long, 2-1/2 foot wide stainless steel surface; you should have seen me unloading it from the truck by myself! It has plenty of space to move all of my equipment out of the house and set up in the garage.

Once I moved everything to its new place, I got my dining room table and kitchen back! Here is a picture of the situation before:

And After:

There is even room for my insect collection stuff at the other end of the table. Now all of my Mad Scientist fun can happen in one dedicated place . . .

Node/Keiki Culture - Dendrobium Lifeboat

2011-12-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned previously that my Grandfather was an Orchidist, and even though he passed away years ago, my Grandmother still keeps a few orchids around the house. These days they are mostly store-bought Phalaenopsis in the windowsill and a few random things out on the patio.

When I went to visit Grandma the other day, I noticed some dry Dendrobium canes leaning in an empty pot outside. She is nearly 90, so she doesn't make it out there to water very often, and between that and the recent cold, this plant had wasted away. The roots were dry and cracked (not even potted in any mix), and there wasn't a leaf to be found. There were even a few well developed keikis that had made a start, withered, and died. Even so, I noticed a few nodes that were developing a last ditch effort at new plants.

I was offered the plant if I thought I could save it. No way, but I realized these developing nodes would make a good experiment in my new mad laboratory. I knew Phalaenopsis could be cultured in vitro from nodes on flower spikes and figured the same would be true of these nascent keikis, especially since they had already started to develop. There's only one way to find out!

I brought it home and cut the canes up, leaving just a bit on either side of the three nodes with developing keikis I thought looked viable. I realize now that I should have made more effort at this point to get all of the dry papery covering off, as this may be a source of contamination later - we'll see.

I soaked them in a mild bleach solution for about 10 minutes, and prepared some sterile distilled water while I waited. I already had empty flasks made up with media, and I didn't want to run the pressure cooker autoclave for just one jar of water, so i microwaved some distilled water in a jar. I actually set the lid on too, which I know is not usually a good idea in the microwave, but its smooth surface did not allow any sparks to occur. While not ideal, I hope this water is sterile enough to rinse my cuttings without adding contamination.

Once the water cooled, I placed it, the cuttings (in sterilizing solution), and the necessary implements into my glove box, closed it up, and sprayed everything with bleach.

Below is my view through the clear acrylic window in the top of the Glove Box:

Basically, I just scrubbed the cuttings with a toothbrush, cut off a little more at each end, and then placed each one into its own baby-food-jar flask.

Here is the result:

There was actually one small "new lead" developing at the base of the withered mother plant too. It had new root tips developing, and I opted to pot it up in sphagnum moss and try to grow it alongside the node flasks for comparison.

I have read that other folks doing this kind of culture at home have had a hard time with contamination due to the difficulty of completely sterilizing the cuttings. Only time will tell if these proto-orchids will grow in the flasks, or something gross will grow instead!