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DOWN UNDER NATIVE ORCHIDS ORCHID
PLANT
CATALOGUE
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DEFLASKING
AND GENERAL TIPS
When
you are deflasking, it is best to place the flask(s), WITH THEIR LIDS ON, in the
area where they will eventually ‘live’, for a period of 7 – 14 days to
acclimatize the plants in the flask to their new environment and this actually
‘hardens’ the plants. The reason, as they have been under controlled light
conditions and to some degree temperature for their entire life from a tiny seed
to the plants in the flask. You then open the flask(s) and place it/them into a
bucket of tepid water that has had a capful of Envy (Stress-Guard) added to it,
and allow the flask(s) to soak for around 15 minutes, ensuring that the flask(s)
are fully covered by the water/Envy solution. What this does is put a protective
coating over the leaves and prevents the plants from going into stress by
transpiration from the leaves. Then you take a flask, hold it horizontally in
both hands and swish, rotate and shake the flask to loosen the agar (gel) from
the plants roots, the plants should just pop out of the flask when shaken in a
downward direction into the water. Then carefully separate the plants and place
them, free from agar individually on a piece of clean damp newspaper, soaked in
the Envy solution. When all plants
from that flask are sorted out, you then pot them straight into 50mm pots.
The
bark MIX we recommend for seedlings for you to use
is a 6.2.1 mix for dendrobiums, 6 parts FINE, 2 parts MEDIUM and 1 part 10mm
PEBBLES. Whilst with sarcochilus seedlings, other than Sarc. ceciliae
we use 6.2.3 , that is 3 parts 10mm pebbles.
Always pot using a DRY bark mix, it is easier to have the bark work its way
around and amongst the roots. Once the 50mm tube is full of bark mix and the
plant is stable in it, usually roughly in the centre, gently tap on the rim of
the tube to further settle the bark around the roots. By doing this, the roots
are required to ‘work’ their way into a compact bark environment, thus
producing a stronger growing seedling. To get optimum results we always give the
dry bark a final sieving before we start our potting to remove all
"fines", place the “fines” on your garden, or in your Cymbidium
mix, if you grow them. Now totally
drench the plants to remove any of the fines you may have missed. By thoroughly
soaking the bark in the pots you encourage the new roots to grow into a nice
moist, not wet environment. Do Not
let the bark dry out in the early stages of the plants life in the new mix.
We then sprinkle a mix of sel-grit and canunda shell (50:50) over each
pot, this gives the plants a low grade lime and calcium supplement. Then water
again to settle the canunda/sel-grit mix in amongst the bark. The logic behind
potting straight into 50mm tubes is that firstly, the flasks we sell are in 99%
of cases ready to be deflasked, and the plants are ready for their life to begin
in 50mm tubes. Secondly, the
practice of compotting we feel is a retrograde step, as the plants then have to
undergo two shocks, initially out of the flask, and then to be pulled about and
then placed in 50mm tubes. The
compoting we do is purely for commercial demands, and what we place the plants
into is sphagnum moss, not bark, thus minimizing the stress of de-compoting as
much as we can. Don’t
forget to put plant tags in them with the cross number on the top and at the
bottom of the tag. This is so when the sun eventually fades the number that you
have written on the top, hopefully the number will be legible on the bottom so
you can know what you are looking at when you flower it. Additionally,
when using pine bark mixes to obtain the best results, it is important to keep
the mix from becoming too acid by giving your plants a drink with limewater
early autumn and again early spring to correct this problem, this process is for
the larger plants, not young seedlings. This can be exaggerated in cold wet
weather and thus can bring on fungal problems, the lime also acts as a natural
fungicide. We
use micro fine lime (F70 Superfine Limestone) at a rate of one gram per litre.
The
Micro fine lime, sel-grit and canunda shell mixes are all available from us. Fertiliser. As
far as fertilizing is concerned, we avoid
high Nitrogen fertiliser like the plague. High Nitrogen food leads to soft,
fungi prone growth and few flowers. We use a high potassium food with an N.P.K.
rating of 12‑12‑20 for seedlings. Initially, about 7 – 10 days
after deflasking, at a rate of one gram per two litres of water, we water first
and then feed, repeat the process twice at two week intervals at that level.
We then change to the Horticultural Solutions N.P.K.
8-5-25 at a rate of 1 gram a Litre every three – 4 weeks.
Monitor them closely, and it doesn’t hurt to give them a weak solution
of Seasol, or Harvest (an AMGROW product) at half strength in between the
12.12.20 or for that matter the 8.5.25 feedings.
We never fertilize in the very hot weather. Both
these fertilisers the 8.5.25 and the 12.12.20 are Horticultural Solutions
products and have been formulated for Aussie Native Orchids, are available from
us. You may use an alternate fertiliser as long as the N.P.K. is of similar
content. Sunlight.
This is one of the main factors in flowering your native orchids well, be they
hybrid or species, in fact probably the key factor, and same goes for probably
99% of the worlds orchids. Here in the Southern Hemisphere the ideal direction
to placing your orchid collection is to ensure it receives morning sun (north,
east- north -east). This allows the bulbs to warm gently as the sunrises, which
is conducive to better flowering and an overall healthier looking plant.
Shadecloth can be introduced to cut back on the hot afternoon sun, 60% is around
the level you need, 80% for sarcanthinae species or Hybrids, depending on how
open the area is that you have your orchids placed. Sarcochilus can tolerate a
darker environment, so observe the colour and appearance of their leaves, if
they are turning a little yellow or shrivelling, it could mean a combination of
excess light and insufficient water. With newly deflasked seedlings ensure they
do not get any heavy-duty sunlight, so protection is vital from that afternoon
heat. Air Movement.
Good air movement around the plants is also a positive factor in a better
growing plant. Never place your plants on a solid surface, including the ground,
as this prevents all-round air movement and restricts water draining away from
the plant. Try not to place your plants too close to one another, this also
creates an air movement problem, and can foster the influx of a variety of bugs.
Water.
This also is all-important; Summer is the only real problem time, if you
can call it that. Water when the
plants need it in summer, i.e. if it has been extremely hot, for 3 or 4 days,
water very early morning, so as the water dries on the plant leaves before the
intense heat of the day kicks in. If you water later in the day, the heat of the
sun can cause ugly black phytotoxic spots on your foliage. If
there is no indication that the high temperatures are going to end, water late
in the afternoon, early evening, when the sun has gone off your plants, and the
intensity of heat has diminished, make sure you saturate the bark mix as well as
watering the foliage. Winter is another story, most orchids being epiphytic;
they live on the moisture in the air, general rule of thumb, water if they need
it. During last winter the nursery plants weren’t watered as such, apart from
feeding, merely the floor under the benches received three or four good
drenchings. Thus when the water evaporates, the plants take up the rising
moisture. Never water at night in the winter, cold and wet isn’t a good
combination to encourage healthy plants, can lead to the termination of the
plant(s) and we don’t want Arnold Schwarzenegger
getting
involved, do we. These general rules apply to the greater percentage of orchids,
be they species or hybrids. We hope this information is helpful to you in your
growing of Tropicool™
and native hybrids, as well as your native species
from flask. We suggest you consider joining a local Native Orchid Group, as this
should help you expand your knowledge on what to grow and how to grow them,
given your geographical location. |
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