How to Plant Orchid Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Orchid Seed Sowing and Seedling Cultivation

Orchids have relatively high environmental requirements and are quite difficult to cultivate; they often need careful attention to achieve a relatively high survival rate. So how do you plant orchid seeds?

1. Orchid habits: They prefer cool, moist and well-ventilated environments, and dislike extreme heat, dryness and direct sunlight. For Cymbidium goeringii, the growing soil should preferably be well-drained, rich in humus and slightly acidic.

2. Planting: The germination rate of orchid seeds is very low. For sowing, it is best to choose fruit that has not yet split open. After sterilizing the surface with 75% alcohol, take out the seeds, soak them in 10% sodium hypochlorite for 5-10 minutes, remove them and rinse them 3 times with sterile water, then sow them in culture bottles containing culture medium, and place them in a dark culture room, keeping the temperature at about 25C.

3. Flower room: Using a flower room to cultivate orchids will greatly increase the survival rate. In the flower room, soil properties must be well controlled, and the soil should be slightly acidic, with the temperature controlled between 20-30 degrees. There should be a good ventilation environment, and attention should be paid to controlling sunlight intensity. Also pay attention to pest control and other work. This design involves many details, so consult technical workers more often.

4. Transplanting: First, from the roots of orchid plants cultivated for 2 or 3 years, cut 2-3 cm growth buds, rinse them with running water for 20 minutes, and in a sterile tissue culture room at 22-25°C, remove the outermost 1-2 bracts, then soak them in sodium hypochlorite solution for 15 minutes to sterilize. Then peel them off, cut them into 2-5 mm shoot tips, inoculate them onto the prepared culture medium, and move them to the culture site. After 3-4 months, rhizomes will emerge. When the test-tube seedlings grow to 5-8 cm, they can be transplanted. Take the small seedlings out of the bottle, clean off the culture medium adhering to the roots, then plant them into a substrate mixed with perlite and vermiculite, and water thoroughly. Place them in a cool place. Three months after survival, plant them into small pots; the management method is similar to division propagation.

5. Water and fertilizer: In summer, orchids should be watered once in the morning and once in the evening to keep the stems and leaves somewhat moist, and they should also be watered thoroughly once a week to ensure root absorption. In addition, water twice a day in spring, and once a day in autumn and winter. Fertilization of orchids should also be done well; organic fertilizer is sufficient, but the concentration should not be too high.

Orchids are relatively delicate, and their survival rate is also relatively low. If you are an inexperienced flower lover, it is not recommended to sow seeds; it is best to choose the transplanting method.