Some monopodials, particularly vandas, are frequently sold as cuttings and
may or may not have roots. After a short time in good vanda conditions,
roots begin to show and then grow rapidly. Also, once you start buying
flasks (and it's as addictive as any other part of orchid growing), you
better start adding the new wing on the house, or plan to build your first,
soon-to-be-outgrown greenhouse. On the plus side, one flask can give you
20-50 or more seedlings or meristems to grow and trade with others for a
rapidly expanding collection (see previous sentence).
Gary

"Shell91" wrote in message
y.com...
Thanks. I have noticed several flasks being offered on ebay and wondered
whether or not it would be worthwile to get one. I don't think I'm quite
ready for that

The cuttings I saw on ebay seemed to be just a section of stem, no
pseudobulbs at all. Also probably not something I should buy

Shell


"tbell" wrote in message
...
A flask is like the glass flasks you used in chemistry classes,
providing a sterile environment for orchid seeds growing in a nutrient
medium similar to a bacterial culture plate. When the plantlets are
large
enough, they have to be "deflasked" into compots, or pots holding a
community of small seedlings.
The term "orchid cutting" would likely refer to a division of a
rhizome
with at least 2 or 3 pseudobulbs and their roots, usually the back end
of
a
mature plant whose rhizome is growing forward. When planted and tended
well,
it should wake up and put forward new growths, which might bloom in a
year
or two.
Tom
Walnut Creek, CA, USA
(To reply by e-mail, remove APPENDIX)

From: "Shell91"
Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.orchids
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 21:20:51 GMT
Subject: 2 Questions

1. Can someone explain to me exactly what flasks are?

2. If one buys an orchid "cutting" I am assuming it would have to be
rooted? And would take several years to bloom?

Shell