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Old 18-04-2003, 02:56 AM
Elpaninaro
 
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Default The sanderianum Chronicles Part 1 (was deflasking paphs

Hello,

Congrats on your purchase of sanderianum seedlings! I posted this on the AOS
forum a couple of weeks ago complete with photos documenting my first purchase
of sanderianum and the compotting process. Hope it helps.

Before you read, two things that have happened since this post, 1. I sprayed
all the seedlings with a light dose of Physan 20 after some brown spots
developed, 2. I have backed off using the baggie treatment for a few days until
the spot issue is resolved. otherwise, here goes with links to photos as I go
along...

The sanderianum Chronicles Part 1- The Arrival

This afternoon a small box was delivered to my desk at work. My co-workers were
intrigued to know how 100+ baby orchids fit in such a small box, and my
curiosity was quite beyond normal bounds as well- so we took a peek. And what a
marvel these little plants were. Meticulous is what I would call them. Perfect.
Not a leaf out of place. Needless to say, Sam Tsui's reputation for impeccable
plants is well deserved.

Each deflasked set of plants had been gently wrapped in two paper towels. Then
this had been set in an upside down styrofoam "to go" container (pint sized)
with the plastic lid serving as the base. Not a scratch or break on a single
leaf. The plants were perfect.

Here is a photo of the sanderianum flask immediately after unpacking,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/01.jpg

Here is a side view of one of the PEOY flasks

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/02.jpg

And here is a top view of one of the PEOY flasks

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/03.jpg

The first thing that struck me about these flasks was how perfectly manageable
the plants appeared. This assessment proved accurate during the compotting
process. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is EASIER to manage these
plants than many other Paphs. Just to give you an idea, here is a shot of a
sukhakulii flask that has been in compot for about 4 weeks now. Take a look at
how tall some of these plants are and you will get a vision of why they are
much more annoying to deal with LOL.

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/19.jpg

When I received my Antec flasks, I used the Wellenstein's method of potting
with the agar intact and it has proven successful. However I was reluctant to
use that same method here for two reasons.

First, Orchid Inn does not use this method, and so I was not sure if their agar
was designed for being potted with the plants. There was also quite a bit more
agar on these plants- which I felt would take too long to wash off.

Second, because of the high humidity needs of sanderianum and PEOY, I intend to
keep these in partially sealed ziplock bags for several weeks, gradually
acclimating them to my home environment and the humidity provisions I have
prepared. Even with minimal watering, the potting mix will tend to stay very
damp under these conditions. And I was afraid too much agar would promote
excess fungus and also perhaps rot the roots.

So I have instead opted to go the middle road here. Most of the agar was
removed, but I left perhaps 10-15% of it intact around the roots to provide a
bit of added nutrition in the first weeks. I feel it will provide some benefit,
but also not trap excess moisture in the potting medium during the first few
weeks.

To achieve this, the flasks were placed in a dish of warm water as seen below,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/04.jpg

Once placed in this warm water, I gently swirled the flasks to loosen the
larger chunks of agar- especially the large sections around the edges that
arise from the shape of the Ehrlemeyer flasks used by Orchid Inn. I next each
flask gently in my hand and ran warm water down the side of the bottom of the
agar, working it loose gently with my fingers to remove all but the small
sections trapped by the densest root areas. In this way, the flasks remained
80-90% intact with only a few stray plants, and only a very few roots were
broken and lost- perhaps 4-5 total out of the 4 flasks.

My goal was to create two compots from each flask- both of them fairly densely
concentrated. So I tried to work the plants so that the thickest "crescent"
shape section around each flask edge would come loose, leaving a rounder off
center section of about equal size as follows,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/05.jpg

And a detail of the rounder section,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/06.jpg

One note before we go further, I am a great believer in the compot stage and I
like to keep things in compot a very long time. My goal here was to keep the
plants somewhat close together to gain the benefits of community growth. Then
in 3-5 months I plan to re-plant these compots into mini-compots of 5-6 plants
each for another year or so. As such, I do not have a need to space the plants
at this time.

I also like this method since it leaves a good wide ring of potting mix between
the plants and the edge of the pot. Growing in the home and working full time,
I do not always have a chance to water in the morning by hand. So this allows
me to water in the evening when necessary without getting a lot of water in the
crowns of the plants that might not dry out before the plant lights go off in
the evening. So far, this approach has proven successful with my Antec compots.
All you have to do is give a good watering around the edges, keeping the compot
tilted so that water goes to the center, and you are set.

Next the potting process. Here is a shot of my chosen medium. This is a
homemade mix of fine fir bark, large perlite, and crushed peat moss. The mix is
about 4:4:1 respectively. The bark and perlite allow for good drainage and the
peat helps keep things slightly moist. I have good humidity here- being in
Houston- but the lights I use (Sol lamps in 48 inch tubes, four per shelf) tend
to dry growing media very rapidly. This is a new mix for me and is working well
so far, but I am definitely still in experiment stage with it.

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/07.jpg

For the compots, I am using 4 inch plastic azalea pots. To start I have added
peanuts to the bottom half of each pot. With the agar partially intact, and
since this compot stage will only be for 3-5 months, I want to keep the growing
medium layer fairly thin to help regulate moisture better.

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/08.jpg

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/09.jpg

Next comes the mix. I made this up 4 weeks ago, so the bark is still water
retentive, but the peat moss needs a good wetting. I thus place the base layer
in the pot and then water it heavily under the tap to get the peat good and
moist. It also makes the surface very flat and ideal for placing the plants,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/10.jpg

Once this is complete, I have next added the split compots in the center, doing
a little spacing to give the plants more room while keeping that ring around
the edge. This ring of medium around the edge is also a good place for
stragglers. A couple of small plants have minimal roots, and I like to put them
on the edges kind of by themselves. Then I know where they are and can apply a
small mist of water daily to the potting mix right where these little guys are.
It ensures they get the water they need without me having to risk overwatering
the larger plants with agar still attached.

Since I have removed most of the agar, filling in the spaces between each plant
is important, so in the spacing process I add mix by hand here and there-
sometimes just a piece of bark or two- to ensure all the roots are covered.
This gets a bit messy as you can see here,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/11.jpg

Next, a good thorough watering all over the surface of the plants. This is
intended as the only major watering these plants will get for at least a week
since the humidity treatment in bags will keep the medium wet. It is also the
time to make sure those bits of mix put between the plants will settle down to
the base of the plants and not strangle any smaller plants. Further, it removes
any dust or mix that is resting on the leaves. After this process, a careful
check is made to remove the occasional piece of bark covering a plant, or to
even gently lift a plant into a better position. Here is the final outcome,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/12.jpg

Next, the compots are placed right in front of a small fan on low speed. This
is to ensure the leaf surfaces and crowns are cleared of standing water before
the plants go into their tents for the next 6-8 weeks. If I had been able to
pot these in the morning, this would not have been necessary. But since it is
nearly bedtime around here, I have to be sure the plant leaves are dry before
the lights go out. The sanderianum compots are the two closest to the fan. The
rest are PEOY (don't worry, I'm gonna label them next! LOL- no need to say
another word along those lines.) This process goes on for about 30-40 minutes
until the crowns of the plants and leaves have no standing water. A single drop
of water on plants these small can completely smother a crown.

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/17.jpg

Once the seedling leaves and crowns dried, I went back and gently watered one
more time around the edge of the compot only. This is also a good time to take
a paper towel and gently touch it to stubborn water drops to remove them from
plant leaves, and make sure one last time that no plants are smothered under a
piece of bark (I did find one I had missed before- and someday that little
plant may reward me by winning an FCC and then dying before I can get a good
division.) Again this sounds nitpicky, but it is taking advantage of the
benefits of being a home grower on a small scale. We don't have the RO watered
greenhouse temperature controlled to a tenth of a degree, so we gotta find our
advantage elsewhere!

Finally, the compots are placed in one gallon Hefty Bags. I paired them off
save for two large PEOY compots that needed to go solo. It is important, IMHO
anyway, to be sure the plant leaves do not touch the surfaces of the baggies.
Within 30 minutes, the plants will be difficult to see courtesy of the moisture
accumulation on the inside surfaces of the bag. Once inside the bags, just
close almost all the way, blow them up to fill with air, seal and there you go.
I will leave these sealed overnight and then open them slightly while I am off
at work tomorrow.

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/20.jpg

Right now the compots are 18 inches away from the lights. In about 4-6 weeks
they will be placed 12 inches from the lights. Over the next 6-8 weeks I will
gradually wean them from their plastic bags- sooner if I think I can get away
with it. Then it will be time for seedling heat mats, water in gravel for
humidity- and update #2! Here, for now, are the plants in their home for the
next couple of months,

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/21.jpg

And what would any good story be without the Hail Mary Pass, the Hollywood
underdog? Here is a small protocorm mass that was hiding in one of the flasks.
I have placed it on NZ Sphag and sealed it in an old candy container. It will
remain sealed until roots form. Seems like a long shot, but if just three
plants emerge from this little green ball, in one year they could pay for the
whole flask (eBay anyone!) No need to waste any chances at this level LOL.

http://members.aol.com/elpaninaro/22.jpg

Thanks for reading and have fun! And for goodness sake, if you have done this
before and are smacking the table right now at something I have done wrong-
speak up! You just might save me from disaster.

These little plants are so adorable right now, I am not sure I want them to
grow up and flower!

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Old 18-04-2003, 03:56 AM
Fran Kirby
 
Posts: n/a
Default The sanderianum Chronicles Part 1 (was deflasking paphs

Very informative and interesting and sounds easy enough for -me- to do.
Thank you for a well illustrated "how-to"!

--
Fran Kirby
Jacksonville, Florida


: The sanderianum Chronicles Part 1- The Arrival
:
: This afternoon a small box was delivered to my desk at work. My co-workers
were
: intrigued to know how 100+ baby orchids fit in such a small box, and my
: curiosity was quite beyond normal bounds as well- so we took ......


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