Hello, I'm interested in growing orchids from seed. I have never grown
orhids before but I have grown various mushrooms so I am very familiar with
the sterile techniques required for this undertaking. My question is, how
long will orchid seeds remain viable after removed from the pod and
refrigerated? I have found a source for the seeds, for $40 I can get 25
different varities of orchid seed, but I have to start small (1 species at
a time) and I don't want the other seeds to go bad before I get a chance to
work with them.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

TheFool queried thusly:

Hello, I'm interested in growing orchids from seed.

Start drinking heavily now, and you'll beat the rush.

I have never grown orhids before but I have grown various mushrooms so I
am very familiar with the sterile techniques required for this
undertaking.

Either way, you'll be growing a lot of fungus. You're already
ahead.

My question is, how long will orchid seeds remain viable after removed
from the pod and refrigerated?

16.8 weeks, give or take four hours.

The answer is irrelevant because the question is invalid. You
don't specify whether they were collected green or mature, how quickly
they were dried, whether they are stored at room temperature, 4 degrees C,
-20 degrees C, -80 degrees C, or in liquid nitrogen. One would also need
to know the subfamily and- preferably- the genus.

Once you have all these data, one can calculate the precise
lifespan of the orchid seed the same way they weigh hogs in Texas:

Secure a pig to a large wooden plank. Put the plank over a log,
which acts as a fulcrum. Add large rocks to the other end of the plank
until it balances like two kids on a teeter-totter. Remove the rocks, and
put them in a large pile. Then summon all your experts to guess how much
the rocks weigh.

It's _that_ simple.

I have found a source for the seeds, for $40 I can get 25 different
varities of orchid seed, but I have to start small (1 species at a time)
and I don't want the other seeds to go bad before I get a chance to work
with them.

Seeds of any plant are like fish at the supermarket: the fresher
the better. Some fish start to stink immediately; others will last a
little longer. And- like guests- they stink after three days.

Some cattleyas may store for 25 years, based on an Arditti paper
a few years back. Some stanhopeas don't last more than a few weeks-
although there are exceptions; I sowed Stanhopea martiana after being in
cold storage for ~2-3 years (I'd have to check for the precise figure),
and it came up like gangbusters in a few days.

Once you get them, they've probably already been refrigerated for
days or weeks or months. A couple more weeks in the 'fridge is unlikely to
significantly change the outcome.

The address in the header doesn't work. Don't send e-mail there.


-AJHicks
The Orchid Seedbank (www.orchidseed.com)
Chandler, AZ

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Newsgroups: rec.gardens.orchids
Subject: Seed viability
From: TheFool
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Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2005 19:12:45 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.208.71.184
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Xref: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com rec.gardens.orchids:87723

It is absolutely amazing to me that the "X-Complaints-To:" field in your
header has been altered somehow. Golly you're good.

I would be very wary about buying orchid seed from this source. This method
of selling orchid seed is as odd as your header.

"TheFool" wrote in message
...
Hello, I'm interested in growing orchids from seed. I have never grown
orhids before but I have grown various mushrooms so I am very familiar
with
the sterile techniques required for this undertaking. My question is, how
long will orchid seeds remain viable after removed from the pod and
refrigerated? I have found a source for the seeds, for $40 I can get 25
different varities of orchid seed, but I have to start small (1 species at
a time) and I don't want the other seeds to go bad before I get a chance
to
work with them.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

pay no attention to me. I was wrong. The header has not been altered. The
method of buying orchid seed is still odd.

"Al" wrote in message
...
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Newsgroups: rec.gardens.orchids
Subject: Seed viability
From: TheFool
User-Agent: Xnews/5.04.25
Lines: 10
Message-ID:
Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2005 19:12:45 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.208.71.184
X-Complaints-To:
X-Trace: twister.rdc-kc.rr.com 1107630765 24.208.71.184 (Sat, 05 Feb 2005
13:12:45 CST)
NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2005 13:12:45 CST
Xref: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com rec.gardens.orchids:87723

It is absolutely amazing to me that the "X-Complaints-To:" field in your
header has been altered somehow. Golly you're good.

I would be very wary about buying orchid seed from this source. This
method of selling orchid seed is as odd as your header.

"TheFool" wrote in message
...
Hello, I'm interested in growing orchids from seed. I have never grown
orhids before but I have grown various mushrooms so I am very familiar
with
the sterile techniques required for this undertaking. My question is, how
long will orchid seeds remain viable after removed from the pod and
refrigerated? I have found a source for the seeds, for $40 I can get 25
different varities of orchid seed, but I have to start small (1 species
at
a time) and I don't want the other seeds to go bad before I get a chance
to
work with them.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Hmm... perhaps I should stick to designing nuclear reactors in my spare
time, you make it sound like I'd have more luck with that.

Thanks for the information though, I was assuming that it would be sort of
a hit and miss type of thing.

It is absolutely amazing to me that the "X-Complaints-To:" field in
your header has been altered somehow. Golly you're good.

Nah, you're crediting me with something I didn't do. I don't have enough
time or any reason to do something like that.

I would be very wary about buying orchid seed from this source. This
method of selling orchid seed is as odd as your header.

Perhaps I need to learn more about usenet... I don't think my header looks
odd at all.

Aaron Hicks wrote:
TheFool queried thusly:


Hello, I'm interested in growing orchids from seed.


Start drinking heavily now, and you'll beat the rush.


I have never grown orhids before but I have grown various mushrooms so I
am very familiar with the sterile techniques required for this
undertaking.


Either way, you'll be growing a lot of fungus. You're already
ahead.


My question is, how long will orchid seeds remain viable after removed
from the pod and refrigerated?


16.8 weeks, give or take four hours.

The answer is irrelevant because the question is invalid. You
don't specify whether they were collected green or mature, how quickly
they were dried, whether they are stored at room temperature, 4 degrees C,
-20 degrees C, -80 degrees C, or in liquid nitrogen. One would also need
to know the subfamily and- preferably- the genus.

Once you have all these data, one can calculate the precise
lifespan of the orchid seed the same way they weigh hogs in Texas:

Secure a pig to a large wooden plank. Put the plank over a log,
which acts as a fulcrum. Add large rocks to the other end of the plank
until it balances like two kids on a teeter-totter. Remove the rocks, and
put them in a large pile. Then summon all your experts to guess how much
the rocks weigh.

It's _that_ simple.


I have found a source for the seeds, for $40 I can get 25 different
varities of orchid seed, but I have to start small (1 species at a time)
and I don't want the other seeds to go bad before I get a chance to work
with them.


Seeds of any plant are like fish at the supermarket: the fresher
the better. Some fish start to stink immediately; others will last a
little longer. And- like guests- they stink after three days.

Some cattleyas may store for 25 years, based on an Arditti paper
a few years back. Some stanhopeas don't last more than a few weeks-
although there are exceptions; I sowed Stanhopea martiana after being in
cold storage for ~2-3 years (I'd have to check for the precise figure),
and it came up like gangbusters in a few days.

Once you get them, they've probably already been refrigerated for
days or weeks or months. A couple more weeks in the 'fridge is unlikely to
significantly change the outcome.

The address in the header doesn't work. Don't send e-mail there.


-AJHicks
The Orchid Seedbank (www.orchidseed.com)
Chandler, AZ



Aaron-

Thanks for the laughs! I needed that!

Dear OrchidExchange.com and Dear OrchidSeed.com,

A tale of woe began the first day orchid seed landed upon my once soft
pretty unbleached hands.... I took to swearing like a mad sailor that day
also.

Sincerely,

OrchidFlask.com

You are such a scary hoot.

"Mick Fournier" wrote in message
. ..
Dear OrchidExchange.com and Dear OrchidSeed.com,

A tale of woe began the first day orchid seed landed upon my once soft
pretty unbleached hands.... I took to swearing like a mad sailor that day
also.

Sincerely,

OrchidFlask.com

Boo!

Hmm.. perhaps I should stick to designing nuclear reactors in my spare
time, you make it sound like I'd have more luck with that.

On the bright side, the light water reactors are going away.
Assuming we can ever get past the whole NIMBY thing, we'll see more
nookyular power with the Dubya v2.0 administration. Maybe liquid sodium
reactors, but more likely we'll see pebble bed reactors. By that time,
helium will be in short supply, so we'll have to get by on nitrogen or
carbon dioxide as the coolant. Just so long as we don't have any more
SL-1s, please. There's a reason the Army isn't given nuclear reactors
anymore.

Thanks for the information, though, I was assuming it would be sort of a
hit and miss type of thing.

Isn't all of horticulture?

The address in the header isn't valid. Send no e-mail there.

-AJHicks
Chandler, AZ