Bletellia striata seeds
- To: mediterranean climate gardening e-mail forum for gardeners in these climates throughout the world <m*@ucdavis.edu>
- Subject: Bletellia striata seeds
- From: A*@Arctazonia.org (Erik van Lennep-Hyland)
- Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 07:38:20 -0400
"This is the first year my Chinese Hardy Orchid, Bletilla striata has
produced seedpods. Do these have to be germinated aseptically in agar
like most other orchids or is there an easier way to germinate the
seeds? Thanks, Judy Showers
http://www.epix.net/~jshowers"
On the other hand, I had a packet of Bletilla ochracea seed from one of the
alpine seed exchanges, and this packet was at least three years old,
kicking around in the refrigerator (the "butter" compartment, as we all
know, is really a seed storage unit). I kept meaning to sow them on agar,
but the lab equipment is still packed away from my last move, and I could
not justify the expense of sending old dried seed off to someone else for
germination attempts. So, I unceremoniously scattered the seed onto the
surface of a six inch pot of B.striata, and forgot about it. That was three
months or so ago. Now, I have maybe ten or twelve, one inch tall seedlings
growing away like grass, which I at first thought they were. So, nothing
ventured, nothing gained. With Bletilla so available, they MUST be easy to
propagate, but the fun of starting your own is worth the attempt.
Erik van Lennep-Hyland
Virginia, USA.............but in-motion....
