14 



The Florists' Review 



JcLT 14, 1921 



Europe odontoglossums are much more 

 popular, and justly so. We can grow 

 the former much better than our Euro- 

 pean friends, but our hot summers ren- 

 der the growing and raising of odon- 

 toglossums difficult in the extreme. We 

 can, however, raise lipliocattleyas, bras- 

 socattleyas, cypripediums, ealanthes, 

 zygopetalums, dendrobiums, vandas and 

 other varieties and may be more suc- 

 cessful with odontiodas than with odon- 

 toglossums. 



Flowers are best fertilized during the 

 most sunny months of the year and a 

 bright day, if possible, should be se- 

 lected for the operation. It takes any- 

 where from ei^ht to sixteen months for 

 seed pods of cattleyas, lalias and bi- 

 generic hybrids to ripen. One section 

 of the ladj''s slipper family (selenipe- 

 diums) will ripen in half the above 

 time, but they are of no important trade 

 value. All fertilized plants should have 

 a good, light position, but this does not 

 mean direct sunshine. Fructification 

 commences directly the sexual parts are 

 brought toget-her and flowers will com- 

 mence to wither in a few hours. Where 

 bees and other insects are numerous 

 and active it is well to protect the 

 flowers of the seed-producing plants as 

 well as those from which pollen is to be 

 taken, by tying a piece of gauze over 

 the flowers. 



The seed pods will start to burst 

 when ripening and must then be care- 

 fully wrapi)e(l in oil or tissue paper, so 

 that seeds may not be lost. Each cat- 

 tleya pod contains an enormous number 

 of seeds. Some estimate the number of 



seeds as high as 250,000 per pod, but 

 none of us has the time these busy days 

 to prove or disprove these statements. 



Storing Pollen. 



There are special tubes in which pol- 

 len can be stored for weeks or even 

 months and retain its vitality. This 

 I)ermits the crossing of varieties bloom- 

 ing at different seasons. The best time 

 to sow cattleya and other orchid seeds 

 is spring, from early March until June. 

 The worst time is midwinter or mid- 

 summer. Seeds will sometimes germi- 

 nate in a week or two. Sometimes 

 they will lie dormant a year or more 

 and then germinate freely. Again, a 

 few may start within a month or two, 

 and seedlings will come from the same 

 pot or pan for a couple of years. Quite 

 often the best hybrids start the last, so 

 do not be impatient, and remember that 

 one cannot afford to be of a nervous 

 temperament in raising orchids from 

 seed. 



The old plan used to be to sow seeds 

 of the various species on the surfaces 

 of pots and pans containing growing 

 plants. With cypripediums this an- 

 swered well, and not infrequently lots 

 of lusty seedlings could be found ger- 

 minating on the sides of the pots. This 

 plan of seedling raising is still adopted, 

 but where any considerable number are 

 to be sown a wooden case with a glass 

 top which iS liinged and can be readily 

 lifted should be provided. This should 

 stand on a side bench in a house where 

 a minimum temperature of 60 degrees 

 can be maintained. The case should be 



Brassocattleyas Include Some of the Most Beautiful Orchid Hybrids. 



of sufficient height ao that a little stag- 

 ing can be placed inside it, the legs of 

 which rest in a tray of water, filling 

 the entire bottom of the case. This is 

 to prevent such marauders as shell 

 snails, sow bugs, roaches and other de- 

 structive vermin from reaching the seed- 

 lings. 



Sowing the Seeds. 



There are a variety of ways to sow 

 orchid seeds. The one most generally 

 adopted is to use pots or pans varying 

 from four to six inches in diameter. 

 Fill these at least one-third their depth 

 with broken crocks. Over this pack fine 

 fern fiber, cut up in small square pieces, 

 as firmly as possible, leaving a rounded 

 surface a little higher than the pot. Now 

 cut pieces of eithei burlap or coarse 

 bath towel a little larger than the sur- 

 faces of the receptacles and with a 

 pointed stick tuck the edges of the 

 cloth around the sides in order to make 

 a firm and well rounded surface. Pre- 

 pare a number of pot9 in this way. A 

 little practice will enable one to do the 

 work quickly. Spray the surface of the 

 pots with a fine, misty sprayer and then 

 sow the fine seeds as evenly as possible 

 over the surface. About 20,000 seeds 

 per square inch is said to be a fair 

 allowance, but do not measure the space 

 or count the seeds. Place the pots or 

 pans on the shelves inside the case, close 

 cover and protect from sunshine. Special 

 small sprayers are procurable for use on 

 orchid seedlings. 



Care of Seed Pots. 



It depends on the weather and the 

 season of th6 year as to how many spray- 

 ings the seed pots will need. On hot days 

 four or five light sprayings may* be 

 necessary. On dark days they may not 

 need any at all, but the surface of the 

 pots must not be allowed to become 

 dry. Keep the cover of the seed case 

 open for as short a time as possible, 

 guard against any air current reaching 

 it, ventilate a little ^s the seedlings 

 start to germinate, watch carefully for 

 any signs of mold or fungus, which are 

 the bane of orchid seedling raisers, and 

 also keep a sharp lookout for any insect 

 pests which may, in some unforeseen 

 way, secure admittance. These details 

 are difficult to appreciate properly and 

 by the beginner may be considered like 

 so much red tape and needless work, but 

 a number of years at the game of orchid 

 seedling raising has convinced the writer 

 that the first few weeks' care of the 

 seeds after sowing means a great deal. 

 A single day's neglect will easily ruin 

 an entire batch and anyone embarking 

 in the business will find it a different 

 proposition from raisilig the seeds of 

 trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials and 

 vegetables. 



At one time I chopped fresh sphagnum 

 and mixed it with the fern fiber, but 

 later discarded it. Charcoal, of what is 

 called poultry size, is, however, good. 

 It holds moisture, sweetens the compost 

 and prevents fungus. Some can ad- 

 vantageously be mixed with the chopped 

 fern fiber. 



Other plans for seed sowing include 

 stretching burlap or a coarse bath towel 

 inside the seedling case without any 

 compost below. Fasten the fabric so 

 it does not sag and sow the seeds on 

 it after damping. This answers quite 

 well when a good-sized batch of seed 

 has to be sown. Pieces of board with a 

 rough surface and a soft grain may 

 also be usefully employed. 



