Instructions for Sowing Seed 
When you first receive our seed sowing kit, plan to keep this equipment in a clean dry place. The most important factor in the 
process of sowing Orchid seed is CLEANLINESS. Contamination will prevail if conditions are not clean and dry. Our kit 
is made primarily for the amateur, who does not have the available equipment for weighing out small amounts of chemicals in 
accurate proportions in preparing the stock solution. 
Our kit is available in three sizes, namely, three, five and ten flask sizes. The following instructions are the same regardless of 
the kit size. Our kit contains flasks, stock solution bottle, seed sterilizing bottle, sowing glass, seed sowing pipet, and small 
packages of agar. Place the contents of the kit on a table and do not remove the cotton stoppers until you are ready to 
measure out the stock solution. When removing the cotton stopper ease it out slowly from the neck of the bottle. Do not 
pull the cotton stopper out fast as this will cause an inward rush of air which might contain germ spores. Shake the stock 
solution bottle well before using. On the side of the stock solution bottle you will find a measuring guide, whereby you can 
determine the number of cubic centimeters to pour into each flask. Pour the contents of each package of agar into each flask. 
Pour 150 c.c. of stock solution into each flask. Pour this very carefully in order that you will not get the neck of the flask wet. 
Replace the cotton stopper tightly in each flask. 
If you own a pressure cooker, the flasks can be placed upright in the pressure cooker and cooked for fifteen minutes at fif- 
teen pounds pressure. Two cups of tap water for each cooking is usually sufficient in the pressure cooker, however, this does 
not apply to all pressure cookers. When releasing the steam from the pressure cooker, allow the steam to be released slowly. 
If the steam is allowed to be released too fast it will cause the cotton stoppers to be forced out of the bottles. If you do not 
have a pressure cooker, stand the flasks in an ordinary sauce pan, over gas or electric heat. Pour enough water in the pan 
before turning the gas on to keep the pan from burning, which would be about two inches of water. Boil the contents of the 
flasks for one hour. Should the water in the pan evaporate before the cooking time alloted, add hot water during the operation. 
The cooking of the flasks allows the chemicals to be mixed thoroughly and also will sterlize the inside of the flask. Remove the 
flasks from the pan and proceed with the same operation until all the flasks are cooked. Place the bottles at a 25° angle 
and allow to cool over night. Plan to sow your seed the following morning. 
SOWING THE SEED 
The small 15 c.c. sterilizing bottle contains 10 c.c. of Calcium Hypochlorite. Pour enough seed into this bottle to sow three 
flasks. Shake the sterilizing bottle very thoroughly for at least one minute. Allow the seed to settle for three minutes then 
shake again. Pour the contents from this bottle into the open glass marked ‘Sowing Bottle’. Insert the seed sowing pipet 
into the solution in the seed-sowing bottle and force about two inches of seed and liquid in the pipet by squeezing the rubber 
cap between your thumb and fore finger. Hold one of the flasks in your left hand and remove the cotton stopper from the 
flask slowly. Hold the pipet in your right hand and remove the cotton with the same hand by placing the cotton between 
the small finger and the palm of your hand. Do not lay the stopper on any exposed surfaces. Insert the seed sowing pipet into 
the flask and release the seed and liquid by applying pressure to the rubber cap. If you do not have enough solution in one 
application in the seed-sowing pipet, repeat this same operation while the flask is still open. ‘Tilt the flask back and forth 
and sideways to allow the seed to be washed over the entire surface of the agar. Pour off any excess liquid back into the seed- 
sowing bottle. Repeat this operation as many times as is required to sow all the other flasks. The stopper can be flamed 
before replacing it into the flasks, this will help eliminate contamination. A small amount of Mercuric Bichloride can be 
placed on the cotton stopper after it has been inserted into the flask. Extra precaution may be taken to eliminate contamination 
by tying a small piece of onion skin paper over the cotton and neck of each flask before placing it in your flask room. 
CONTAMINATED FLASKS 
In the event contamination appears on the surface of the agar a few days after the seed is sown, remove the flask to the 
sowing room. Open the flask and remove the small mold with a small sterilized spoon or some other small instrument that 
will reach into the flask, whereby you may remove the contamination. Take the seed-sowing rod and pour some calcium 
hypochlorite into the hole in the agar where the contamination was removed. Once again flame the cotton and replace the 
flask in the flask room. 
IMPORTANT 
No contamination should appear in the flasks if instructions are followed as given above. Contamination will appear if clean- 
liness of the room and hands does not prevail. Do not sow the seed where there is a stir in the air. If at all possible sow 
the seed in a small closed room. An excellent place to sow the seed is in the bathroom. Turn on the hot water shower and 
the steam will cleanse the bathroom before sowing. Allow the steam to settle before working with the flasks. 
FORMULA 
CaN OS ae asi ccc caeeies 
KSHPOs ==... 
MzgS0O47H20 ...... 
(NH4)2S04._..... 
Feros. fe 
Distilled H20 
Dextrose ......_. 
ASAP ee aoe 
1/10 normal Hel ........... 
R. H. GORE - Orchids 
P. O. Box 211 
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 
