3. MAY 2 GphBe28 
RYERSON EXPANSIBLE ORCHID FOLDER 
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THE SOWING OF ORCHID SEED IN BOTTLES OF ORCHID AGE 
PREPARATION OF STERILIZING SOLUTION: Put = teaspoon FRESH Calcium hypochlorite in 
D500 distilled water. (if the “bleaching powder" has no nose=stinging odor, it 
is not fresh.) Shake these ingredients ten or fifteen minutes. Make funnel of 
filter paper over small glass and drain solution through the paper. Not all 
powder will go through, but discard residue, for you will have a saturate solution 
in the glass. 
If you are planning to flask seed of a complex Cattleya cross, and you are fairly 
sure seed is not moldy, weaken the sterilizing agent with two parts distilled 
water to one of saturate solution. Most Vanda, Dendrobium and Primary Cattleya 
crosses can stand it full strength. Solution for Phalaenopsis seed must be weak- 
ened with five parts distilled water. 
Fill the smallest size - 2 dram, No. 00 - pill bottles one-third full of the above 
solution. If available, add one drop of commercial laundry t,7pe WETTING AGENT to 
each. A separate bottle should be used for each seed cross. Do not prepare them 
too far in advance of flasking, 9s solution gradually loses strength. 
OTHER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: 10% Clorox solution (made by adding 10 parts water to one 
of clorox); rubber gloves; bottle or jar of boiled distilled water; atomizer; ster~ 
{le cloth; filter papers; medicine droppers; small glass. 
PREPARING YOUR LABORATORY: If you use a Flasking case, wash inside of it and all 
that goes into it (except the seed) with 10% Clorox. Wash the air inside the case 
with 10% Clorox sprayed from small glass and rubber atomizer (Clorox will corrode 
metal). If you use the bathroom, wash the air with steam; wipe up fallen mold 
spores with Clorox solution. Sterile cloth is for wiping up excess moisture. 
If you are sowing several kinds of seed at a sitting, the Agar bottles should have 
been labelled with the correct numbers before they were washed and put into the 
laboratory. DON'T DEPEND ON YOUR MEMORY, FOR LATER YOU WON'T REMEMBER WHICH SEED 
WENT INTO WHICH BOTTLE. 
SOWING THE SEED: Empty seed packet into small bottle sterilizing solution. Recap 
bottle and shaxe three to five minutes, or until seed is evenly distributed in so- 
lution. Spread filter funnel in small glass; empty bottle contents into apex, 
letting sterilizing solution drain into glasse 
2, Use medicine dropper end boiled distilled water for washing seed from filter 
paper, back into sterilizing bottle. The easiest method is to put apex of funnel 
in little bottle and poke a hole in it with the dropper. But if you do this, be 
sure it's a clean dropper that goes into the jar of distilled water, or some seed 
will wash into it, not only wasting some, but mixing it with later seed crosses 
to be planted. 
3. Remove stopper from agar bottle bearing same number as seed packet. If agar 
looks dry, add a little distilled water before planting seed so there will be 
enough moisture to distribute seed evenly on surface. Use bulb on dropper as @ 
pump to distribute seed evenly through distilled weter in little bottle. Then 
draw up just enough to plant first flask and squirt it onto surface of agar. 
Twist sterile cotton stopper into neck of agar bottle. 
4, After all flasks have been sown, cover cotton stoppers with waxed paper or 
cellophane, tying it around necks with string. 
5, Place flasks levelly in racks made for the purpose. When you pick them up, 
keep them level, so water won't wash seed up on sides of glass. 
If a small spot of mold should form, it can be removed under sterile conditions. 
