Bought 2 packs of Habenaria radiata (Egret Orchid) seeds off Ebay from 2 different sellers.
The 1st pic showed seeds that look like sunflower seeds of some sort.
2nd pic showed seeds that are minute glossy round black, bead-like.
Which one is genuine?
Any help appreciated. Thanks!
I'm not sure which is the right seed but here are a few thoughts:
Where did the seller send the seeds from? If it was a U.S. seller, there is a bigger probably that it is the right seed. If the seller was from Hong Kong, China or Thailand, I would doubt they are the right seed. Japan would send you the right seed.
What is the rating for the seller? Look at the negative feedback especially. Look at what other items this seller has for sale. If he has seeds but also sells stereo equipment, He is buying the seed from someone else and has no idea what he is selling himself.
Most orchid seed I have seen is minute. Maybe neither one is the right seed.
Try to germinate a couple from each packet and see what you get. I am going to vote for sunflowers and poppies.
Daisy
The first one is from China while the 2nd is from TX
Orchid seed is minute and, when grown outside their native environment, cultivated in a sterile lab environment on specialized media. You can't plant and grow orchid seed in the media mature plants are cultivated. They are grown on plates with agar-type gels like bacterial cultures, in a lab environment. They are also grown in lab flasks with their preferred gel medium and moved up as they mature. If a flask becomes contaminated with bacteria the lot is lost. The work is all done using sterile technique under special laminar flow cabinates. These are the same equipment used for tissue culture. It takes between five and seven years to produce a mature orchid plant. Even if either seeds were authentic, which they are not, you would require a flasking lab. Google growing orchids from seed to understand the process.
Thanks for the info, May!
You're very welcome but I am so sorry re: your rip off. Advice regarding home germination of seed is equally misguided. I shared your photos with a grower friend to demonstrate the unscrupulous online sale of all things orchids. His tongue in cheek comment was for you to salt and roast the seeds, then eat.
Did you buy the seeds because you were interested in growing orchids? Was it a pic of the particular species that interested you? Do you grow any other orchids? I grow Habenaria rodocheila, a red species. It is dorment throughout summer and is now putting on growth.
Laurel, that's very interesting about germinating orchid seed.
The first seed looks a lot like safflower birdseed. Talk about a big markup, they can buy it in quantity less than a dollar a pound. You are far from the only one being sold 'fake' seed, and not just for orchids. A lot of Venus Flytrap 'seed' is being sold and produces seedlings which are anything but. I can't imagine being those sellers, but hey, who's going to come after them for a few dollars worth of bad seed? Yet, those 'few dollar' transactions may be adding up nicely on their end, with the power of the internet.
I wonder if Jenny ever grew some. I thought sunflowers and poppies.
Laurel, my daughter has been dabbling in the fine art of orchid seed germination in her make-shift orchid "Lab" (her kitchen). I'm not sure she has gotten anywhere but she seems to be having fun.
Daisy
There was a time when I considered setting up a flasking lab because of my operating room experience. The technique is quite easy for me and the investment is not too great for a commercial grower. I grew out flasked seedlings in a specialized space and then asked myself why. It was more of a "can do" challenge and really had no practical application. I'm not interested in hybridizing. I support the few growers who seed or tissue clone species which is mostly where my interest lies.
I think this is an important thread for those interested in learning about orchids. I'd like to come back and readdress propagation and early culture but am challenged with time and a tablet right now. I've been growing orchids since I was a kid growing up in Miami...somewhere in the sixties unless sticking natives in trees in the fifties counts. Orchid culture has come a long way from the limitations of propagation by division to today's favored method, the relatively unlimited scope of tissue culture.
Yes, I wish this was a more active forum. But we can make it more active by being more active.
What are your favorite orchids to grow? I think I got my first orchid in the '70's as a gift from my father in law. It was a cymbidium and I killed it in a couple years because I didn't take it in. My father in law's lived outside all winter so I didn't see a problem (he was in San francisco where it never freezes and I was in the California Central Valley where temps drop to well below freezing).
Then in 1992, my husband gave me a greenhouse and my mother in law gave me a Cattleya. I still have it and have branched beyond Phalaenopsis to anything I can find that I have never heard of before. But the whole Cattleya group are still my favorites.
I attached photos of two that are blooming right now. I didn't take a pencil and paper with me so didn't write down the names.
The west end of my greenhouse is full of cactus.
Daisy
We used to post a very active monthly thread with lots of photos. Over time people became accustomed to either me or Jim Hawk starting and keeping up the chat and picture show though we encouraged others to take some initiative. In addition, many beginners relied on personal assistance with questions and problems which are addressed in the stickies or could be answered by someone else. Folks expected us to be on call for orchid issues or to socialize as though we were paid moderators. I had progressively less free time due to work and family and I know people meant well but I was criticized for my absences and slow responses. What put an end to my posting was the guy who came on who buys batch orchids to resell. He was repeatedly told he could not use this site to market outside of the marketplace. After the umpteenth time of him ending a post with a suggestion that I specifically and other viewers in general check out his online site I lost patience and posted a strong response.
If you go back a couple of years and then some you will see threads for each month with hundreds of photos of the orchids I grow. They mostly fall in the category of botanical curiosities (species miniatures) though I grow Vandas and a few other big ones. I grow almost no Cattleyas, few hybrids and no art shades. Outside the greenhouse I've got a small collection of terrestrials scattered throughout the property at Maypop, our country place. Some, like Calanthe are being cultivated and others, like Spiranthes and Tipularia discolor (Crane-fly) are natives.
It's a shame it ended like that, and I don't blame you one bit for quitting in the face of that.
DaisyPL- I have had two Phalaenopsis, currently one, that is both losing leaves at the base, AND supporting a new pup up on the old bloom stem. So that's interesting. I just bought some fir bark and Espoma official orchid mix to repot in.
I've played with a couple Oncidiums, one looked like Sharry Baby and the other a yellow. And one clearance Dendrobium that I've never seen bloom. So I'm in my third/fourth ? year of having a bit of fun and learning by trial, error, and sometimes Youtubing care videos and reading up.
Laurel,
I love helping people with their orchid problems. I know we have had discussions in the past on the Plant ID Forum explaining to people that we are just volunteers, not on call to anyone anytime. But that conversation doesn't come up all that often. Besides, if you don't log on, nobody is going to call you on the phone. When I don't feel like talking, I don't.
I don't think there are a lot of orchid experts out there that can answer the hard questions. I had a lot of questions in the beginning and would loved to have found a site like this. I killed a lot of plants before I started getting it right so now, if I can pass something on to others who are just beginning, I will.
I am going back and finding your photos. And I hope you will stay with us and carry on the dialog.
Hi Sallyg.
Daisy
I'll just pop in and say hi here.
My orchid children are not anything fancy..........about a half dozen I saved from the "Death Rack" at Lowe's..........a couple I bought because the tag showed a pretty bloom, and 1 that was given to me that my sister had inherited from our uncle. She said to my Mom.............Give it to Anna............she can probably do something with it". So far it has just "grown", which is much better than dying. LOL
Most are phals that I have mounted on a slab of cork and put sphagnum moss around the roots. I secured that with some pieces of old pantyhose.
Lost a couple of the rescues, but since I only paid the princely sum of $2-$3 each for them, it was no great loss. I gave them a 2nd chance, they preferred not to take it. :>) Actually, I think they were pretty far gone; typical Big Box care (or lack thereof), and non-draining pots. After I got all the rotten roots pruned off, there wasn't much left on those.
Oops, did I just hijack the thread? Sorry, it was not my intent..............(hanging head in shame)
I think your post was lovely. Thanks for sharing photos. I enjoy seeing people begin to experience orchids. If I could make an analogy it would be something like tomato gardening. There are those loud and proud folks who bought hybrids from big box stores and had a bumper crop. Then there are those who swap around for esoteric heirlooms (that would be me). It's really all terrific in that you are interested in learning about orchids. That said, please forgive if I'm straight forward. There are basic orchid terms that are standard, which a biggener would not know but, if a biggener is seeking advice, the person responding should help with appropriate terminology. Asking questions has more value than giving answers
Lovely flowers, Anna.
You didn't start the hijack, it was well established!
The green one has such a lovely scent. It is Emerald Isle.
The correct tag should read Blc. Ports Of Paradise 'Emerald Isle'. This is an important old hybrid. The original parent was Blc. Ports Of Paradise and was registered in tbe 70's. 'Emerald Isle' was awarded and registered in early 2000. Good growing.
That's exciting!
I like also the white one with the orange bit. i don't think I've seen that among the big box phals here.
