How to Grow Orchid Seedlings

Peat Technique

• 1

  Place a peat moss disc for each seed you want to sow on a pie tin.

• 2

  Place a tiny orchid seed in the dip of each peat moss disc.

• 3

  Administer one full cup of water to each peat moss disc. The discs swell up to four times their original size, soaking up the water.

• 4

  Water the peat discs in this manner once a week. The seeds germinate in 7 to 14 days. Keep the pie tin in a sunny windowsill until the sprouts become seedlings, which is when they stand at 3 to 4 inches tall, each. This is when you can transplant them into a pot or garden bed.

Paper Towel Technique

• 5

  Run water over a paper towel until it is saturated. Wring the paper towel out to express the excess moisture.

• 6

  Place about a dozen orchid seeds on the damp paper towel. Fold the paper towel around the seeds securely. Drop the paper towel into the jar and secure the lid.

• 7

  Put the jar somewhere dark like a cabinet or drawer. Add 1 tsp. of water to the jar every 7 days for 7 to 20 days.

• 8

  Add 2 tbsp. of potting soil to the dips of an empty egg container. Use a specially formulated soil for growing colorful flowers or, in particular, orchids.

• 9

  Remove the paper towel from the jar and unfold it carefully. Select the seeds that have sprouted from the paper towel, discarding the rest. Place the seeds in the soil of the egg container with the plant part aiming upward.

  Keep the sprouts in a sunny windowsill until they reach 4 to 5 inches in height, becoming seedlings.