How to Grow an In Vitro Orchid

Follow quantity instructions on germination medium powder for the amount you are preparing. Pour powder into a 1-liter bottle. Add the appropriate amount of sugar based on amount of medium you are preparing and 2 grams per liter of activated charcoal. Add distilled water as instructed for quantity. Stir the mixture with a magnetic stirrer until the powder dissolves.

Take pH papers or a pH meter, and measure the pH level. Adjust until pH measures 5.6. Add hydrogen chloride (HC1) to decrease pH or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to increase pH. Stir and retest.

Place the desired germination medium in a sterile jar or petri dish. Keep the magnetic stirrer in the bottle. Place lids loosely on the bottle and top with aluminum foil. Put container in an autoclave sterilizer set to 120 degrees Fahrenheit with 15 lbs. pressure for 20 minutes. Remove the container and allow the germination medium to cool.

Mix 1-percent bleach solution with a drop of detergent in a small, clean bowl. Cover the tip of a syringe with a sterile cloth. Remove plunger and pour a few orchid seeds into the syringe. Replace plunger and suction 4 ml of the bleach and detergent solution. Shake the syringe for five minutes. Release solution into sink or container, and suction another 4 ml fresh solution. Shake the syringe for an additional five minutes and expel the solution.

Pour sterile distilled water into a clean glass bowl. Suction distilled water into syringe to rinse seeds. Expel the water, then repeat the process four times.

Pour cooled germination medium in a sterile flask or jar. Put sterile orchid seeds on top of the germination medium. Seal the flask or jar with a filtered lid.

Place the flask or jar with orchid seeds under fluorescent lights for 12 hours each day, unless the specific species you are growing requires complete darkness. Keep the lights at least 2 feet above the plants. Maintain a room temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the seeds in the container for up to three months, until the seedlings have matured. Inspect daily for signs of contamination.

Gradually remove the lid from the jar or flask. Loosen the lid and wait three days, then partially open the lid. Wait three more days and slightly increase the opening. Continue sliding the lid a bit every three days until it is completely removed.

Prepare a flower pot with compost. Fill a plant basin with water. Remove the orchid seeds from the flask or jar. Separate the roots, then gently rinse. Insert the root in plant fungicide solution. Plant the orchid seedling in the flower pot.