How to Start a Moth Orchid

Set the lid of a glass canning jar on a wooden block. Place a folded cloth on the lid. Center the tip of a nail on the lid's surface, then drive it through with a hammer. Remove the nail from the lid carefully using leverage with the claws of the hammer.

Place a large, clean pot over high heat and fill it with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Place a canning jar and lid in the water and allow them to sterilize for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat off and pour 1 cup of bleach in the pot for every 10 cups of water. Let the jar and lid sterilize in the bleach solution for an additional 30 minutes, or until it has cooled enough to handle.

Put on a pair of clean latex gloves and remove the jar and lid from the water. Place the jar lid upside down on a clean, lint-free towel to dry. Wipe the top of the lid dry on the towel and line the hole in the center with quick drying glue. Adhere a cotton ball over the hole on the lid's surface before the glue dries. This helps prevent foreign objects from entering the jar while allowing air circulation. Set the lid cotton-side up to dry.

Rinse the pot and fill it with water. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil. Immerse a smaller pot in the water and allow it to boil for 10 minutes. Remove the pot, dumping the current water out, and mix in the agar-agar powder per manufacturer’s instructions. Follow the specific steps carefully to ensure the agar-agar is properly prepared for Moth orchid seed.

Pour about 2 inches of the prepared agar-agar into the sterilized jar and loosely set the lid on it to keep out foreign bacteria and material. Allow the agar-agar to cool.

Fill a sterile petri dish with hydrogen peroxide and the seeds. Use a clean pair of tweezers to remove the seeds after two minutes. Lift the lid from the sterilized jar and drop the seeds on the agar-agar. Space the seeds as evenly apart as possible, but do not touch them after releasing them from the tweezers.

Place the jar’s lid on tightly and set it in a warm room that is always between 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The jar should receive at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. Small green dots should appear in the agar-agar within one to two weeks. The seeds must grow in the jar for one to two months, or more, depending on the species. If you notice mold or any growth other than green sprouts, the seeds have failed. Discard the jar's contents and retry the entire process.