The Mystery of How to Grow Platanthera Orchids

Mix one part household bleach with nine parts distilled water. Soak the Platanthera seed pods in the diluted bleach solution for 20 minutes. Rinse the pods in clean distilled water.

Put a handful of long-fiber sphagnum moss in a clear plastic zipper bag. Add the sterilized seed pods to the bag and seal it. Store the seed pods in the refrigerator for eight to 12 weeks to improve their germination rate.

Place a 4- to 6-inch terracotta pot in boiling water for 15 minutes to sterilize it. Remove the pot and let it cool completely. Combine four parts long-fiber sphagnum moss, three parts peat moss and one-half part mycorrhizal fungi fertilizer. Fill the pot with the growing medium mixture to within 2 inches of the rim. Pour boiling water over the growing medium and allow the excess water to drain from the holes in the bottom of the pot.

Split open the Platanthera seed pods, using a gardening knife, and scrape the tiny seeds into a bowl. Mix the seeds with 1/2 cup of fine horticultural sand. Distribute the seed and sand mixture over the surface of the growing medium. Cover the terracotta pot with plastic wrap to create the humidity necessary for successful germination.

Position the seeds in a location where they'll receive two to three hours of filtered sunlight per day. Keep the growing medium evenly moist; set the pot in a water-filled saucer and replenish the water as needed. Maintain these conditions for several months while the seeds germinate.

Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the pot once the seedlings form. Take the pot out of the water-filled saucer and start watering the surface of the growing medium; water as often as necessary to keep the growing medium lightly moistened. Provide the seedlings with four to five hours of filtered sunlight each day.