How to Transplant Orchids From Flasks

Fill the flask with boiled or distilled water at room temperature. Do not use cold water or tap water that has not been boiled. Orchid seedlings are extremely susceptible to disease caused by fungal spores and bacteria that may be present in the water.

Swirl the container around gently by hand until the seedlings and the agar they have been growing in are loosened. Use a plastic knitting needle or a chopstick to carefully separate the seedlings. Pour the seedlings into a bowl of distilled or boiled water at room-temperature. Wash the agar off of the seedlings and separate them very carefully. They are extremely fragile. Roots and leaves can be damaged easily.

Fill another bowl with distilled or boiled water at room temperature. Mix a fungicide into the water. Captan, Physan and RD 20 are fungicides commonly used for this purpose. Place the cleaned seedlings into the fungicide water and allow them to soak for a few minutes. Spread several layers of paper towel or newspaper on a flat surface. Take the seedlings out of the fungicide solution and lay them on the paper towel or newspaper.

Clean and sterilize the container that will be used as a compot. Purchase a container designed specifically for seedlings that comes with a clear, plastic lid. Rectangular plastic perennial plant trays, square plastic plant pots or even rectangular plastic storage bins may also be used as a compot. The container must have drain holes in the bottom and will have to be covered for at least the first few weeks.

Place the orchid seedling potting mix in the container. The potting mix can be a fine seedling bark, sphagnum moss or coconut chips mixed with fine charcoal or perlite for improved drainage. Fill the container to about 1/2 inch below the top.

Place several inches of room temperature boiled or distilled water in the sink. It should be approximately the same depth as the compot. Mix fungicide into the water. Set the compot, with the seedling potting mix in it, down into the water. Allow the water to soak up through the drainage holes. The potting mix will become very loose and sludgy.

Plant the seedlings in the potting mix while the compot is still submerged. Keep the orchids 1/2 to 1 inch apart to allow plenty of room for growth and ample air circulation. Lift the compot out of the water. Hold it over the sink while the water drains from the bottom. The wet potting mix will settle in around the orchid seedlings’ roots as the water drains from the bottom.

Place the plastic cover on the compot and set it in a brightly lit area but not in direct sunlight. Keep the compot warm. Set it on a heating mat with the temperature set at 80 to 85 degrees F to keep the seedlings warm. Keep the humidity level at 100 percent for the first week. Do not allow the potting mix to dry out. Mist the orchid seedlings twice per week with room-temperature distilled water. Open the lid vent to reduce the humidity level to about 60 to 70 percent during the second week. Poke holes in the lid if it does not have a vent.

Fertilize the seedlings with orchid fertilizer diluted to half of the manufacturer’s recommended strength after three to four weeks. Always apply fertilizer immediately after a regular watering. Remove the lid after four to six weeks if the seedlings are growing well.