Six Steps to Successful Deflasking of Orchids

[@kiyuemadkick]

I do all of these steps. I guess its just my luck. Thank you for the detailed guide. It demystifies deflasking and inspires folks to try or try again in my case. Thanks for the video.

[@plantpropagator]

I am glad that you found it useful - yeah, probably too much detail...

[@pinescherry]

I always thoroughly enjoy your informative vids Professor !! Thanks a whole bunch for being so detailed both by what you say and all that you show us ! It’s so helpful ! I’m dying to get into growing orchids from seeds but I’m so scared . Everytime I watch your vids I say “ok I can do this 💪” but days pass and I go back to being fearful of failure . I research and research but everyday I learn something new , I cannot lie , I think you are simply the best teacher here on you tube with so much knowledge and a great personality to get your instructions through ! Thanks so so much and continue the AMAZING work ! ☺️🪴🪴

[@plantpropagator]

Thanks for your kind words - it really made my day!! Have you deflasked orchids? If you think that you might want to try this part of raising orchids, you can contact me at [e-mail] - make sure to mention your KZbin name. I am just trying to share my love of orchids and would be happy to help you start a new journey.....

[@pinescherry]

@@plantpropagator I will definitely reach out to you thanks so much for this !! Have an amazing blessed day ahead 🪴☺️🪴 also , Happy 4th July ! ⭐️♥️🤍💙⭐️ ☺️

[@Ghostpants.]

Thanks for the great video. Luckily i already did some of your steps, but this detailed guide doesn´t seem to miss anything. Last time i odered some, i burried them so deep almost all rotted. Hopefully this time more survive as i love to see the babies grow up.

[@plantpropagator]

Thanks for your comment. I have shown a lot of people how to deflask and they often leave out a few of the steps. They get so excited and just forget things!!...

[@plantpropagator]

I forgot to mention that my flasked orchids are large and part of the reason that they do well on deflasking is that the starting material is so nice.

[@bigbluecrab]

Great info as always Professor. I'm still trying to get the hang of some of these transitioning and see you have a lot more water than I used for fear of rot. Keep em' coming!

[@plantpropagator]

Yeah - it takes a while for the plants to be exposed to the fungal pathogens so it is OK to use a lot of water up front. When they are removed from the closed container, you should water less.

[@brandonallen9853]

Awesome! Thank you! Loved it!

[@plantpropagator]

Thanks for watching - I am glad that you are enjoying my videos!

[@danieljheelan5256]

Thanks a lot. I am not I have a few questions: 1. Your tap water os not hard? 2. Are you using the same 100% orchiata for all your orchids? 3. You don't have fans in your containers? 4. When I water from top, I get mold and the leaves become brown or black and fell. You don't have this problem? 5. You unflask all year round or you wait for spring? I unflasked my first cattleyas but used a mix of cocopeat, chopped sphagnum moss and serramis. Result: killed all. I was using only 60% of your method. I have more than 10 flasks to unflask. As from now, will follow 100% yoyr procedure. Thanks a lot for your support. Bye. Daniel Jheelan from France

[@plantpropagator]

I do not know the hardness of my water. If you are concerned, you can use reverse osmosis or distilled water - that will work too. I use 100% orchiata (classic grade) for all of my orchids. I have tried other media and some of them work but not as well as Orchiata. Some organic media contain or release compounds that will suppress fungal growth - I have no data to support this but I believe that Orchiata does this - the root growth that I see within a few weeks of deflasking into Orchiata is really phenomenal. A good quality sphagnum moss will do the same thing - some sphagnum mosses are not as good as others - Orchiata is superior to other barks for this too. I do not use commercial orchid media mixes. Fans are not needed in my containers, if fungal growth is under control. I also spray my freshly deflasked plants with Physan20 and use clean pots - either new pots or old pots that have been soaked in a bleach solution and well rinsed. I deflask year round. I may make a follow up video on fungus issues - I use a combination of clean materials, good media, really nice flasks (with my own hybrids) with vigorous strong plants, antimicrobial sprays, and pathogen limiting media and sprays. You also have to remember that not all fungi are bad and some of the beneficial fungi can outcompete that pathogenic fungi - I have started using mycorrhizal inocula but you need to know that fungicides can kill the bad and good fungi and the bad fungi can come back strong. It does sound like you are dealing with fungal issues - you may need to clean all of your pots and containers or start with new. The quality of your flasked orchids is important too.

[@danieljheelan5256]

@@plantpropagator Thanks a lot for all.

[@juliashearer7842]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@plantpropagator]

It is good to hear from you again - I am glad that you liked my video.

[@OkikaHawaii]

Thank you for your content.

[@plantpropagator]

You are welcome - I am happy that you found me.

[@maruyamamacedo8472]

MUITO BOM

[@nancyjohnston4661]

Very good video. I learned a lot. Do you ever sell them?

[@plantpropagator]

If you are interested in flasks or seedlings, please contact me at [e-mail]

[@mgpurushothama1991]

Hi nice video highly informative with finer details. I use LECA for hardening and had good success with Phals Dens and cats. But I am struggling with a few ground orchids like Phaius , Bletilla and Thunia which I tried to harden them in a tunnel like regular terrestrial plants. Spathoglottis I regularly harden in a tunnel with good success rate. Do you have any suggestions on this?

[@plantpropagator]

Thanks for your comment. I am sorry but I have little experience with terrestrials. The few that I have worked with seem to do well in bark.

[@mgpurushothama1991]

@@plantpropagator Thanks for your reply shall experiment with bark. I did try LECA and coconut husk without much success. For ground orchids I use cocopeat and perlite mixture which I regularly use for Anthuriums . This has worked for Spathoghlottis but not with others.

[@jillianbentley3783]

De-flasking party sounds awesome! Any chance you guys host those down near Miami? I’m working on a class project with de-flasking orchids and could use all the help I can get.

[@plantpropagator]

Most people love deflasking parties because they are fun and everyone gets lots of orchids. I have had a couple of party goers that decided to host their own parties. I was in Miami this past weekend and brought some flasks that I had to take back with me. If you would have posted this last week..... I am also giving a talk in West Palm next month at the Tropical Orchid Society monthly meeting. You can contact me at [e-mail] with your KZbin name and tell me a little about your class project that you mentioned - I may be able to assist.

[@normaperez7031]

Very informative 😃👍 Do you have prosthechea flasks for sale?

[@plantpropagator]

Sorry - I had a very limited number of them and they are all gone. They are not my favorites so I do not look for capsules for flasking. I do have other flasks. If you are interested in other orchids, you can contact me at [e-mail]

[@sylviabeichert943]

If I must deflask in winter (where temperatures get down to 50-60 degrees- should I use a heat mat and grow lights?

[@plantpropagator]

This depends partly on the orchid. If it is a warm loving orchid (as most are), a heat mat would be beneficial. Those are cold temps for an orchid and you will get very slow growth. I also recommend grow lights for deflasked orchids, over winter sunlight. The grow lights seem to provide a nice intensity for deflasked orchids.

[@borb2656]

Is there a humidity % to shoot for freshly deflasked orchids?

[@plantpropagator]

Yes, I use 100% humidity for freshly deflasked orchids. You might think that they will rot but, if you use the right size Orchiata, and follow my guidelines, they don't rot and grow quickly. If you want deflasking to work, please watch the follow-up videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6qxe2eYi5d3has kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWmUlpuaotelgNk Deflasked orchids grow fast under the right conditions. I have even convinced some growers to start using my methods. But, most people think that they know better and don't listen to me or even believe what I show them. Only when growers come to my lab and see my results in person, then they listen a little more closely...

[@borb2656]

@@plantpropagator Appreciate the quick reply. I'll definitely watch the other videos. Would like to have better results the last time I deflasked orchids.

[@daniellemeier9789]

Do you have a video that shows what to do if you do buy a tiny orchid accidentaly. I thought i was just ordering a young but established orchid and have the tiniest seedling is spagmoss with a tiny bit of root 😬 dont wanna loose it but its also my first orchid 🤣

[@plantpropagator]

Thanks for your comment - care of your tiny orchid depends on what the orchid actually is. Miniatures are treated very differently from seedlings or large orchids and large seedlings should be treated a little differently from small seedlings. If it is a miniature orchid, I do not have any of those and cannot tell you how to grow it. If it is a tiny seedling that is supposed to grow into a large plant, you should keep it in the moss, in a bright location (not direct sun) and keep it covered and moist but not wet. If it is a tiny seedling of a large plant, that has already been deflasked, those are very tough to grow - especially if you are a newbie. You can contact me at [e-mail] with info about the name of the plant and an image of it, and I may be able to assist you.

[@daniellemeier9789]

@theplantpropagator7820 just seen this one too 🤣 so it was a couple of jewel orchids. Had about 1cm of root nub, no branching or anything, I put them in a Tupperware container, keeping them damp, with a grow light above in the container and sitting on a heat mat. And they are miraculously thriving 😅

[@lailasweetest9246]

What is the flasking medium made of?

[@plantpropagator]

It is a typical orchid medium containing minerals, vitamins, sugars, amino acids, activated charcoal (makes it black) and a solidifying agent - everything that the orchid seed needs for growth.