When to Re-Plate Orchids?

My question is about replating orchids from their mother flask into bigger ones with different media. When i was doing my research online, some people took some protocorms with a spatula, and just spread them onto the replate medium directly. The other most common method I saw was waiting till the protocorms developed into very small seedlings and then usuing tweezers/tongs to individually plant them into the media manually. I was wondering which method is better. Currently I'm leaning towards the second one because it allows you to know exactly how many plants you put in each replate flask, and to place them evenly within the flask so they are evenly distributed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, Thanks!

:bump: . I dont do it myself but would like to know

Obviously, there is a range of practices that can be successful.

The second method does allow more control. Not only do you end up with uniform numbers and spacing, but you can be selective about the size/development stage of the seedlings you place together. This is almost mandatory if you are producing flasks to sell, but may not matter at all if you just want a small number of seedlings for personal use. Because flasks are open longer and there is more manipulation it can give a higher contamination rate, or more seedlings damaged by poor technique. It may be the only choice if flasks get overgrown before you get to it.

If flasks are extremely crowded or the best media for germination and growth are very different the first option may be better, especially with very small protocorms. It does take less time, which sometimes can be an important consideration. Or this may be a first transfer, and the second transfer will give the even spacing. Its mostly a question of what works for you and the situation, not what is always best.

Thank you, I think I will go with the second method.