When to De-flask?

[kamlesh711]

I bought this Cattleya Skinneri in Costa Rica (picture attached)

The instructions say - remove from flask when the plant fills up the container.

The flask is 3 inches long...it has been 4 weeks and doesn't seem like it is growing

Can someone please tell me when is a good time to remove the plant from the flask.

[marketkid]

Hi Kamlesh,

One thing you have to bear in mind is that orchids are very slow growing plants so not seeing any significant growth in 4 weeks is not necessarily a cause for concern.

It certainly looks healthy in the flask so I wouldn't be in a hurry to deflask it until it is bigger as it will then be stronger and have a better chance of survival.

However it all becomes a judgment call and it would probably be fine to deflask it now as well. It all comes down to experience and you only gain experience by taking decisions and seeing what happens.

Good luck with your deflasking.

Cheers

Rodney

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Welcome, Kamlesh. I agree with what Rodney has said. If you have experience with seedlings just out of flask, you could remove it now. However, it can still grow much more inside that flask. The directions that were offered with the flask make good sense. Wait until the plant fills the flask before removing. Post a thread in the introductions section and tell us about you when you get a chance.

Cheers,
BD