plastic container for flasking?

[catasetum-ian]

hi, i have read in the net that it is possible to use plastic container to do orchid flaking. just wondering how do we sterilize the plastic container? can we put them in hot boiling water?

[Halloamey]

Hi Ian, you can use plastic bottles for tissue culture, but not all kinds of plastic, if you want to heat sterilize your equipment and media. Polypropylene will surely melt. What you can use are the polycarbonate plastic bottles, the stuff with which baby milk bottles are made, so that they can be boiled and sterilized ( Actually I have myself done some tissue culture in baby bottles with the silicon nipples, its actually very practical for sowing with a syringe), anyways glass jars are cheaper than polycarbonate bottles and I would recommend using those. If at all you want to use cheap polypropylene plastic bottles, then you will have to sterilize them with 10% bleach or 0.5% HgCl2 followed by washing them with sterile distilled water, all under aseptic conditions. Not to mention you will have to add separately sterilized media into the bottles. Believe me using glass jars will be cheaper and easier.

[catasetum-ian]

thank you for the clarification. will go hunt for some glass jar then. thanks Amey

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Thanks Amey for your experience once again!!

Cheers,
BD

[Robert]

Hi all, i read soemwhere in the forum but can't remember which, anyway it was possible to use ordinary plastic containers for invitro and TC. It was mentioned the plastic containers were soaked overnight with bleach. In the sterile chamber the bleach were poured out and finally rinsed with distilled water.

I followed the procedure and there is no contamination. perhaps the seeds were not viable or the sterilisation was overdone. I have introduced orchid seeds and nepenthes seeds invitro and more than 1/2 wee contaminated, all orchid seeds were wiped out. I managed to get nepenthes seeds germinated in some jars.

Shown on the left were ordinary plastic containers, the right square ones were polycarbonate bought from a local scientific co.


nepenthes seeds germination

[Brutal_Dreamer]

I hope you will update us, Robert, on the progress of the nepenthes. (They survived in the polycarbonate containers, right?)

Cheers,
BD

[Robert]

I hope you will update us, Robert, on the progress of the nepenthes. (They survived in the polycarbonate containers, right?)

Cheers,
BD

yes, they will.

[catasetum-ian]

thanks for info Robert. very much appreciated.

[Halloamey]

Beautiful Robert ! Do keep us updated !

[Moosecakes]

My lab uses those boxes on the right of Robert's post, they are called magenta boxes. Withstand 121*C autoclave steam sterilzation and many many reuses. Very hardy, very professional, but quite pricey as well. I would simply use a glass jar for personal use.