Flasking Medium Too Wet?

[catgirl]

I'm still looking for my first germination after several tries at flasking. This time I really think I did it right, but a 'more knowledgeable' friend made the comment that my seeds may 'drown' because I have excess fluids floating around on top of my medium in the flasks. The medium looked very good after I took it out of the autoclave and cooled it. I then put it into a small fridge until I was ready to attempt flasking again. It did have a good bit of moisture inside the flasks when I sewed the seed. I assumed it would absorb it with time. My question; can orchid seed drown? Should I have poured out the excess moisture before sewing the seed?

[schukie3]

Hi I'm new to flasking myself but I no you should get rid of the extra liquid on top of your medium! I'm not sure about the drowning. Good luck to you! I'm still trying.

[catgirl]

Thanks for the info. I do plan to drain off any excess next time I flask. But I still need to know if this extra liquid is going to keep my seeds from germinating. I guess I'll just have to be patient and see what happens.

[plucker]

I find the excess has prevented germination for me and now drain off with significant improvement.

[catgirl]

I used the syringe with needle and a small cotton ball between them and removed all of the excess liquid. Now all of the flasks are germinating. Just thought I'd share this with other newbies. It was relatively very easy. Thanks for all of your comments and help.