flasks

[kewpie]

hi all!

im thinking of ordering a couple of flasks from hbi in florida. it would be my first time....any admonishments?

any one have a favorite compot recipe? or should the mix be whatever i will be planting the plants in in the future?
also, when a company sends a flask out, does it automatically mean that the plants are ready to be de-flasked?

on their website, it says that "Our flasks are shipped with a warranty. The warranty expires when you open the bottle or 60 days after the shipping date, whichever comes first. We expect to have all defective flasks shipped back to our facility for inspection to confirm any warranty claim."

what should i be looking for when i receive the flasks?

thanks again, guys! i think i have some more reading to do...

[Persistence]

I have personally bought from them and I like the plant count.
When ordering, only get plants that need to be deflasked. Shipping can jar them and also the pressure changes can create contamination and if that happens you will see mold or fungus kill your seedlings in a matter of days or even hours.

HBI and others will hold flasks until they are ready to be deflasked once they arrive. DO NOT order plants that need more time before being deflasked!

If you don't know here are some tips

Another important tip on deflasking. I did hundreds if not thousands of deflaskings. here is what seemed to work the best and have the highest survivability rate.

you NEED a fungicide. Consan or Physan work well and are the only brands I have ever used for flasks. I mix the solution per the back for the seedling rate. I pour the contents into the bottle and let soak for 5min. yes, completely drown the plants!

Then dump out the physan mixture. We used long tweezwers to get a grip and rip out the seedlings in a large clump so we could save the flasks since there was a deposit on them but if you don't want to buy them then you can break the glass in a towel. BE VERY CAREFUL!

Personally, I rinsed most of the AGAR off I could with a light dipping in the above mentioned fungicide mixture. Some leave the agar on. I tend to think the agar has a higher chance of getting mold if left on and moist.

Typically most flask roots will die and the plantlets will grow new ones. I have planted compots in Sphag and perlite and small bark,perlite,charcoal mix and have not had different results. they seem to do well in both as long as it is humid and damp(not soaking wet).

The #1 killer of seedlings is Damp off. it's a fungus that will overwelm the orchids in hours. But if you used a fungicide before compotting and if you mist the plants about every week with a Physan mix you will not have a problem.

This is just my experience and there are more than a hundred ways and mixtures to use on flasks but this gave me the highest success rate. Good luck!

[kewpie]

thanks, mike....

when do you hold service for worship? cuz im there.