experimenting with flasking media

[theLab]

don´t take banana for the germination as in most cases it prevents the process of germination. Prepare a medium based upon (green) coconut-water.
the replate-medium should be based upon banana or some similiar organic ingredients like pineapple (take care very acid!), peas, potatos, ... but avoid coconut-water as the latter forces the protocorms to a constant proliferation but waht you are going to need now are roots and leaves.

[catasetum-ian]

don´t take banana for the germination as in most cases it prevents the process of germination. Prepare a medium based upon (green) coconut-water.
the replate-medium should be based upon banana or some similiar organic ingredients like pineapple (take care very acid!), peas, potatos, ... but avoid coconut-water as the latter forces the protocorms to a constant proliferation but waht you are going to need now are roots and leaves.

thank you so much for these valuable info. greatly appreciated. will try one seed pod out without the banana for germination in the future. thanks

p/s: by the way can i use pineapple water as one of the ingredient in the germination media one of the nursery owner advice me to get the media to acidic level for catasetum germination. about pH5.5

[theLab]

I wouldn´t add pineapple into the germination-medium. The sense of pineapple is less as an important ingredient for the seeds/protocorms themselves but it works as anti-oxidantium for the banana apart from the sugar in the pineapple. Take coconut-water, about 20%. It works fine. Don´t forget to add charcoal for both media. You are going to need them especially when you don´t replate regularly. Our seedlings get replated 4-6 times within the 2 years. And - for the case the question comes up - we don´t ventilate the flasks.

[catasetum-ian]

I wouldn´t add pineapple into the germination-medium. The sense of pineapple is less as an important ingredient for the seeds/protocorms themselves but it works as anti-oxidantium for the banana apart from the sugar in the pineapple. Take coconut-water, about 20%. It works fine. Don´t forget to add charcoal for both media. You are going to need them especially when you don´t replate regularly. Our seedlings get replated 4-6 times within the 2 years. And - for the case the question comes up - we don´t ventilate the flasks.

Ok, this is getting more interesting for me. so in a conclusion, no banana for germination, use about 20% coconut water, add in charcoal to the original recipe in the first part of this thread. will try it out....seems like i got to pollinate more seed pods for experimentation.
thank you so much.

[catasetum-ian]

hi,
it has been slightly over 5months since i flasked this, for the past 3weeks, i had notice these cauliflower like growth, but they never turn green, growing very slowly, just about 3mm. but i can see some new 'cauliflower island' emerging as well.
are these protocorn bodies? but thye never turn green for the past three weeks? or will they turn later? or are they just decaying seeds that just swell up with the prolong soaking?
thanks

[Robert]

Ian, the whitish growth are they from the seeds or from surfaces of the media?

[catasetum-ian]

not from surface of media, i suppose is from seed. but since the date of posting till today, i dun see any appreciative growth any more. maybe swelling of those dead seeds?

[theLab]

Hello Ian,
it´s either a too high concentration of any organic ingredience in the germination medium or
you damaged the embryos by disinfecting the seeds too high or too long.
Sometimes it also happens when the germinated protocorms remained too long in the G-medium so you missed the time of replating.
good luck
m

[catasetum-ian]

thanks for the info, i would say too high concentration of organic material, this is my first few batches of DIY medium, got loads of banana (now i know should not have that in after i read your post) and potato and to make thing worst, i included the pulp, thought of giving it better nutrition. i guess i pretty screw this one up.
i did not sterilized the seed and there is no germination till now, so i dun think i am looking protocorns that miss the replating.
thanks for the feedback, will try again, i got three more catasetum seed pods by year end

[theLab]

usually cataseta require to be fed well. Banana AND potato - decide for one of both. Add not more than 30 g of them per litre medium. For the G-Medium rather less. Correct the pH to 5.4 - 5.8, even 6.0 still works fine. 2g/l charcoal - it shouldn´t look as grey as it appears in the picture above. It also works without charcoal but it will be easier to you at the beginning. For a charcoal-free medium it takes a well mixed medium, all ingredients fitting perfectly together.
I once recommended taking coconut-water, it really boosts the rate of germination but if seeds tend towards protocorm-mulitplying be careful with it, not more than about 20 - 30 ml per liter of medium.
All in all sowing and preparing media is a kind of practice. The often you do the more you will succeed and find media-recipes working well or even better on some genus, whereas other genus will dislike them. Don´t forget to write down all these recipes, it has no use adding things and having them forgotten after a while. Give the basic media names, G-1, G-2, ... and when starting to vary recipes also write it down ... G-1a, G-1b.
good luck from the other side of the globe