# A little deflasking of some special plants :D



## Dane (Jul 17, 2013)

I have been ordering flasks to try get some quality plants into my collection and this is one that ive ordered and deflasked... Paph. (malepoense x micrantheum 'Red Bear') i would guess that i should label it as Paph. Fanaticum 

Unfortunatly the flask was a little shaken when unpacked by the airport and forsed me into deflasking in the middle of winter due to contamination 
But they all look good This is my first time deflasking Paphs


























One's in bark


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## Trithor (Jul 17, 2013)

Widely spaced in your seedling trays. My experience has always been that they seem to prefer being sociable and rubbing shoulders. I hope they don't stay too wet in all that sphagnum. 
I can not claim to be a professor at deflasking, but have found that a 9cm pot with around 5 seedlings works well. I cut the bottom off an 'iced tea' plastic bottle and fit it over the pot with its seedlings. This makes a great mini-greenhouse and keeps any slugs and snails away. After a month or two, I remove the screw cap on the mini-greenhouse to allow for the air to start to approximate to general greenhouse. and finally remove the bottle after about 5 months at which time the plants have grown and established quite well.
I have not found flasks imported to grow much after arrival, so don't be too concerned about having deflasked them in winter. Protect them well, let them know it is winter without killing them, and they will take off when spring arrives.
Good luck, nice purchase!


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## NYEric (Jul 17, 2013)

Good luck.


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## Justin (Jul 17, 2013)

Interesting method. I agree you should be careful to not keep them too wet.

I prefer to put them into community pots, grouping from 5 to 15 seedlings in a 4" pot. You might think about repotting them into smaller community pots.

Plantlets look healthy, good luck!


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## The Orchid Boy (Jul 17, 2013)

I love tiny mottled leaf flasklings!


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## SlipperKing (Jul 17, 2013)

I've seen commercial folks use the community tray concept but they would have 3-4 flasks in the large/bark tray you have. Even different crosses in the large trays physically divided by tape across the top or plant tags to show which seedlings are which in the trays.


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## Dane (Jul 18, 2013)

I made the big tray into a little hothouse  Will post pics soon...


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## Dane (Jul 18, 2013)

http://dear.smartweb.tw/index.php?module=product&mn=1&f=content&tid=10467

http://dear.smartweb.tw/index.php?module=product&mn=1&f=content&tid=11296


Parentage ( micranthum var. eburneum 'Red Bear' x Malepoense)
I think its a good cross, maybe an improvement


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## ehanes7612 (Jul 18, 2013)

i tried this and the medium always stayed too wet..it was a bit of a disaster for me


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## Dane (Jul 18, 2013)

ehanes7612 said:


> i tried this and the medium always stayed too wet..it was a bit of a disaster for me



I dont water mine much and it seems to work... some had little roots so i pot them in spagnum to try promote root growth


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## Dane (Jul 18, 2013)

I normally wait a week and then spray them with a weak fungiside like previcure to make sure that they don't damp off... My one flask i got 50 cattleyas out of and havent lost one yet.. i've just potted them in a size bigger pot


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## Ozpaph (Jul 18, 2013)

good luck - high humidity and warmth are the key.


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## Trithor (Jul 21, 2013)

Kind of the density of planting out that I would use. This is a mini seedling tray measuring 15cm x 22cm. Pictured are delenatii deflasked about 10 days ago.




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But my personal favourite for slow seedlings is as follows;





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A 9cm pot planted with 4-5 seedlings, a juice bottle with the bottom cut off,

and then a mini hothouse, which I remve the cap from after a while to start to harden off the seedlings. Pictured are hangianum seedlings 4 months from deflasking.




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## eggshells (Jul 21, 2013)

What that seedling in a bottle? Emersonii or hangianum?


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## Trithor (Jul 27, 2013)

hangianum. I have three flasks of hangianum, all three slightly different lines of breeding (hoping for one or two half decent plants!)


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## Dane (Jul 27, 2013)

Trithor said:


> Kind of the density of planting out that I would use. This is a mini seedling tray measuring 15cm x 22cm. Pictured are delenatii deflasked about 10 days ago.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks i'll give it a try


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## Dane (Aug 9, 2013)

I'm busy building a hot house for deflasked seedlings and to keep them nice and healthy


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## Trithor (Aug 10, 2013)

Post some pics please, it would be nice to see what your concept is


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## biothanasis (Aug 11, 2013)

very nice!
Good luck with all these babies!


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