# Multi compots



## Trithor (Aug 25, 2013)

Been a long hard day in Africa. Spring is threatening and it is time to get the last of the seedlings out of flask into community trays. Most of the quicker paphs made it into trays last autumn, but the multis were too small.
Up late, leisurely enjoyed breakfast and a few good coffees, then hard at work. Below are the fruits of my labour, all done and time for a beer.


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## gonewild (Aug 25, 2013)

So you did quit your day job!


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## Justin (Aug 25, 2013)

Awesome, what crosses are they?

Are you putting them straight into the greenhouse? Do you cover them?


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## Trithor (Aug 25, 2013)

gonewild said:


> So you did quit your day job!


It is Sunday, even here in Africa. I also started my flasking in the lab today. John kindly sent me a selection of seed, so today I did a few mother flasks (just for a little variation in the day)



Justin said:


> Awesome, what crosses are they?
> 
> Are you putting them straight into the greenhouse? Do you cover them?


I generally split the flask into two portions. The smaller go into my compot/plastic bottle system, and the larger go into flats and into the greenhouse under the bench. My humidity runs to around 90% at this time of the year and temps are only starting to climb. I have a seedling bench which is covered and has a controlled temp/humidity, with good air circulation. Unfortunately it is full of seedlings already (mastersianum, violascens, volonteanum, ciliolare, wardii album, micrathum album etc)

These are all multis
2 flasks sanderianum
2 x roths
1 x stonei
1x stonei album
1 x phili album
2 x MK
2 x PEOY sibling
1 x gigantifolium
1 x shin yi sanders
1 x supardii
1 x anitum
1 x Hung Sheng Eagle x sanderianum
1 x villosum album
1 x Hung Sheng General x anitum
1 x St Swithin x sanderianum

(28 in all, some are just codes, and I don't know the cross off hand), and yes, I know villosum album is not a multi, but it somehow got caught in this group.


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## Rick (Aug 25, 2013)

Wow

That's a lot of ambition on your benches:wink:


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## Chicago Chad (Aug 25, 2013)

Too bad we don't live closer. You are working on some really nice stuff. Do you mind revealing some of your sources?


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## Justin (Aug 25, 2013)

wow is right. excellent!


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## John M (Aug 25, 2013)

I love the look of freshly potted compots. So much hope and promise!


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## SlipperFan (Aug 25, 2013)

That was a lot of work!


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## The Orchid Boy (Aug 25, 2013)

I love repotting and compotting. I just don't have the room right now for tons of flasks. I've officially started saving up for a greenhouse though. So excited! But so far off....


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## NYEric (Aug 25, 2013)

villosum album..:drool: I've seen some really nice ones recently. Good luck.


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## abax (Aug 25, 2013)

That is a beautiful sight! You must be a whiz at getting things done. It's
such a shame that those of us here in the US will never be able to get
our little greedy hands on your plants...damn! I'm sending good vibes
to your babies.


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## Dido (Aug 26, 2013)

where did you get the micranthum album from. 
Must be very expenisve??


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## NYEric (Aug 26, 2013)

abax said:


> It's such a shame that those of us here in the US will never be able to get our little greedy hands on your plants...damn!


...:ninja: Why not?


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## eggshells (Aug 26, 2013)

You can send NYERIC and me the micranthum album compots Gary.


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## Trithor (Aug 26, 2013)

I get most of my flasks from Taiwan. They are a mixture from Ching Hua, Water Orchids and Hung Sheng. I suspect that a lot of them have a common origin irrespective of where they are purchased from. A few of the flasks are my own breeding with the flasking having been done in the Netherlands. Now with my own small lab up and running, I am looking forward to generating my own flasks. My first test mother flasks will be done this week. I cant wait!


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## Chicago Chad (Aug 26, 2013)

Well done Trithor. Keep up the good work and update us with any progress. I would like to hear about your trials and errors with the lab.

I know very little about flasking and I want to know more about replating. Is it more common, or more appropriate, to replate the larger of the plants in flask and discard the culls, or to replate the culls in order to get them to a respectable size and compot the larger ones? 

I received a flask from Ching Hua and there is a huge discrepancy in plant size. Any suggestions as to what the common practice is?


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## Trithor (Aug 26, 2013)

Chicago Chad said:


> Well done Trithor. Keep up the good work and update us with any progress. I would like to hear about your trials and errors with the lab.
> 
> I know very little about flasking and I want to know more about replating. Is it more common, or more appropriate, to replate the larger of the plants in flask and discard the culls, or to replate the culls in order to get them to a respectable size and compot the larger ones?
> 
> I received a flask from Ching Hua and there is a huge discrepancy in plant size. Any suggestions as to what the common practice is?



I generally plant the larger into a seedling flat, such as those pictured above at the beginning of this thread. The smaller 'runts' I handle in one of two ways. I either plant them 4-5 in a small pot and cover with a plastic juice bottle which I have cut the bottom off (I posted a pic of this in Dane's thread on deflasking), or I plant them into a tray with small cavities, each in its own tight plug of pure sphagnum. The method I use depends on how many seedlings I have to attend to.

A few years ago I imported around 50 flasks in a batch. They met with an accident at customs, and I was forced to try and get a huge number of seedlings planted in a hurry. The fastest way is to plant them into multi cavity trays (50 cavity) in plain sphagnum. It is very easy to wrap whatever roots there are in a tight plug of sphagnum and press them into the tray. I use this method to pot up a large number in a short time. Then, when time allows, I pull out the larger ones and move them on to community pots. This also gives me the flexibility to attend to the larger plants individually as and when they are ready.


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## Dido (Aug 26, 2013)

m<rk me for the first micranthum alba flask you will have


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## abax (Aug 27, 2013)

Well NYEric, I don't want to go to jail, pay a lawyer and have no experience
in deflasking. Howsat?


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## Trithor (Aug 27, 2013)

Dido said:


> m<rk me for the first micranthum alba flask you will have



I think it might take me a while to get a batch of those out. But by all means. I hope these seedlings grow well and quickly


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## Dane (Aug 28, 2013)

Let me know then they are big enough for selling, especially sanderianums and gigantiums


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## Bob in Albany N.Y. (Aug 28, 2013)

I'm with Chrustoph on this one. I'd love to get a micranthum alba flask.


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## Dido (Aug 29, 2013)

at least I got now a cross with it

get a micranthum alba X emersonii from a friend as a get well gift.


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## Ozpaph (Aug 30, 2013)

Trithor, you have the 'bug' seriously now! Be warned that in 18 months all those beautiful seedlings will be in 2" tubes and take up an enormous amount of room - speaking from experience and wishing that my orchid houses were elastic!


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## Trithor (Aug 31, 2013)

Ozpaph said:


> Trithor, you have the 'bug' seriously now! Be warned that in 18 months all those beautiful seedlings will be in 2" tubes and take up an enormous amount of room - speaking from experience and wishing that my orchid houses were elastic!



Not if I kill them first!


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## Chicago Chad (Aug 31, 2013)

Thank you for the lead on Water Orchids. They are new to me but I look forward to working with them on some flasks next month. They have some really excellent items on their list.


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## Trithor (Sep 1, 2013)

Chicago Chad said:


> Thank you for the lead on Water Orchids. They are new to me but I look forward to working with them on some flasks next month. They have some really excellent items on their list.



You will find that their list is identical to a few others. I suspect that they operate as agents for a few other people/growers. I have found Hope to be very helpful and reliable.


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## Chicago Chad (Sep 1, 2013)

I believe you are correct Trithor. If I am not mistaken, all inventory items with 'HS' are Hung Sheng breeding. I did see many things on their list that other growers did not have though. anitum x sib and malipoense fma. album for example. Not that I could afford the malipo anyways. I could probably fly to South Africa for the WOC for that price, but I still like the hard to find, nonetheless. Especially here, where are market is more limited in many regards.

I don't think I would have come across them if you did not mention them.


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## NYEric (Sep 1, 2013)

abax said:


> Well NYEric, I don't want to go to jail, pay a lawyer and have no experience
> in deflasking. Howsat?



OK, whatever you say.


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