Sorry but growing orchids from seed is quit a process. Typically it involves lab equipment, takes a long time and lots of work to get seedlings, which then will take a few years to flower.

You can get seedling plants fairly cheap on line. I like Oakhill Gardens, Andy's Orchids, Exotic Orchids of Maui ( when they have free shipping).

If we knew what area you lived in, I'm sure someone can direct you to someplace other than the big box stores.

James

I live in downtown Portland Oregon.

If you grow it from seed you may get to see it bloom by the time you're a grandfather. Much simpler to find you one somewhere and bond with it. I never tried the wood or rock thing but I'm sure it is possible if you can make a depression for the bark (growing medium) for it. Happy Orchid hunting.

Avery - If you want to grow by seed, I hope you'll post updates here to let us know how the growing goes!

I don't know where you can get orchid seeds...Maybe vanilla seeds might be easier to get. You can just email an orchid company who grows their own hybrids. They may have seeds.

I've heard that orchid seeds need help from a fungus to start growing...I'm not sure about this, someone here will probably correct me. Again, contact an orchid supplier that grows from seed (maybe some of the ones in Hawaii) and ask them about the process; they may provide better insight.

Growing an orchid from seed is definitely super-rewarding....for me, it's rewarding enough when they bloom (or not die!).

Good luck and keep us posted!

I don't mind being a grandfather when it blooms. That's 60 years of anticipation ;) sounds like an amazing journey!

Have a look at this site, you'll get an idea of what's involved. They give some ideas on how to do it at home.

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchids from seed

Oakhill gardens sells 10 seedlings for $30. It will still take a few years to get a flower but it's much better than waiting a year for a jar of jelly to turn green.

James

Oakhill gardens sells 10 seedlings for $30. It will still take a few years to get a flower but it's much better than waiting a year for a jar of jelly to turn green.

James

Yeah after reading the webpage tropicbreezen have me it sounds a lot simpler just to get a seedling. I still thing growing from seed would be a fun experience that I would like to try some day. On another not I've never grown an orchid so I should probably get some more experience under my belt. Ill have to find a nice orchid for my apartment soon :D

How about 18 years? That is how long I have been waiting for a variety of Dendrobium speciosum to flower.

Apart from the fiddling around with the sterile agar gel plus other ingredients there are some other little things to ponder.

Green pod or mature pod. When is the optimum time to harvest.

Are the babies likely to be any better than the parents or the parent if it is a selfing.

Do I have enough room to raise all the babies to maturity. Some seed pods have an enormous number of viable seeds.

And so on......all the great orchid hybridisers started, i suppose, with nil experience.

this orchid is pollinated. i guess the first step is to wait. they might look like you killed them once you pollinate, but, well, survival of the fittest. gives you plenty of time to really learn to care for them and read up on agar and even charcoal, shop and eventually buy some things to get to the flasking.

this one is pollinated also. I guess the petal detail has to do with the orchid beginning to scent for either deterrent or attractant to whatever bug pollinates it, or in efforts to dispel and retain moisture as it grows a pod. i have no idea and do not know. there are a lot of unknowns about orchids. i can only assume many pollena grains eventually make it close a little better. i used several, not just two, let some stick for awhile, let them fall with other pollinations on the other one before it closed a bit, this one has fewer. learn all you can about orchids, then tackle flasking.

If you read down through the thread you might get an idea of why many long term orchid growers do not bother with doing their own hybridising.
As I said above the famous orchid Hybridisers must have started somewhere.
You have a selfing. Maybe 4 or 5 years to the first flowering.
A better learning path might be to buy a flask from an orchid nursery and deflask and raise the little babies.