Seed production and storage

by Wm. Paul Mitchell

1. Use the best clones of the species that you are able to secure. An inferior clone should be used only as a second choice, or if the species in question happens to be quite rare in cultivation.
2. Sibling crosses (or out-crossing) of the same species is useful for maintaining a wide gene pool, but if there is any doubt as to the validity of two individual plants as being the same species, it is probably wiser to make a selfing. Having the species identified by a recognized orchid taxonomist can in most cases eliminate this doubt.
3. Choose fresh, fully opened blossoms whose stems (ovaries) are clean and unblemished by any bruising, insect damage, or dark spots that could indicate fungal infection of the external tissue of the (soon to expand) ovary. The latter item has been found to destroy seedpods during shipping. (Likewise, if the enlarging pod later develops such spotting as it approaches maturity, it may be best to consider shipping the seed out of pod).
4. Before you begin the pollinating procedures, place the plant in its pot on a clean surface such as newspaper, writing paper, or paper toweling (preferably white). This is useful for finding any dropped pollen.
5. Use a clean toothpick or similarly shaped object, of an appropriate size for the flower(s) at hand. The pollen is to be found below the anther cap at the tip of the column. Look underneath the column (the surface facing the lip) to find the stigmatic cavity, a recessed area near he tip of the column. At the end of this cavity nearest the tip will be a small flap hanging down to which the pollinia (pollen masses) are attached; the pollen will most likely not be visible at this time. Touch the toothpick to this flap, which is sticky, and force it gently forward, away from the stigmatic cavity. The flap is sticky and will adhere to the toothpick, withdrawing the pollen masses. Sometimes this flap may have dried out and will not be sticky. If this is so, first touch the toothpick to the surface of the stigma, which is sticky too. Then use it to lift the flap with the pollinia out of the flower. The poellen masses may then be inserted into the stigmatic cavity, where its sticky surface will hold the pollen firmly. Now pollinated, the flower will begin to fold after a few hours.
6. IMPORTANT: Please label your pollinated flower! Do _NOT_ rely upon memory. The necessary information should include, for selfings: the correct name of species, with any clonal or award names; if a sib cross, name of the second (pollen) parent of that same species, with its clonal names and awards, if any. Labels should also include the following: date of pollination, the position of the flower on the inflorescence (sometimes very useful after the other flowers have fallen). It is often customary to record the name of any person from whom pollen was obtained, in case they request a few seedlings in return for stud service, or simply for reason of keeping track of the location (in your own records) of the pod parent for later reference, if needed. It is also important to know the owners of both parent plants for record keeping in regards to genetic variability for later breeding with the seedlings produced.

1. Greenpod denotes a mature, but still unopened, seedpod. The green seedpod is the ideal container in which to ship orchid seed. As long as the pod is closed, the seed in it will remain sterile, which is of the utmost utility. Such pods must be cut from the plant at the last practical moment, then shipped by the quickest method. The TOCC labs must be advised IN ADVANCE that a greenpod is being sent.
2. To send a greenpod, first check it carefully to be certain that it is sill sealed. Thoroughly examine the pod for scale, snails or any other types of pest, and remove them if found. Cut the seedpod from the plant with a clean, very sharp knife, without shredding or bruising the stem. After the pod is cut, wipe it lightly with alcohol or other mild disinfectant and dry it carefully; this is doubly important if the pod has developed any black fungal spots during its maturation period.
3. Seal the cut end of the stem (be sure to cut well below the area where the stem has begun to swell) with a drop or two of candle wax to slow the drying of the pod tissues, and to prevent contamination via the stem. This can help keep the pod from opening too soon if it must travel a great distance in the mail. (Also please remove any old or dried flower parts, which could contaminate the seed should the pod split during transit.)
4. Place the prepared pod in a paper envelope and seal all edges with cellophane or masking tape, being certain to leave no gaps. If this is not done and the pod should open en route, much seed can be lost due to its minute size. Use no plastic wrap or any type of plastic baggie which retards air circulation and holds moisture, both of which can cause the enclosed pod to decay or split. The sealed envelope should be placed into a small, sturdy carton with newspaper or slightly loose packing to support it. MAIL IT BY EXPRESS OVERNIGHT MAIL to avoid spoilage due to otherwise slow handling.
5. Pods traveling in from abroad should be placed in an envelope and sealed as described in 4, above, but the most certain way to ensure its arrival in our hands is if you can arrange for someone who is travelling to the USA to courier it on the plane to us for you. If their destination is not near us, then you can have them overnight express it to us, as this service is easily avaliable in all major airports. Note that orchid seed is essentially exempt from the CITES restrictions imposed on the orchid plants themselves.

Occasionally a seedpod will open unexpectedly or may suffer inflicted by insects or animals. When the pod is breached, it is no longer sterlie and the seeds inside, while still viable, are most likely contaminated. Should this occur, the seed must be removed from the pod and stored in a cool, dry place. A clean room without drafts is an ideal place to accomplish this.
Place a clean sheet of paper on a flat surface. Cut the pod open gently at right angles to its length with a very sharp knife. The pod alternatively may have to be split open along one of the ridges that runs its length, where it would naturally split. Tap the seed gently out of the pod onto the piece of paper. Again, try to remove all old flower parts before harvesting the seed, and be very sure no small pieces of the pod fall into the seed. This type of contamination is too small to be seed, and cannot be sterilized by any current methods.
Divide the seed into as many portions as you will need, then wrap each portion into a separate 3" x 5" piece of paper using a pharmacists' fold. Tape all open edges of the packet. Seed may be placed in small coin envelopes instead, also making certain that the edges are securely sealed with tape.
Now, label each packet or envelope with all pertinent informatino about the seed that was on the label from the seedpod. Include the native origins of the species or where it was collected, if known.
Place the packets into a suitable container that will hold them and place a small packet of drier, such as calcium chloride, in the container with them. The dessicant must not be in direct contact with the seed! The seed may be refrigerated, but MUST NOT be frozen!

Most orchid pollen may be stored in the same fashion as described for orchid seed, as noted above. Be certain that all pollen is bright, and not gray or discolored. Discard any that is.
Wrap and label orchid pollen as described for orchid seed. Most pollen will last approximately six months, although the pollen of certain genera has a viabiliy of only days or weeks.

Orchid seed prepared as described above should be kept cool until the time of shipping to minimize deterioration. When ready to ship, place packaged seed in a suitable non-plastic container, as described for shipping seedpods, and ship overnight express mail. An alternative is to place the seed into a regular mailing envelope and send through regular mail. Mark shipping container "ORCHID SEED- PERISHABLE". Orchid seed is exempt from CITES restrictions from abroad. Alternatively, arrange with someone traveling in our direction to courier the seed to us as described above.
Orchid pollen may be shipped in the same manner as orchid seed.