How to Propagate Orchids from Seed

22.06.2023 - 09:06 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could just plop some seeds into the soil, add water, and have yourself a dozen new orchids?

Unfortunately, growing orchids from seed isn’t nearly that easy. It’s what we’ll classify as an advanced growing technique.

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If starting peas is one of the easiest home gardening projects, orchids would be on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Basically, peas are a one in terms of difficulty, and orchids are an 11 on a scale of one to 10.

Now, don’t abandon all hope and just decide to grow violets instead. I promise, you can do it. It just takes some special tools and some patience.

Orchid seeds don’t have an endosperm, which is the structure that provides most seeds with nutrients until they germinate. They’re also itty-bitty. Working with them is like trying to sow really temperamental bits of wheat flour.

To make up for that lack of endosperm, orchid seeds rely on fungi to help them germinate. It would be extraordinarily difficult to find the exact species of fungus that your particular orchid needs, but some smart folks have figured out a few workarounds.

That’s what we’re going to talk about in this guide. Here’s the a quick rundown of the coming attractions:

In nature, orchids release tons of their tiny seeds into the wind to land on trees, the ground, and other plants, where some of them form a mutually beneficial relationship with mycorrhizal fungi that helps them to germinate.

The fungi help the orchids obtain and transport nutrients, and the orchids help provide the fungi with moisture and nutrients in return.

Scientists can recreate this process in the lab