Last summer I started a pod on my Dendrobium antennatum. After waiting and watching and waiting and watching a golf ball size fruit developed. Without notice (at least it could have called my cell phone after all I did for this plant) the pod exploded and one day I noticed want looked like small wood shavings all over the plants around the dendrob. I was _________ (fill in the blank and happy is not one of the choices).
So I gathered what I could from the pod so I could take it to someone to try to sew in flask. On a neighboring Cattleya plant there was a large deposit of seed. I took a bulb pan and put some old potting mix from some paphs I was repoting. I knocked a bunch of seeds into the pan with the old used mix. I figured it might have the fungus necessary for growth and it would be fun to watch to see what happens.
Today under the 10x magnifier I can see bunches of the seed turning a granny smith green and looking like real plant material.
Even if I don't get anything to grow up and bloom this is a great chance to see how orchids grow in the wild (without leaving my greenhouse).
Now I know Al and Ray and the rest of you who flask seed everyday are saying this guy is wacked. I can show you a whole basement full of orchid seed sprouting but I am excited to see that nature really works sometimes.
Good Growing, Gene