 |
|
Each orchid flower contains thousands of seeds.
|
Orchid propagator Edward Souder approaches his hobby with the dedication of a scientist, receiving orchid seed from collectors all over the world.
Ed uses an air filter over his work table to prevent contaminating the seeds with mold or fungus spores. All planting and moving of the plants occurs at this clean-air station.
He places the tiny seeds in vials that are then filled with hydrogen peroxide to sterilize the seeds. He later puts the seeds into sterile humidity-controlled flasks.
Seedlings are housed in sterilized milk bottles. The growing medium is made in another part of the lab and sterilized in the bottles.
It can take as long as three years to grow a crop of plants. As the orchids grow, Ed moves them into pots. It can take up to seven years for an orchid to come into bloom.
| 
)
