The seeds need to be near what is called a mycorrhizal fungus. The seeds lack nutrients, and the fungus feeds them. But the fungus is rare, and some of its surroundings are threatened.
Expert Tom Mirenda says orchids growing in nature depend completely on their environment to survive. And development or natural disasters can change that environment. The orchids cannot reproduce if birds and insects are no longer living in the area. Mr. Mirenda says loss of forests and climate change are part of the problem.
Today, science and technology can produce orchids in large numbers in greenhouse settings. In 1917, Cornell University scientist Lewis Knudsen found that under some conditions, the fungus was not needed. He discovered that seeds or spores could grow if the seed could develop in a special preparation. The preparation had a sugar base and was similar to gelatin, a food product. The method was put into use a few years later in greenhouses.
Seed germination in sterile nutrients is now a common way to reproduce orchids.
Mericloning also is a common modern method of reproducing orchids. The process calls for culturing from the merismatic tissue on a plant. Active growth takes place in that area. In the process, a small piece of tissue is taken from a high quality orchid. The tissue is made into tiny pieces and grown in a laboratory. Many copies of the orchid are produced as a result.
Would you like to grow orchids at home? Some experts suggest that for beginning growers, Phalaenopses are the best species to work with. They grow in temperatures that humans like. But they need to be cool at night to guarantee development of flower spikes.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25