How do you pollinate a phal flower?

[monkeyman]

I don't really know that much about orchids. I only have five, seven counting the small ones. They're all Dendrobiums except for one Phal. that's flowering. I wanted to know, how do you pollinate a Phal. flower? Where is the stigma and the pollen cap? I can't seem to find them. But it might help if I know what I'm looking for.


Thanks,
Mike

 

[carnivorous23]

I've seen a few diagrams and explanations, but I've never managed to get it right. The only thing that has worked for me at all is getting bees to do it, but unfortunately, they're hard to find this time of year.

 

[Khai]

The sexual organs of Orchids are fused into the column.
The pollinia are located underneath the anther cap, the stigma is located on the bottom of the column directly behind the pollinia.

Go to the library, theyve got lots of old books with plenty of diagrams you could also search for books on Amazon.
I think once youve done some more reading youll find that growings orchids from seed is a bit more complex than just fertilizing the flower and simply sowing the seed.

 

[monkeyman]

I already know about the problem with orchid seed and I'm suprised they survive in the wild at all, but I've heard that you can sprinkle the seed around the parent plant and one or two will germinate. I really don't have the time or the money to sow orchid seeds in-vitro.

 

[monkeyman]

I think I did it right. Two of the pollinated flowers lost their petals and seem to be turning into pods, but one flower just dried up and died.

Another flower is developing on a separate stalk, although I'm thinking of cutting the flower off and using the stalk for vegetative propagation.

 

[Khai]

Well it sounds like one took but you still have to be able to sow the seed in vitro. Unless your plant was collected from the wild of which I am 99.9% sure it was not your seed will not geminate on the media of the parent.
In natural conditions there is a sybiotic relationship with the seed and a type of Mycorrhizal fungus, once that plant assosciates with that fungus it is infected for life, and thus can be used to seed others with its mycorrhizae via seed.
Your plant on the other hand was grown in vitro therefore it houses no such fungus and thus cannot pass any on to furture generations.
Unless you plan on buying a TC Kitchen Kit with orchid seed media you can just call this practice.
This I can assure you of, Ive grown Orchids for over 8 years and was growing and breeding them in a commercial environment for 3 of those years.

Once again all I can say is READ.