Deflasking and how to grow the younger plants .

(1) How to deflask

1. At the beginning

I'm so happy to know many peoples are going to interested in growing orchids and Paphiopedilums newly in these days. Further more, the new species , some species in the subgenus Parvisepalum were discovered from China and Viet Nam and we are very interested in the unique and wonderful new species and in the new hybrids using these new species. These phenomenon should be better for us, the Paph fans of course because it is wan will be easier to get the seedlings of them from nurseries. For the nurseries, the seedlings using the new species are main sales point. Over 10 years before, only the limited Paph. fans of hobbyists and nurseries were making their hybrids. Because the almost hobbyists wanted to get the selected or awarded plants only and are not interested in the young plants unflowered. Because they said, there are always not to be possibility selecting the good clones. But according the increasing Paph. fans, they recognize the higher possibility of being selected the better clones and the enjoyment for waiting flowers of new hybrids that no one never have seen. And in these days, according to the increasing about knowledge of the characters of each species for breeding, so many Paph. fans are beginning to make hybrids. It is not only by the veteran but also by the beginners. And in order to get more chance for selecting the better clones, many Paph. fans want to get younger plants in CP or flasks. Because their prices would be inexpensive and would be gotten by more quantity. But some of them will make a mistake to deflask and lose a lot of seedlings. Considering about Paph. fans in future, I expect them to succeed to deflask and grow the younger plants well. The step of deflasking must be the very big and important step for the beginners to overcome to be one of veteran in future. I'm looking forward to hearing your succeed to deflask and to grow the seedlings well.

From now, I'll talking about how to deflask and how to grow the younger plants from the flask. But as mentioned in the another site about the procedures of growing Paphs., it is dependent on your own characters for growing Paphs like watering period and on the environments strongly. So, the contents mentioned here is not only one way to grow, you know. But it will be help for you, I believe. Considering the contents, you should modify the procedures for the best for you by yourself. I want you to make a chance overcoming the big problems for the beginners.

2. About young plants in flask

You have to know that there is the problem in good hybrids or not and that there is the problem in the quality of plants in flask. Of course, we want to get the high quality of flasks containing the better young plants. Unfortunately almost of all beginners don't know the quality of young plants in flask. For the beginners, the smaller plants in flask of a few cm will not be able to deflask and grow well. For the beginners especially, the bigger plants in flask will be better, grew to near the top of flask. The smaller the young plants are, the much more difficult to grow well for the beginners. On the other hand, the best young plants in flask would be grown well enough to plant to a individual plastic pot directly. It might be higher price that not so many plants in one flask would be better than many small plants in one flask. The former plants would get good quality of sun light enough and be very healthy. See the plants in flask. You will be able to identify the quality of the plants. Although it might be dependent on the breeding, the better plants is good fresh green color, shining and vivid. Don' forget that it is not so difficult to make plants in flask but that it is very difficult to make the nice plants in flask for commercially. Only making flask will be easy to make by the beginners. But to make the better young plants in flask is dependent on the skillful commercial maker. You can select the nice flask. This is very important for the beginners and the one step to be grade up for your identification. Once again, for the beginners, to select the young plants in flask is the first and important step for making progress for yourself.

１）How to deflask and take notice

The most important for deflasking is not to hurt the leaves and/or roots of the plants in flask. Someone shake the flask, loose the afar and take plants by spoon or tweezers directly. But this procedure will hurt the leaves and roots, you know. I can not recommend the way for the beginners. Then, I want to recommend that you broke flask and take the plants with afar. The followings, I want to introduce the one of the best way safety for the beginners.

（１）Take off the cap before a few day and keep it in the darker place shaded 60 ~ 70 % at least. Because the young plants in flask shut in the flask in high humidity must be used to the natural air .

The good plants are grown well in flask as above. Before deflask, the plants must be used to the environments. So you take off the cap and keep the flask for a few days. You may leave for the longer. But before the agar would be contaminated ( right photo ), you had better deflsk.

　

（２）Put water ( tap water will be all right ) to the top of flask, put the flask into the plastic bag and hit the edge of flask on the plastic film. As you put the flask into the bag, the broken glass will be in bag and is safety for you. And also, you had better ware the cotton groves for your safety.

Put water to the top of flask.	Hit the edge of flask and the broken glass will be in a bag.

（３）Take off the small piece of glass at all and keep the young plants with agar on your hand.

（４）Take off the agar by flashing water .

Using a hose, flash tap water to the agar directly. It will be easy to take off the agar. Be careful not to hurt the roots by the stronger flashing. Sometimes, the agar will not be taken off perfectly. But Don't worry about that. You may leave the agar on the roots. Someone does not take off the agar and plant it directly although I don't recommend.And in case of the fungi's contamination, the agar will not be taken off well too. Also, there is no problems frm my experience. You plant them with agar and fungi together.

As I mentioned above, you may plant them with agar. But in this case, the agar will be decreases gradually and you put the compost dependent on the decrease.

（５）When it is easy to unfasten the complicate roots, you had better split the young plants individually. If not, you had better plant them ( right photo ) in a lump and to make community pot. The important is not to hurt the roots and leaves.

unfasten the roots and split the young plants individually.	If not, plant them in a lump.

（６）Before planting, you had better sterilize the young plants by some medicine in the regular dilution of Hydroxyisoxyzal ( Tchigaren, the product's name in Japan ) or Captan ( Osocide etc.) for 10 ~ 30 seconds.

It's very easy to use the bigger size of plastic pot or a basket immersing directly like photo.

（７）Dry the plants for 4 ~ 5 min.

２）Transplanting young plants to Community Pot