germination process

The first step in germination process is to harvest the seed capsules, which Roger hand pollinates with a toothpick. The capsules, which look a little like a small okra pod, are either picked green when the embryos are fully developed but not dormant, or later when the capsules are fully ripe and about to split and spill their seeds, which are miniature and look like a cloud of dust specks.

In nature, lady-slippers are transition plants that must be able to jump to another environment when conditions are no longer favorable. The tiny seeds float easily in the wind to a new setting, and only one in a million find just the right environment to germinate and grow into a flowering plant. Robinson, on the other hand, has about a five-percent success rate in vitro, which gives him thousands of seedlings to work with. He contends that the second-generation seeds grown artificially will be even better adapted to in vitro conditions, producing a greater success rate.

After refrigeration, the tiny seeds are grown in vitro in a flask containing a special formula embedded in a base of agar, which includes extracts of potato, pineapple juice or coconut milk containing growth hormones that stimulate the seeds to sprout.

Roger is constantly experimenting with his sprouting and growing media; there are no predetermined formulas to consult. Raising Rarities is on the cutting edge of the complex technology required to propagate large numbers of lady-slippers successfully.

The protocorms, or newly sprouted seeds, are vulnerable to contamination at this stage, and must be transported to a richer formula when they can be easily handled, which may be in six to ten weeks. Depending on the species, some may remain in the growing flask for up to 18 months before being planted out in the nursery beds.

The roots of the sprouted seeds are long and fibrous, with the promise of a mature blooming plant in three to nine years. Painstaking care and long-range planning is required to grow lady-slippers. Much of the winter will be spent methodically seeding and transplanting in the confines of the laboratory while the snow blankets the outdoor nursery.

In the nursery, Roger has created different environments for his lady-slippers once they reach the seedling stage. The woodland species are grown under shade cloth or under a canopy of trees in many layers of chopped leaf mold applied every autumn. Artificial bogs are used to grow bog species such as Cypripedium reginae.
 

Raising Rarities supplies lady-slippers to botanical gardens and the home gardener.

Raising Rarities ships plants in the fall when the plant is fully dormant and are guaranteed to be true to name and to arrive in healthy viable condition. The nursery offers single flowering size plants on a first come first serve basis.

The Cypripedium collection Raising Rarities offers are all North American species and hybrids. Cypripediums for sale here. We now accept major credit cards and electronic checking through PayPal.com.