Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Germination

Difficult from seed. Seed is mixed with a soil based carrier to make the seed easier to handle. Sow seed and soil mix together. DIFFICULT METHOD: Create a sterile box, an old fish tank with a rigid plastic lid is ideal, spray the interior with 1:9 bleach to water and leave wet. Seeds are tiny. First wet seeds with a single drop of washing up liquid then place in a tube with 1:9 domestic bleach to water for 30 minutes to sterilise the seeds. Shake vigorously during this time. The seed may become pale. Drain the contents of the tube through a filter. If thick bleach was used washed the seeds with sterile water, not required if thin bleach was used. To create a growing medium use 6-9g of agar per litre of hot water with 10-15g oats and a half strength liquid fertiliser. Place liquid in a pressure cooker for 30 mins. at max. pressure. Allow pressure cooker to cool in the sterile box before removing the lid. Cover the lid-less pan with sterilised cling film allowing contents to cool. Transfer contents to sterilized petri dishes or kilner jars. Allow contents to solidify. Carefully spread seed into mixture in the kilner jars or petri dish. Place the lid on the petri dish or jar. Wrap whole dish or jar in 4 layers of cling film which have been sprayed with the dilute 1:9 bleach, water solution. Place jars/dishes somewhere dark and warm for 2 months. The seed should swell to what is called a protocorm. At this stage expose to cold for at least 6 weeks (but do not freeze) then return to room temp. and daylight. This should encourage leaf formation. At this stage re-plate into a deeper agar mixture which has 1g of charcoal added per litre, and is at least 2.5cm deep. A fungus can be added at this stage if available. Leave seedlings for 1 year. Admit air during this time otherwise they may suffer damping off. Plant out the following spring. EASY METHOD: Mix seed with silver sand. Sprinkle onto undisturbed ground, be very patient, in a year or so seedlings may, or may not, emerge.

Growing

Prefers a moist, water retentive, humus-rich, leafy soil in partial shade. Try to avoid extremes of waterlogging, winter wet or drying out. Feed only with a very dilute liquid fertiliser. Can also be container planted. Dress the soil surface with fine grit to prevent neck-rot in spring.

Cultivation

No pruning required, Tidy plant if required. Keep fairly dry in winter, withhold water during the coldest weather. May require protection form the most severe frosts, if container grown do not allow to freeze. Greenhouse grown plants are prone to damping off.