These are the Phrag Lynn-Evans Goldner "Full Circle" HCC/AOS x besseae flavum seedlings that Ki and I got at the NCOS show this weekend. She got 2 flasks, I got one. I decided to pot one in s/h with very small medium, and the other in the CHC/sphag/perlite mixture that that Repotting place - myrepot or whatever it is - was selling. Kind of a pulverized mixture, so much finer than it sounds. The top is the regular chc type mix, the bottom photo is the semi-hydro - I've got them covered for now, it's only the first 24 hours so far, have two small holes in each cover for a bit of air. I want to try to keep the humidity up without turning the thing into mold - gonna be a bit of a challenge I fear. For what it's worth, they had amazing roots.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6550/107/1600/deflask1-2.jpg


http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6550/107/1600/deflask2.jpg

I don't see the pictures...

Does this work?

http://americablog.blogspot.com/deflask1-2.jpg


http://americablog.blogspot.com/deflask2.jpg

Yes, I see them now. Thanks!

They look great! And what an interesting idea for retaining humidity. I'd be scared to death if I did that, I'd see them rotting before my eyes. I hope it works for you. Please keep us posted.

Well, I wasn't sure what to do . I live in a studio apt, so I can't get the humidity up to 70%, it's impossible, without some fixing. So I thought I'd try this for a few days to get up the humidity, then put a few more holes in to help lower it somewhat and decrease the risk of getting mold, but am not sure.

Okay, you sufficiently scared me - I poked a LOT more holes in the thing, like 14 or so.

Looks great, John. :cool: Please keep us posted.

Do you have a fan blowing across the top of the containers? Air circulation would seem important with so much moisture. I'm interested to see how it works out.
J.

My thought is same as Phragfan.
-The first picture (is the real pot sitting above the diatomite water pot ?) seems to make sense.
-The second picture (shows the pot actually in water?) With the cap on top already, You may not need to actually sit it in high water level. You may need to low the water level down so some air can pass thru the pot's side slits and go up thru the pebbles.
From what I heard lately, the roots of seedlings do need access to oxygen too.

Hi John, I would recommend removing the top and giving the seedlings direct air for a short period each day. This encourages the seedlings to start hardening as they adapt from an 100% humidity environment (flask) to your environment. Each day increase the amount of exposure by one hour for a week or so. Your plants should then be able to handle the drier normal air. Also when covered, make sure that at least some small air exchange is occurring to help discourage molds and bacteria growth. This used to be my preferred method.
I now only loosely cover the flat of deflasked seedligs with a piece of plastic for a day or two, exposing them for a few hours each day. Then they're on their own. They are in my grow room where the humidity is generally 40% during the day and 60% at night. Good Luck!

Thanks guys. As I'd mentioned above, I cut another 14 or so holes in each container to make sure it was getting air. Also, I'm giving them some cone-free time during the day to slowly harden them up. As for the one sitting in water, that's because I'm trying to grow it semi-hydro - the medium is inert, and it's a semi-hydro mix (my own) that has worked well with my other plants. I figured I'd give it a try.