Most native ground orchids require a fungus that lives in partnership (symbiotic)around the tubers of certain natives. If you can aquire this mainly found around wild ones then you can propagate them , this is the only method that i have had success. If you need the fungus I have it on my property will mail some if required.

Regards
Sye.

Have fun
Sye.

John

First off, orchids are highly evolved flowering plants, and as such, they reproduce via seeds, not spores --- although the seeds are so tiny as to look like they are spores from ferns.

Secondly, orchid seed are germinated commercially all the time, without the benefit of the microrhyza (always forget the spelling of this, sorry) fungi. It is true that in the wild, this is how orchids germinate (e.g. by establishing a symbiotic relationship with specific microrhyzae). However, commercial growers have gotten around the problem by germinating the plants in a specifically formulated agar-like media, inside of a sterile test tube environment, using a special gadget for that purpose, called a laminar-flow device, that allows manipulation and planting of the seed without contaminating it with the bugs, bacteria and bad fungi that float about in the air.

Amateurs can achieve fairly good results on their own, but this requires several steps: 1.) preparing the nutrient agar beforehand from a special recipe, and making sure it is (and remains) sterile until the test-tube is ready for sowing the seeds into it, 2) Harvesting the seed pod just *before* it dehices (e.g. before it bursts, and both scatters the seed and exposes it to outside contaminants). This guarantees that the seed will not carry contaminants into the sterile test-tube environment, but is difficult to time and harvest, because each species has a specific number of days before it dehices, and you risk jumping the gun and harvesting before the seed is viable, or too late (the pod bursts), 3.) Transfering the seed to the sterile medium without contaminating it in the process, then resealing the test tube until after germination, when the seedlings have achieved a sufficient size to allow survival outside the test tube.

Each of these steps is fairly involved, but not impossible. There was an article in the American Orchid Society Journal in the early nineties or late 80's that gave step by step instruction, if anyone wants to do some reasearch.