There are threads focused on grafting, rooting, airlayering, and germinating seeds, but I couldn’t find one for DIY tissue culture techniques. There’s a short pamphlet from the University of Illinois Extension office that makes it seem like it’s not that hard, with effective at-home sterilization being the part most likely to go wrong:
micropropagation_at_home.pdf (396.9 KB)
There’s a lot more detail here, which is in the format of a structured school lesson:
Has anyone actually given anything like this a try?
5 Likes
I haven’t tried it yet, but this channel has great instructions for it, and a sort of charisma or charm.
4 Likes
I know you’d relish the challenge of DIY.
Every time I stop at my local ‘specialty’ nursery, I read the instructions on this Athena off the-shelf tissue-culture box and am intimidated by the many steps!!
3 Likes
Not so interested in doing my own tissue cultures, but I am curious about how to acclimate TC plants you receive from someone else. Curious how others have handled them. Are you just potting them up straight away, or how much do you have to baby them to have success?
1 Like
I have only acclimated orchids from TC, but I think the basics still apply to other plants. TC plants have minimal cuticle to prevent water loss and are usually grown under fairly low light, so they need to be slowly acclimated to regular growing conditions, i.e. very high humidity while they grow roots that can function in a non-agar medium. Fungicides are your friend, though the plantlets can be burned easily. Expect lots of losses due to mold though, if the fungus situation isn’t controlled.
4 Likes
Okay, thanks for that tip!
1 Like
