Eleven months ago we cross pollinated two of our Cymbidium hookerianum plants and since September we have been checking the seed capsules (pods) every day to look for signs of them splitting and releasing the seed. Well this morning there was a fine snow of tiny creamy seeds falling in the corner of our Temperate section and close inspection showed that the smaller pod had a small split.

Fortunately we had only lost a few thousand seed and the pod was still packed with more than a million lovely healthy seeds. These are now drying on a piece of clean paper for sowing next week as soon as school is open. We will store seed in our seed bank too. First we will dry seed above a saturated calcium chloride solution, this reduces the moisture content (but not too much), and then keeping it in our fridge for a lifetime’s supply of Cymbidium hookerianum.

The seed we sow should be ready as seedlings for sale by Christmas 2019 and we think everyone needs to grow this iconic species from the Sikkim Himalaya – see day 24 for full details.

All eyes now on the larger seed capsule – we don’t want too much snow falling in the greenhouse this Christmas.