Question
I have managed to fertilise my orchids ( phalaenopsis) and have two seed capsules one on each plant.
It seems very complicated to sow the seeds in sterile solutions. Is this necessary? Surely in the wild  the seeds would not germinate in a sterilised environment . Is there a simpler method to deal with my  capsules?

Answer
Catherine, thank you for your question.  Actually, the germination rate of orchid seeds in the wild is very low.  This is the reason that most seed capsules contain thousands of seeds.  In the wild, a seed must settle in just the right environment and that environment must promote seed germination and growth.  To germinate, the seed must be infected by a specific fungus that can break down cellulose to sugars useable by the germinating seed.  Before the advent of sterile culture, seeds were spread at the base of pot cultured orchids.  This permitted a few seeds to be infected by the fungus infecting the parent plant. The problem with this was,like in nature, very low germination rate.  With the advent of sterile culture, it was possible to provide all of the necessary nutrients for germination and growth without need for the fungus.  However, with all of these nutrients present, there is an opportunity for fungal and bacterial spores to germinate in this same nutrient rich medium and this growth can quickly reduce the availability of nutrients to orchid seeds/seedlings. Hence the need for sterile culture which preserves the availability of nutrients. Labs that specialize in orchid culture usually use s separate medium for germination and growth. Sterilization is usually the simplest part of the process.  The most difficult is to transfer the seeds to the germination medium without introducing spores.  Best procedure is to prepare and sterilize the media before use and set aside for a few days before introducing the seeds to be sure the medium is sterile. It is possible to mail order the growth media which is in powder form and needs to be dissolved in water according to instructions. Don't forget that seeds also must be sterilized before use. An excellent book by the late Rebecca Tyson Northen titled "Home Orchid Growing" goes into this whole process in much greater detail.