From the vessel to the growing enviroment
In-vitro plants have developed in a highly controlled environment with high humidity and a constant supply of water and nutrients. Acclimatization is the process of gradually adapting them to the conditions they will face outside the vessel.
The goal is simple: reduce stress while giving the plant time to become independent.
1.Clean the plant
Remove the plant from the vessel and gently wash away the remaining culture medium using RO water. This leaves the roots clean before moving the plant into its new environment.
2.Protect the plant
Briefly treat the cleaned plant with a diluted fungicide solution before planting. This is part of our current acclimatization process and helps us reduce the risk of fungal problems during the transition.
3.Choose the substrate
Place the plant into a suitable substrate. We mainly use a fine mineral mix for aroids, while sphagnum/perlite mix can also be used depending on the plant and situation.
4.Give the roots controlled moisture
We use double-bottom pots to create a small moisture reservoir beneath the substrate. The substrate can slowly absorb the moisture it needs while the plant itself is kept above standing water.
5.Create a humid enviroment
A transparent cup or dome is placed over the plant to maintain high humidity during the first stage of acclimatization. We currently use simple 200 ml transparent cups with ventilation holes as individual domes.
6.Increase ventilation gradually
The plant shouldn't stay in a sealed environment forever. We start with limited ventilation and gradually add more openings over time. As the plant becomes stronger, humidity can slowly decrease and airflow can increase.
7.Let the plant adapt
Over time, the plant becomes increasingly independent from the protected environment. We monitor new growth, root development, moisture and overall condition rather than following a fixed timeline for every plant.
8.Ready for normal growing
Once the plant can maintain healthy growth under normal humidity and airflow, the acclimatization process is complete. The plant is now ready to grow like any other established plant.
9.Our first observations
We are still developing and testing our acclimatization approach, so these results should not be considered a proven protocol.
Across our first batches, plants successfully survived the transition, giving us an observed survival rate of 96.4%.
This is only our first observation, but the consistency between the two batches gives us a reason to continue testing, documenting and improving the method.