Anyone have experience growing orchids from seed?

Is this something I should try? I see some bulbophyllum seeds on ebay. Looks like it might be interesting.
Roxanne

It's very difficult, orchid seeds are not like most other plant seeds. They're usually sown in sterile conditions on a specially prepared medium. Any contamination by fungus/bacteria can cause total loss.

In nature the seeds have a relationship with a specific fungus which provides nutrients for the seedling. "Foreign" fungus/bacteria will kill it. The seed itself being so small has nothing to feed the seedling.

Orchid flowers produce seeds in the thousands, but relatively few make it to maturity in nature. Try googling the subject and you'll get a good idea of the enormity of the task.

Thanks Tropic. I'll Google it. Maybe someday I'll give it a try with some seeds that aren't too expensive.
Rox

it can be a very expensive endeavor.
You grow them in sterile media in sealed flasks, and from the research I did a long while ago, each species has a preference for a certain gel media. It requires a specialized set up of equipment.

When you see orchid 'flasks' for sale you are looking at the tiny plants that are growing in the media inside the bottles. People experienced in nurturing these along buy orchid flasks full of seedlings, grow them out and sell the mature plants.

After the flask stage, you put the little seedlings into compots to grow. Sounds like a very long and tedious process to me.

Gothqueen's right. I did give it a try but couldn't maintain the high level of sterility required. They were seeds from my own orchids, so that part of it was cheap. Got a good growth of fungus out of it in the end though ;O)

Orchid division is much quicker and easier..i'd only bother raising seeds of a orchid i have crossed, that hasn't been done before. A long process between sowing and flowering.

One exception in my experience with orchid growing from seed is Oeceoclades maculata, the monk orchid. Mature seedpods or freshly opened pods can be placed, tossed or scattered on dirt with dead leaves. Even a potted plant will work. Within about 6 months, up they come.
p.s. this species is considered invasive in Fl.