Monkey Face Orchids

Question

In your information on how to grow the seeds, it states that we could leave them in the refrigerator (to chill); however, when we bring them out they need to be in the sun with temp. from 70-75 degrees. So my question is:

1. Do we bring them out on a daily basis and then put them back in the refrigerator once the sun goes down?
2. Do we place them on a wet towel in the plastic bag?
3. Do we just place them in the plastic bag with NO water to help germinate?
4. Once they germinate, do we plant them above soil, just below soil?
5. Last, what type of soil do we use?

Thank you for your time I do appreciate all your information. I love your website
Stella Flores

Answer 1

Okay, first of all, we may have a confusion going here, growing out of the same common name for two different plants. Monkey face orchids [Dracula simia] are a completely different plant, different family completely, than monkey flower [Mimulus spp, usually ringens] (sometimes called Allegheny monkey flower, or Vandenburg monkey flower). I’m guessing you have the common monkey flower, simply because monkey face orchids are rather rare, and mostly found among orchid specialists.

To answer your questions: Once they’ve had their chill period, “winter” is over – don’t put them back into the frig. In order to simplify things, and to decrease the handling of the seeds and seedlings, I would put the seeds into a germination tray with seed starting medium, placing them on the soil surface with a light dusting of starting mixture over them, lightly moisten the mixture with a spray bottle, place the whole thing into a plastic bag, and into the frig. When the chill period is over, remove from frig and place in your germination spot. Remove from bag when seeds germinate, and allow to grow on until you’re ready to move them outside. A commercial seed starting medium is probably the most convenient for you; presumably you’ll be planting them outdoors. If you’re thinking of keeping them in pots, fill those with a potting mix with good drainage. Here’s more information on starting seeds: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/seeds/cheap-seed-starting-how-to-germinate-seeds-at-home.htm
Or you could just do it nature’s way, and put your seeds outside to let winter do the chilling, as the article on monkey flowers suggests.