It's like trying to complete a jigsaw in the dark.
Ecologists at the Australian Network for Plant Conservation, have been trying to discover the mystery combination of a seed, a rare insect and a range of fungi, to breed threatened plants in a lab.
It's all in the name of boosting native orchid numbers, some of which have plummeted to just five plants in the wild.
Dr Noushka Reiter says scientists have learnt how to isolate mycorrhizal fungi, grow it in the lab and then add it to seeds collected in the wild.
"Some really dedicated people from Amaryllis Environmental and DEPI (Department of Environment and Primary Industries) Loddon, have been out there playing little pollinators in the wild," she said.
"They have been hand pollinating these plants and they've managed to get us some seed.
"We've gone out there last winter and isolated mycorrhizal fungi from these plants, we've taken the two back here to the lab and we've put them together in the dark.
"Like all good partners, in a month or two, they've made little babies so we've got little baby spider orchids here now, which we are very excited about."
The Australian Network for Plant Conservation and Wimmera Catchment Management Authority joined forces to run the orchid conservation project.
Ecologists have propagated three central Victorian native orchids; McIvor spider-orchid, Bendigo spider-orchid and Stuart Mill spider-orchid.
Like all good partners, in a month or two, they've made little babies so we've got little baby spider orchids here now, which we are very excited about.Dr Noushka Reiter
The lab also recently germinated seeds of two threatened New South Wales orchid species, the crimson spider-orchid and sand-hill spider-orchid.
Dr Reiter says land clearance, mining and predators have slashed orchid numbers.
She says repopulating the Loddon region in central Victoria with spider-orchids will be a proud moment.
"It's one of the best things that you can do," she said.
"It makes all the work in the lab worthwhile just to be able to put them back in the wild, it's a really good feeling."