Thought I'd share a pollination success

So I recently tried a whole buncha crosses; only one of them took (although the jury is still out on a couple, including a Lycaste x Maxillaria cross). Given the kinds of relatively distant crosses which I attempt, any success is exciting.

The pod developing is
Den. (Jim Beck x lindleyi [syn. aggregatum])

As far as I know, no hybrid between these sections has been done before. Here are pics:

http://www.dylansuzanne.info/gallery...album=6&pos=48

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...16963205dRUgAA

As you can see, the Jim Beck is a kingianum hybrid. It's been blooming continuously since early November, but looks like it's finally slowing down.

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I am trying to hurt your dog.

*Very* cool that that took! I think you'll end up with some gorgeous blooms when the time comes, I really do!

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Louis J. Aszod

what are you going to do with the seeds once they 'ripen', sue?

do you do your own flasking?

how long would you estimate the whole process (from pollenation to de-flasking) taking for dendros?

just curious....for now, im happy purchasing flasks that other people have made, instead of making my own. but thats just for now.

Cool - I hope I'm around to see the ultimate flower! Congrats, Sue!

Julie

Sue, what made you decide to have the Jim Beck carry the capsule? (Or did you try both ways?)

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Louis J. Aszod

Wow, that is great. Congrats!

How do you even kind of predict what the flowers or the plant might look like? They are so not alike. I know nothing about orchid breeding, but have folks figured out what traits or characteristics of certain orchids become dominent or recessive when crosses with another orchids? Do you even have a clue as to what colors to expect?

Sorry about the delay in replying. Things have been hectic over here on the Suzanne homestead.

Kew–P: I've tried doing my own flasking. It has not yet worked out well. This one I'll probably send off to some lab or another, unless I can convince a flasker that they want a share in this grex.

To explain this last comment: I've got one flasker who's interested in Bulbo and Pleuro ally crosses, and will flask for me at a sharply discounted rate if it's a cross he thinks will be interesting. I've got another flasker lined up for Phal hybrids. Nobody yet for Dens, and this one's . . . weird.

From mother flask to coming out of second replate . . . a couple of years is my guess.

Louis: Yeah, I tried both ways. This one took, the other didn't. I would have rather it be this way anyhow; that Jim Beck is a monster! It's huge, and the damn thing just won't stop blooming! It seriously has had an average of maybe 15 blooms open at once continuously since November.

Kev: I know I've heard rumors about the pod parent contributing one thing and the pollen parent the other . . . but I can't quite remember how it went. Regardless, as far as I understand it, things are pretty hit-and-miss with crosses from one section to another, like this one. Den. kingianum seems to have a very dominant flower shape, kinda like Epidendrum pseudepidendrum, so it might be no more exciting than a largish yellow kingianum (still pretty cool, but not quite the best case).

As far as colors go, I think things tend to be pretty consistent in most areas of the orchid family. I know in Calanthe you can cross a red bloom with a pink bloom and end up with yellow . . . but I think things work out pretty intuitively in most areas in the family. If I remember correctly, the rumor is that the pollen parent tends to determine color to a greater extent, while the pod parent is dominant in flower shape.

Oh, and by the way, this is all contingent upon my not having screwed up and selfed the Den. Jim Beck by mistake. When will I find out if that's the case? In maybe 5 years, with the first bloom seedlings. This plant is a real performer though, so a selfing wouldn't be too bad.

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I am trying to hurt your dog.

as far as i can recollect the seedling will take more after the pod parent physically than it will the pollen parent. this is in general. there are always freaks (like if you use zygo. mackayi as a pollen parent, no matter what you cross it with, it will look exactly like....mackayi).

i think what is usually done to develop crosses with different growth requirements is to use the one you want the babies to take the most after as the pod parent (like say you have a cool grower and cross it with a warm grower as the pod parent, you will theoretically get some characteristics of the pollen parent, but with the warmth tolerance).

this is my general understanding anyways. i could be way off.

keep us posted sue.

--mo--

Sue,

Good luck with your pod. I hope that you don't have the same thing happen to you that happen to me last week. I had a nice big pod of Mtssa. Aztec x Rodriguezia venusta. They are both beautiful plants and I was much looking forward to the cross. Incidentally, Miltonia, Brassia and Rodriguezia have never been combined before in the same genus. After only three months the pod started getting yellowish. I opened it only to find out there was nothing inside... what a bummer.

I had something else happening to me last year... a nice fat pod of Dialaelia Fair Jewel with Bro. sanguinea (it would also have been a new hybrid genera). Flasked the seed but nothing happened... it just set there... maybe the seed was bad, I don't know.

Anyway, good luck and let us know how it goes.

Cheers,

Alex

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Cheers,

Alex