Breeding Catts: A Photo Journey

[Piper]

Meet the folks!

In March I decided to cross the two full-sized Catts I had blooming, since the cross hasn't yet been registered. Lc. Mildred Rives (a huge plant with large 8" flowers) and C. gaskelliana (more refined with 6" flowers.)

I first crossed them on 3/23, using gask pollen onto MR, but nothing happened. I then crossed them again on 3/29, using a fresher MR flower. I decided at that point to cross the plants in both directions, since the parent that develops the seed pod (aka the pod parent) imparts more of its characteristics to the flowers, and I wanted to see what the lovely gaskelliana would produce. So I pollinated each with the others pollen.

First pic is MR, the second is gaskelliana.

Julie

[Piper]

On the second attempt, the pollinated flowers on both plants lost their fragrance within 12 hours. This was a good sign, since why should they attract pollinators if they'd been pollinated?

Within a few days both flowers began to fade. Both flowers faded together on the gask, but the pollinated one continued to have a healthy green stem, as you can see in the first pic. This is where the seed pod will form. (The stem on the left).

It's now 29 days post sex and seed pods are evident on both plants. The first pic is MR, and is more pronounced. I'm impressed she's still blooming - the first flowers opened on 3/1! The second pic is the gask's seed pod. Less pronounced, but still obvious.

There are two methods for harvesting seeds: green pod and dry seed. Green pod means the seeds are flasked from the seed pod before it fully matures and splits open (as it would in nature.) A huge advantage to this method is that the pod needs to be sterilized before it's opened, but that the seeds inside are still sterile.

Dry pod means the pod has matured and split on its own. Now everything inside must be sterilized (big pain!) Plus studies show that germination success is much higher with seeds still in the green pod stage.

Green pod is the route I'll go. Here are some estimated times for seed pod development you might find interesting:

http://www.orchidworks.com/ozone/greenpod.htm

Oh yes - Aaron (aka ATester) is the designated flasker for this project! Aaron, brush up on you Catt skills! I figure we'll be ready in Sept. I can get you use of a hood at Dartmouth, if you really want to play!

Stay tuned, Catt fans!

Julie

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Amazing!!!!!!!!

Not hearing from you about this for a while, I suspect your orchid sex probably worked but I was not so sure! And finally yesterday you hinted in one of your posts that the plants took! So a congratulations is in order. Looking good looking good, my friend!

Congratulations, Julie, you are pregnant with orchid pods, a twin in fact!!!!! Hehehehehehe!
Cheers. Hoa.

[Jmoney]

good luck! should be some really nice catts!

[Tindomul1of9]

Wow, this is exciting! This would be a new cross no one has done before? And you get to name it anything? When do you register it, after its first bloom? Or before?

Good Luck!!!!!!!!

[Piper]

Thanks guys!

It is exciting, Tindo, but patience is required (not my strong suit). It could be five+ years before we get any blooms. A seedling from a new cross must bloom before you can register and name the cross.

Wouldn't it be something to get close and then have someone register the cross ahead of me, because they actually made the cross before I did! (Could happen...)

There are still lots of things that can go wrong. Flasking isn't a no brainer. But I'm confident in Aaron's developing skills! It should be an interesting project at least. And seedlings for the forum - yippee!

Julie

[Diane]

Congrats! And you have my address when those seedlings are ready....

[ATester]

Really?!! You really mean it!! Playtime with a hood????

Ok, well don't feel that the excitement is contrived, I'd be very excited with the prospect!!

Sept-ober huh? Plently of time to get the mad-science prep done.

BTW Julie, gorgeous plants. And Cattfans, we'll keep a photo journal.

Aaron

[Piper]

Ok...I need updated pod photos...they're definitely prego!

Rain all day tomorrow, so light will stink, but before the weekend for sure!

Julie

[Tikva]

wow that is SO COOL!!! Neat guys!!! I still want to see how a person goes about flasking and all that. I would have liked to see how you pollinate them too.. next time?
Flower scientists... neat.

I'll take a baby hehe!