Cattleya breeding

[PaphMadMan]

With complex Catt hybrids like these parents, with many generations of breeding behind them, slow germinators were probably eliminated from the gene pool long ago. Somewhere along the line someone would not have had the patience to wait months for germination. With fresh healthy seed and good media I would expect to see something within 2-4 weeks.

Paphs, especially within only 1 or 2 generations from certain species, could be a very different story as Goeff experienced. And I know of a case where a Cypripedium species seed took over 3 years to germinate, and then just 1 from the flask.

[Chris in Hamilton]

Wow, hope that Cypripedium was very special. We had a guest speaker at our meeting a while back who said that they are getting flowering Phal. two years from flasking.

[PaphMadMan]

It was a native Cyp species, I don't recall which, from a wild collected pod. The flasker was working with Cyps and other native terrestrial orchids at a time when very few people in North America were, and experimenting with media and conditions. He liked to let experiments run their full course if at all possible. I think he had a flask of Galearis spectablis that took about as long before a few seeds germinated. He soon had very successful flasks too.

[Chris in Hamilton]

My newborns. Kind of neat the way some are growing right on the glass surface.

[RandyT]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Exciting times ahead!

[Chris in Hamilton]

Making pretty good progress. Two of the three flasks look like this but the other has nothing. We suspect that we forgot to add the seed.

[chemist]

Time to replate. What jars you guys used?
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[Chris in Hamilton]

I think re-plating is a fair way's off yet Svetlana. I counted them along an inch of the outside edge and came up with about 120 in each baby food jar. Next is fruit drink bottles.

[chemist]

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[CattyRobb]

Hi Chris. How are your seedlings coming along? I've been following this thread with breathless antici...... pation.