1st bloom seedling

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

I came up with the idea of undivine intervention, and wouldn't be surprised that other people do it too hehehe.

If a petal hasn't opened all the way out, then maybe - just maybe - it's possible to use a device with an artificial little finger to gently hold the petal in a particular position - for a day or so, and then see what happens after the 'finger' is released. This might work nicely for a fairly newly opened flower. When the finger is released - there might be a chance that the petal will remain permanently in place.

Same idea for reflexed/curled-back sepals.

I recently successfully used a 'helping hands' device to correct the angle of a front-lobe of a catt-type flower - with extremely nice results.

The flower was still new and fresh, and correcting the angle of the front-lobe by holding the lobe in place (gently with a finger of the device) was like waiting for a butterfly wing to harden, or hair spray to set.

I guess that theoretically, a person could use their fingers to hold up the flower part (in place) for a day. But obviously that would be impractical - so this is where the helping hands device can help out.

I don't usually need to do things like this. But figured that it was something interesting to try. But - once again, wouldn't be surprised if some people do just that - for aesthetics hehe.

I know people who use Q-Tips (to avoid causing pressure point marks on the flowers).

However, I generally do not try to enhance the flowers. I want to see what the plant does naturally, so I can judge whether it is worth using as a breeder.