The best culture will give the best presentation according to its genes.
I've got certain crosses that just won't present well. After the third bloom cycle with my growing methods, I offer to the sales table, or raffle table. Someone is bound to grow it better than I can.
First bloom, and sometimes second bloom just is not quite typical for many orchids. That's why I wait until third bloom before getting my pants in a wad.
Blc Merrily Murrison 'Larry' is a cross that almost always has better than average presentation, esp with two or three buds.
I have seen worse in my collection where digbyana was a parent=floppy.
Hint that I learned. When new growths are beginning to stretch, and you can tell how the leaf will unfold, set the pot so that the leaf will be perpendicular to the light. In a south window, let's say, have the leaf facing broadside either east or west. What I learned was that the buds will emerge from the sheath typically begin to lay out away from the leaf either to the right or left of the leaf-width. I would have thought that face-on toward the light, but the buds just are more jumbled than not--in only my experience, maybe, but that's what I learned about the catts in my collection.
Hope this helps
Take care, and thanks for sharing.
Rex
|