I forgot to specify the complicated growing part.
I recently (as in about a month ago), contacted a retired university professor who studied orchid seed germination. In particular, I asked about Disas.
Well, it turns out he had made a Disa hybrid that was a total disaster.
I know for those who aren't into Disas, no one's going to know what I'm talking about, so I'll be brief.
He bred Disa atricapilla (a deciduous winter rainfall Disa that goes dormant during the summer) and Disa uniflora (an evergreen Disa).
You know what he told me?
This hybrid bombed because the offspring didn't know whether to keep growing or go dormant. They all died!
Can you imagine growing something this complicated? Where would you start?
Needless to say, I sensed the despair over this hybrid in his emails. He had told me in South Africa, the failed hybrid was named after him. That sounds like an embarrassing joke to me.
It sounds like a painful reminder of the blunder you've created, that even to this day, they didn't let you forget about it (from what I understand he created this hybrid over 20 yrs ago). Much like Dr. Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster, without the death part.
What I'm saying is: more thought, less cool, when breeding hybrids!
More thought, less cool goes for science as well, in my opinion. Geez!
Keep It Simple Stupid (you know K.I.S.S. - not the rock band)!
What ever happened to that? As if this saying wasn't beat into the inner recesses of people's psychological being.
What's more is...
What's wrong with the hybrids we have now? There are so many, they're literally crawling out of the woodworks! Why not handle these?
What's wrong with Cattleytonia Why Not? I loved this guy when I had it. What happened to Phal Everspring Prince? Even though I had a hard time with this one, I tried several times to make it happen. Then there's the barrage of NOID's, what the hell, that's not enough! Or the myriad of Doritaenopsis out there, which I think are pretty bad a$$.
Of course not...
We went from species. Pfff!!! Whatever, weeds!
To inter-species hybrids (primary or natural hybrids) - BORING!
Then came inter-generic hybrids - aw man we can out do these!
And...maybe later (not sure, maybe not) - inter-alliance hybrids and glow in the dark orchids - NOW THAT'S BAD A$$!!!!
What???
We haven't even truly begun to appreciate what we have, now it's all about the shiny and new?!
What the...!!!!
Last edited by King_of_orchid_growing:); 08-29-2009 at 02:54 PM..
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