Question on first bloom Catts

[tucker85]

I sometimes see a dramatic difference between the first blooms on a seedling and the second seasons blooms. I've seen differences in color and flower shape. Sometimes I get a little improvement the third year but it's not as dramatic.

You said that you realize that there can be some duds in hybrids grown from seed. I would go even further than that, I would say that most seed grown hybrids are duds. Years ago breeders would make a cross, wait until all the hundreds or thousands of seedlings bloomed, pick out the one or two nicest flowering plants, clone those plants and offer them for sale. Then vendors like Carter and Holmes found that hobbyists were willing to pay for seedlings without knowing if the plants were going to be any good or not. Now lots of vendors are doing the same thing so it's a crap-shoot for those of us who buy seedlings. I live in Florida and I buy seedlings from Odom's Orchids and Krull-Smith. I often buy 4 or 5 seedlings on one cross, to give myself a better chance of getting a good one. Last weekend I saw Krull-Smith at an orchid show and he had two new crosses with 10-15 first flowering seedlings from each cross. Among the plants were two or three that I thought were very nice but most were just average. I don't think he brings any of the really bad ones to the show.

I only have limited space for growing orchids so I usually give an orchid two years to prove itself. I don't hesitate to give away or throw away an orchid that I don't like for one reason or another. Then I can make room for another orchid that I may like more. My goal is to have mostly orchids that I really like a lot and I'm getting pretty close to that goal.

That's just my two cents. Ultimately it's just up to you if you want to put more time and energy into that plant or not. Good luck.

---------- Post added at 09:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 AM ----------

I should also mention that I don't discourage buying seedlings. I've actually grown a couple that turned out to be very nice orchids. When that happens, you have a unique plant that has never been cloned and there's something special about that.

[silken]

Thanks for yourtucker85. I was hoping I might hear from you as I knew you had a number of Cattleyas. Yes, I think this one is just one of those dud seedlings. Because it is small I will give it another year. My hubby actually like it So maybe someone else would like it if I decide to toss it. I am at the stage where my growing area is filled and I am becoming more selective about what I have also. I want great looking reliable bloomers and don't have lots of space for much else.