Dear Members

[gaminig]

Dear Members
I just registered with the forum. I am happy to join all of you in the FORUM. I use to grow dendrobs some years ago. Have a few plants now. Hope to begin my hobby again soon. I am a consulting Scientist with a `PhD (Agriculture). Hello everybody.

I have a question. Do mericlones flower earlier than seed hybrid plants in the case of Dendrobiums?

gaminig

[smartie2000]

Welcome!
I think dends are pretty but they aren't easy for me

I believe mericlones and seeds grow at about the same rate once they come out of the flask. They both will come out as little plantlets...

I heard dends don't take too long to mature though and the vendor should be able to size the plants you will be getting.

[gaminig]

Hi Fren
I am in Sri Lanka, hot and humid - ideal for orchids : Dendrobs and Vandas etc. I find Dendrobs easy to grow. What do you find easier. Where are you located?

An orchid grower told me that mericlones flower in 8-10 months while seed hybrids take over an year. Of course he sells mericlones! Hence I am checking.

Thank you for the reply.

Gaminig

[cb977]

Hi gaminig
Welcome to Orchidboard

I've moved your thread into our Introductions forum so our members can give you a proper OB greeting

I am in Florida...hot and humid I guess that's what the Dens like because they grow easily for me too, while some folks have a tough time of it

I don't have an answer on your mericlone/seedling question...but give it a little time and I'm sure our members will give you the info you need

Enjoy the forum and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask

[Lagoon]

G'day Gaminig! Welcome to the board, I hope you feel at home here

[Djarum Black]

Hi Gaminig,

Welcome to the OB! You found a great place with lots of really nice people! Post pictures of your orchids!

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by gaminig

Hi Fren
I am in Sri Lanka, hot and humid - ideal for orchids : Dendrobs and Vandas etc. I find Dendrobs easy to grow. What do you find easier. Where are you located?

An orchid grower told me that mericlones flower in 8-10 months while seed hybrids take over an year. Of course he sells mericlones! Hence I am checking.

Thank you for the reply.

Gaminig

Welcome aboard Gaminig
Sri Lanka sounds like just the right environment to grow many orchids without the hassle of greenhouses etc..

Do you grow any outdoors?

[Tindomul]

Originally Posted by gaminig

An orchid grower told me that mericlones flower in 8-10 months while seed hybrids take over an year.

Thank you for the reply.

Gaminig

Welcome to the Orchid Board! Glad you could join. I would assume they would take equally long. If your orchid grower contact is right, perhaps he is counting at different times??? Is he counting from the time the seed becomes fertilized or from the time it germinates?

[littlefrog]

I'd suspect there is a grain of truth to mericlones blooming faster than hybrids, one real grain and one perceived grain.

Real grain - mericlones are likely to be made of plants that are more inherently vigorous. They grow and bloom well, or we wouldn't want to clone them.

Perceived grain - a hybrid population would be likely to have a more spread out time to first bloom. Several may bloom earlier than any given mericlone. Many may bloom later. As a large scale commercial grower, you perceive the plants as blooming when you have enough to sell. Since the mericlone would be more uniform in blooming, it would probably seem like it reached maturity faster.

[smartie2000]

You're lucky you can grow orchids easily because of the weather. I'm in Canada where I have to make an articifial tropical environment. I grow mostly the slippers, paphs and phrags. I also have many phals and a few cattleyas though.

I'm starting to get better with dends though, but I probably won't get that many.

Littlefrog is right. Usually we mericlone vigorous plants, and all the mericlones should be vigorous too. With seedlings there will be some that aren't as vigorous because they are all different.