Selfing a Cattleya - Orchid Board

Undergrounder · #1 05-22-2008, 09:48 AM

I have a really really nice Cattleya hybrid with a single flower, if i pollinate it from its own pollen what will happen? I don't want to put the plant through an unnecessary labor if in the end it's not going to take or the seed won't be viable or something. On the other hand if there's still a 50% chance that it will take and produce viable seeds and happy plants then i'd probably take the risk.

Anyone? thanks

Royal · #2 05-22-2008, 10:18 AM

> 50%. I say go for it! You're only risking one bloom, but may potentially reap thousands!

flhiker · #3 05-22-2008, 10:50 AM

yep! Now is your chance.

newflasker · #4 05-22-2008, 12:13 PM

You grow orchid. You take a risk. You sow orchid seeds. You take more risk. You play a game and you know the out come is 100 % safe and win then there's no fun. If there's no risk then there's no fun as long as the risk is not extremely affect you life. hahaha.

Pippin · #5 05-22-2008, 10:24 PM

I hope that is no the first blooming for the plant. A seed pod can put lots of stress on the mother plant. I don't use first time bloomers as the pod parent. However I don't mind using them as pollen parent.

Undergrounder · #6 05-23-2008, 10:14 AM

Thanks! i guess i'll take the risk...... i don't think it's a first bloomer, it's fairly sizeable. Amzing flower though... don't know if i can bring myself to pollinate it and close it up early, but hey... if you want plants you gotta break a few eggs.. or something.

Miki · #7 05-23-2008, 04:01 PM

Without knowing what the Catt is, it's impossible to guess what will happen. Some plants, because their of their ploidy, do not breed. These are often, but not always, triploids or some sort of aneuploid. If the plant is a normal diploid or tetraploid, it should breed. Then, there are other reasons a plant will not breed (not unlike humans who also have fertility problems sometimes). Additionally, there is also the issue of timing the pollinating. Hybridizers have wrestled with this problem for a long time. Some plants need to be pollinated immediately after the flower opens. Some need a waiting period of a few days, and others need longer. Hybridizing is not as easy as it may initially appear. If you are lucky, you will be able to produce lots of viable seeds, and then you will need to figure out how you will flask them, etc.

Royal · #8 05-23-2008, 04:28 PM

Miki makes some good points. But it sounds like you're going for it! What the heck!? You have to learn somehow.

I don't think it would be hard to find three or four people around here willing to take a crack at germinating your seed.

addictedcountryman · #9 05-23-2008, 05:36 PM

how can you tell if the pollen takes? I have tried this before, unsuccessfully, and i have recently tried it again. the blooms wilted two days afterwards... what does that mean? just unsuccessful>?

Ray · #10 05-24-2008, 10:34 AM

Blossom collapse, if the rest of the structure stays green, is a good sign. You may also see the structure abound the viscidium collapse.

The part of the flower immediately behind the petals and sepals is the ovary. If the pollen grows its tubes down into it, and the "eggs" are fertilized, the ovary will begin to swell into what is referred-to as the capsule.