Hybridizing Flubs

[Ross]

Not all crosses produce beautiful flowers. Here are a couple that have yet to produce any decent flowers. While some crosses are intended to be stepping stones, it appears that these have stepped right off the cliff. There are more of each to bloom, but at this time, I don't think there will be any that are much better. However, even in these cases, breeding traits can be learned.


Paph (barbigerum x FC Puddle) The barbigerum used had a darker brown/mahogany colored dorsal, but poor shape. I was hoping that FC Puddle would influence the shape a little more while suppressing the red to produce pink flowers. I got some of the pink, but the barbigerum dominated the shape.

Paph (Barbi-Doll x helenae) Barbi-Doll (barbigerum x fairrieanum) has been a difficult breeder possibly because of the fairrieanum parent. The plants are remaining small, but the dorsals have all been mishapen, so far, and the colors muddy. I have one more Barbi-Doll cross that is showing a little more promise shape wise. Here is the best, so far.

 

[Gcroz]

To be honest with you, these are nice flowers. Nice, not perfect. However, when I read your text, I was expecting some horrible monsters.

 

[NYEric]

Me too! wouldn't be bad for Walmart flowers.

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

agreed.
i actually really like the first barbigerum x FC Puddle.

 

[emydura]

agreed.
i actually really like the first barbigerum x FC Puddle.

Me too. I have seen a lot worse.

 

[SlipperFan]

I like the soft colors on both of them. But I agree that the shapes need improvement.

 

[W. Beetus]

Nice colors!

 

[cnycharles]

the flowers look a lot like many pictures I've seen of phal primary hybrids - you can see odd things from each parent, but usually not the part of the parent that you would want (smile) (mismatched parts). there are nice/soft colors and if you could iron out getting the height/flowering time and all that to be relatively equal, then those who sell hybrids to stores like wegmans and the like would be interested for the pot plant market.

there is a wholesale grower in the ithaca, ny area who used to grow just phal hybrids to sell to florists and wegmans, but now grows and sells masdevallias, tolumnias and dendrobiums as well to fill in the rest of the year when phals aren't flowering. their criteria is more to find uniformity of plants, ease and quickness of flowering and of course plant size. their plants don't need to be beauty queens to appeal to buyers in grocery stores and the like, though their plants are all of very good quality

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I agree...the first cross with FC Puddle is actually quite nice...the rest, feh.

 

[Brian Monk]

Ross -

I appreciate your very discriminating eye. Yes, these flowers are not the best in shape or color. But you know better than the rest of us how difficult breeding in an entirely new direction can be. Keep it up. BTW, I think FC Puddle is an interesting choice as a parent, but it is obviously quite old. How about using something like White Knight on helenae, and seeing how that affects shape and size?

I think the petal stance inthe Barbi-Doll hybrid is quite interesting, and the most intriguing of all of the plants.

Next step, auctioning off these to growers to continue to fund your operation (sems like several would snap up the first two!).

 

[Ozpaph]

bin, sorry.