Paphiopedilum purpuratum x sib (‘Full Wings’ x var. album ‘Albino Beauty’ CBR/AOS) selfed today!

Slippertalk Orchid Forum

Help Support Slippertalk Orchid Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
1,870
Reaction score
833
Location
Chicago
Today was day 3 from opening of this first-bloom seedling from Sam and my first-ever orchid pollination! Here’s hoping for success. Anybody want to give me tips on maturing the pod? Sam will be flasking but he grows in a phenomenally state-of-the-art facility, whereas I am but an apartment-dwelling window grower.

I like the flower. Wishing the dorsal would fold back but it is probably selected for that roundness. Whatever. Can’t say it often enough: this is my favorite species of all and I’m pretty excited to bring back Sam’s ‘Albino Beauty.’ 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Hybrid-disdainer that I am, guess what? I took the paper clip and smeared the gooey remnants all over the stigma of a Dr. Jack that’s been open for awhile. Because why not? Probably been done before. Probably won’t take. Probably won’t flask. But I couldn’t resist; such a hypocrite! 😜
 

Attachments

  • 3BFB3303-FFB7-4287-A498-7CB03CA52472.jpeg
    3BFB3303-FFB7-4287-A498-7CB03CA52472.jpeg
    141.4 KB · Views: 13
  • 4372EF71-2311-414C-9E7B-7D1AF58DA5A7.jpeg
    4372EF71-2311-414C-9E7B-7D1AF58DA5A7.jpeg
    175.4 KB · Views: 13
  • 8182A5D0-9EA2-4F97-9CD4-E8C45EB0CE19.jpeg
    8182A5D0-9EA2-4F97-9CD4-E8C45EB0CE19.jpeg
    119.5 KB · Views: 11
  • 837AE991-419A-4AC4-A77E-2F42EACCF4B3.jpeg
    837AE991-419A-4AC4-A77E-2F42EACCF4B3.jpeg
    135.1 KB · Views: 11
  • FEC245D0-3252-41C8-9F54-8885C8B7A128.jpeg
    FEC245D0-3252-41C8-9F54-8885C8B7A128.jpeg
    126.7 KB · Views: 10
  • 3371532D-8A7D-4F16-A462-9A0E44FBEEBA.jpeg
    3371532D-8A7D-4F16-A462-9A0E44FBEEBA.jpeg
    138.4 KB · Views: 9
  • 00EC2C00-F7A4-4991-B60F-8904E74F35B6.jpeg
    00EC2C00-F7A4-4991-B60F-8904E74F35B6.jpeg
    139.4 KB · Views: 8
  • 93A78EF7-6EE8-4E73-9BB6-9669C361C4E8.jpeg
    93A78EF7-6EE8-4E73-9BB6-9669C361C4E8.jpeg
    139.6 KB · Views: 10
  • B2965C3D-D202-4DB3-AB9D-027BC78E8066.jpeg
    B2965C3D-D202-4DB3-AB9D-027BC78E8066.jpeg
    147.7 KB · Views: 15
  • F8EBB807-FE6B-4769-99FE-964A4C57C082.jpeg
    F8EBB807-FE6B-4769-99FE-964A4C57C082.jpeg
    341.1 KB · Views: 14
Yayyyy hopefully this selfing 1/4 albinos!

In terms of pod care, keep in same spot, water plant well and don’t wet the pod (they rot overnight!). Maturation time is 5-9 months, watch for any sign of yellowing at seams.
 
Good luck for your selfing!!!
For pollination I use a toothpick which I cut diagonally (like you cut flowers for a vase). So I get a little spathulalike area which I use to take up the pollen. That is more comfortable to me.
Yellowing and opening of the pod goes very fast. To me it happens often that I realize it too late to harvest a green pod.

Leslie, is there a list of maturing times of different species or does the time depend on other conditions like temperature, too? The pods I did all took 6 1/2 month at most. Therefor I'm harvesting after 5 month+ to be save harvesting a green pod.
 
Musa, yes indeed the time varies based on species and environmental conditions. The chamberlanianum complex can be as fast as 4 months while the sukhakuliis up to 9 months (minus one month for green pod). Warmer temperatures (especially at night) will accelerate by about 1-2 months.

These are the pod times that I’ve harvested (when pod yellows and opens) or currently pregnant😇:

mastersianum = 6 months
victoria-regina = 4 months
tonsum album = 7.5 months
leucochilum = 6.5 months
sukhakulii = 10 months plus
niveum album: 6 months plus
Xanthophyllum = 7 months plus

* plus means pod still green and developing currently on plant

Some people say you can safely harvest with viable seeds at 6-7 months. And they have germination (fertile embryos).

I let mine go to maturity because the dry seeds I collect are easily sent across borders to labs.
 
Last edited:
Brucher, I agree P. purpuratum is a lovely species. Good luck for you breedings and your efforts to become a famous breeder. Lol
 
For paphs I find 9 months is pretty much the minimum time to dry seed for anything I've made. I also grow under lights, so perhaps things don't go as fast. I've had as long as 11 months.

Only thing I can add is to be careful not to over-stress the plant with capsules. Just because you might have three flowers, doesn't mean you should pollinate all three (I know you didn't, but the temptation will arise in the future). To some extent I've found that carrying a single pod can be 'therapeutic', sometimes plants that are growing poorly will grow better with a pod. Weird. But it is also easy to overdo it. I've never killed a plant that way, but I've set a few back quite a bit.

Phrags are a lot faster... 2-3 months.
 
Thanks for the maturation times, Leslie. Would it be a good idea creating a thread to collect them?

My lab told me, germination rates would be better with green pods because the seeds need not be desinfected.

littlefrog, I made the same experience, I pollinated a micranthum (one growth). First I doubted it was a good idea as the plant looked like passing away. Finally two new growth showed and its roots were excellent.
 
Thanks for the maturation times, Leslie. Would it be a good idea creating a thread to collect them?

My lab told me, germination rates would be better with green pods because the seeds need not be desinfected.

littlefrog, I made the same experience, I pollinated a micranthum (one growth). First I doubted it was a good idea as the plant looked like passing away. Finally two new growth showed and its roots were excellent.
Perhaps a timetable might be helpful but the maturity dates are all over the map basked on growing conditions.
 
Sam kept saying he was waiting for a report but he didn’t respond to my last message asking about it. I don’t know who does his flasking and don’t want to pester him again. Not sure how he’s doing.
 
Sam kept saying he was waiting for a report but he didn’t respond to my last message asking about it. I don’t know who does his flasking and don’t want to pester him again. Not sure how he’s doing.
Sam is stable but resting away from the stress of doing business.
 
You’ll have to see above…Sam kept saying not yet, not yet, then he wasn’t sure, then I asked one more time and he didn’t respond. I’m not going to pester him anymore. I delivered the pod to him in June 2021.
Ahhhh I didn’t realized you sent the pod to Sam. I get it now re the ‘pester’ notation.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top