Phrag. besseae 'Smokin' x 'Haven'

[Billie]

Don't you like the way the petals glow in full sun .wow

-somehow the photos don't always pick it up -nice coloured plant
Billie

 

[tan]

always love the color...

 

[Magicboy]

You need to do a colchicine treatment (strong agar medium with 0.05% colchicine) when the seedling are protocorms, you replate them into this medium for a few days (3-5) then replate into "normal" medium. Then you wait and see what plants survive. These plants may be 4N, but they could be also 2N or rarely 3N.
I have never tried it yet, of course...
Maybe I will try with other species first (Cattleya), but colchicine is very dangerous (and quite dangerous even at this very low concentration)

How do you see on a seedling that it worked or do I have to wait for it to get in bloom? I have never seen a tetraploid orchid so the only thing I know is that a tetraploid plant has bigger flowers, right? How can I separate i 3N from a 4N?

 

[NYEric]

Tetraploids usually have bigger and more rounded blooms, like a person on steroids! Unfortunately, they grow slower. The vendor of 4N plants should list if the plant is colchicine treated. There are pictures here of Phrag. hybrids w/ 4N parents i.e. 3N plants and also search Phrag. besseae 'Rob's Choice'.