Phrag Lovely Lynne 4n x sib blooming thread

[Weaver]

I have really enjoyed this entire thread. Fascinating. I understand what you are saying about the color, but it does have an appeal. That color gradation (at least on my screen) looks lovely

 

[monocotman]

I have really enjoyed this entire thread. Fascinating. I understand what you are saying about the color, but it does have an appeal. That color gradation (at least on my screen) looks lovely

I know what you mean. Sometimes it takes several blooms before you know what you have. There is some variation and it takes time to come to a decision.

 

[My Green Pets]

So what are the criteria for keepers?
Largest size?
Reddest color?
Symmetrical, pleasing shape?
Non-climbers?

After looking at the group photo I really like the circular petals over the pointy ones.
But the two red ones do stand out!

 

[monocotman]

William, it will be impossible to make a final decision on the keepers until I’ve seen nearly all of them flower. Obvious criteria are plant vigour, flower size, colour and shape. It’s the fun of breeding and selection. I agree that the two reds are staying. Maybe another criteria will be fertility. Who knows.

 

[monocotman]

There are now a batch of clones that didn’t flower last year, they matured too late and the light levels were too low to support a spike. This one is clone 8. So far it’s a keeper. Great shape and decent size. Again, Its not quite so red but still it’s a good one.

 

[monocotman]

The flower has matured on clone 8. This indoor photo is closer to the actual colour. For a first bloom, it’s big at 12.5cm wide and 5 cm wide petals, despite not being fully flat. Definitely a keeper!

 

[sergeharvey]

View attachment 50410The flower has matured on clone 8. This indoor photo is closer to the actual colour. For a first bloom, it’s big at 12.5cm wide and 5 cm wide petals, despite not being fully flat. Definitely a keeper!

Nicely colored pouch.

 

[monocotman]

A couple more have opened this week.
The first is clone 25, a smallish(10cm) bloom. Probably not a keeper.

Next is a decent one, clone 5, with a 12 cm flower.

Neither of these is up to the quality of clone 8.

 

[terryros]

Do you still see keeping 5-6 and getting rid of the rest?

 

[monocotman]

It may be more Terry, at least for this year. You never know what the quality will be like in the unflowered seedlings. So far, about a third seem to be really nice.
I’ve sold on four so far to the local orchid society.

 

[sergeharvey]

In my 25 or so, some seedlings have strong red coloring at the base of the shoot. Did you find that there s a corelation between this coloring and flower color or intensity?

 

[monocotman]

Interesting thought! There isn’t any sort of correlation between the pigmentation of the plants and the colour of the flowers in this grex.

 

[terryros]

You mentioned that some of the plants seemed to climb more on the rhizome. I wondered if the “climber” trait correlated with anything about the flowers?

 

[monocotman]

Terry, there are not enough climbers thankfully to make a meaningful assessment of this. Just three or four. The ‘worst’ climber has nice very flat reddish flowers.
This is clone 1. Just about ok but unlikely to be a keeper in the long run.

 

[monocotman]

Things are slowing down now with winter approaching. I don’t have supplementary lighting on the phrags so flowering tends to stop in December. I’ve already had two sheaths abort on new bloomers and the ones that have extended spikes are very slow.
This may be the last decent flower we see this season. It’s the second bloom on clone 8 and confirms it as a keeper, despite the streak.

 

[Morja]

I like how velvety smooth your keepers look.
What a show this has been!

 

[monocotman]

Thanks Morja, it’s not over yet! The plants put on a ton of growth last year despite being on the small size and being repotted in the early spring. Next year promises much as they don’t need a repot and are now three or four times the size they were last season.
Next season is year three for most of them blooming and they should be at their peak.