Once you discover how easy it is to create hybrid orchids from today’s guest articles, you might want to try it yourself. This article how the botanical structure of hybrid orchids lends itself to easy propagation. The author offers some very practical information…
So You Want to Grow A Hybrid Orchid?
Orchids (scientifically speaking, Orchidacea) are a grouping of plants consisting of over 20,000 named species, quite a few of which are very valuable in a commercial sense. Many people believe them to be the most interesting order of plants in the entire plant kingdom due to their astounding mode of growth and existence, their odd habits, and the many shapes and forms of their flowers, which are quite distinct from those of all the other plants – delicate seeming in texture and with exquisite and glowing hues.
Orchids are also to be remarked upon owing to their well known adaptability, and the extent to which they will freely cross-breed or cross fertilize. This is the case in their natural environs as well as under cultivation. This fact also accounts for the seemingly endless varieties of flowers and colors that can occur from the hybridizing process.
A little botany: The orchid flower as a rule is made up of these parts: sepals, petals, the labellum or pouch, and the column or crest.
On most orchids, the labellum is usually the most conspicuous part as well as the most important organ of the flower. Insects go into it in search of the sweet juices stored within the spur or walls of the flower, pollinating the plant in the process and bringing about cross-fertilization in the bargain. This is how so many new varieties are produced in the wild, and these are termed natural hybrids. But under cultivation this work must be done by human caretakers using delicate camel’s hair brushes and with a careful eye and judgment as to the correct moment for fertilization. It is in this way that the loveliest hybrid orchids are produced, and these are termed garden hybrids.
Among the the things that makes growing orchids so much fun is the dream of producing our own hybrid orchids. It takes knowledge and much patience, but even novices have created some astounding orchids through hybridization.
If you’re wishing to experiement with hybridizing orchids, you should first have some solid experience in basic cultivation of these plants. Only after you have gained confidence in working with orchids, should you try the demanding task of hybridizing them. Orchids are slow growing plants, and slow to produce blooms, so you must be prepared to wait often years to determine if your hybridizing attempts are successful. Nevertheless, when you do succeeed, it’s an incredible experience. You can produce not only a beautiful flower by this process, but also orchid types never before seen in the world.
Clearly, you must gather all the knowledge that you can before attempting to hybridize orchids. Fortunately, there are good books available on all aspects of orchid growing, including step-by-step instructions on hybridizing orchids.
The most complete guidebook to expert orchid growing, many growers agree, is Orchid Care Expert by a Mr. Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded online. Mr. Howard’s guide is a complete course, useful for novices as well as more seasoned fanciers alike. In addition, spend some time at this Orchid Secrets website, which is publishing a growing database of articles on a broad range of facets of orchid cultivation.
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