Creating Orchid Hybrids | Tropical Hawaiian Flowers

Orchid hybrids are plants that combine the characteristics from both parent plants. A grower will first consider what type of flower he wants to generate. It may be based on certain coloring, stripes or spots. Growers may be seeking flowers to combine these type of features with plants of different sizes. Fragrance is another element of hybridization. With these features in mind, growers select parent plants that have desirable characteristics. Together, the grower hopes the offspring will demonstrate the desired characteristics. One of the most used orchid cultivators is the Golden Slipper. This orchid was first discovered in 1979 in China, and is known for imparting the rich yellow gold color to its often stunningly beautiful offspring. Once the grower has acquired his two parent plants, he removes all existing pollen from the pod parent, the flower that will receive pollen from the other plant. The orchid that supplies the pollen is known as the pollen parent. With a toothpick or similar tool, the grower removes pollen from the pollen parent and smears the pollen at the base of the column of the flower of the pod parent. He labels this cross-pollinated orchid with the names of both parents and the pollination date. If fertilization takes place, an amazing thing occurs in the blossom of the pod parent. Thread-like tubes stretch out from the column to a part of the blossom know as the ovary. The ovary then swells and forms a seedpod. Inside, hundreds of thousands of tiny seeds are forming, each one connected to a single pollen tube. This may take several months up to over a year before the seedpod ripens. Once this happens, the grower will gather the seeds and place them in a sterilized container with a agar solution. If the seeds successfully germinate, tiny orchids appear like a grass carpet. After several months, the grower will remove the seedling orchids from this container and puts them in a “community pot”. he will keep an eye on the seedlings, watering them frequently to avoid them drying out. Eventually, the grower transplants these orchids to individual pots. This is where patience begins, since orchids can take anywhere from a few years up to a decade or more to bloom! Imagine how delighted a grower is once the orchid he has started from conception begins to produce! New hybrids can be labeled with the grower’s name or choice of name. Any hybrids that are developed later using that species blend must be referred to by the registered name. At times, a grower finds an ideal combination that creates a sensation among orchid hobbyists. He may receive awards, and his beautiful plants will command high prices. But regardless of the monetary outcome, the pleasure of seeing a blossom on an orchid that he has crossed is a delight. Now you know that it took much time and patience to produce the beautiful orchids that you admire.