The Saga is Complete

As you may remember, I started raising some orchids from seed. I did this because the parent plant had a virus, and while viruses are incurable in orchids, the theory goes that orchids created from the seeds of said orchid will be virus-free. At least if you allow the seed pods to completely dry, rather than using so-called "green pod" seeds.

Anyway, the orchids I've been raising from seed have matured. It is now time to test them to see if they are virus free. And the answer is... YES!

Agdia makes an easy-to-use home virus test kit. You typically take about 150 mg of plant tissue, place it in a special bag containing a buffer solution, crush the tissue, and insert a test stick. Then, after 30 minutes, you examine the test stick, and read the results. Here is a photo of one of the test strips:

The bag contains the crushed tissue and fluid. The bags have an abrasive plastic mesh, which is what you use to crush the tissue. The test strip is inserted around 1/4" into the fluid. Notice that there is one red line visible on the strip. That is the control line, and it must be present for the test to be valid. There are no other red lines visible on the strip, so this plant is clean - no virus detected.

Sadly, another plant of mine, a "Sharry Baby" Oncidium, did test positive. Here is what that looks like:

Notice that in this case, there are two red lines visible. The line closest to the bottom indicates that this plant is infected with the Cymbidium Mosaic virus (CymMV). I don't feel like going on another five year mission to create clean babies from this plant, so I'll simply have to destroy it, buy a new one, and hope that it is virus-free.

But the bottom line is that the process of raising orchids from mature seed pods to eliminate viruses definitely does work. At least it did for me. Quite an adventure!

Variations on a Theme

The "baby" orchids have made a lot of progress. This spring I have three separate plants in bloom at the same time. The interesting thing is that since they were grown from seeds, they are not identical clones. There are some very definite differences between them.

This one started out with a brighter yellow, but as the flowers matured, they became very pale yellow.

In the next one, the yellow is much brighter, and the pink/red spots are less distinct.

And lastly, we have one with much more intense red spotting.

So far, I've seen flowers from four of the dozen or so plants that I've kept. I'll be fascinated to see what else emerges. And no, I'm not expecting Audrey...

Two-Fer

This is unusual - at least for me. I always thought of my Paph as making a single flower on a spike. Sure, there might be two or three spikes, if the plant was very happy, but this is the first time I've gotten two flowers on a single spike. So I guess this Paph can be a multi-floral if it has had an exceptional year.

Here is a close-up of the spike. Notice that there is a leaf-like structure part way up the spike, and then two thinner spikes come from there.

In other news, three more of the Phalaenopsis "babies" are putting up spikes, so soon we'll see if there is any variability in those flowers. They are hardly babies any more, really. But it will be a month or two before they are actually in bloom.

The Trifecta

And the wait is over. We now have all three flowers open on our baby phalaenopsis:

And all the buds have opened on the pink phal as well:

Can Spring be far away? Sure hope not! The change of seasons will be very much appreciated.

The Happy Family

This is certainly the time when orchids flower. I have four plants in bloom right now, and another four making spikes. Here is a group portrait of the ones in bloom:

The pendulant, white one is a Dendrobium Dilgry. This orchid has a fairly strong perfume; I definitely notice it when I walk past the plant. The fragrance is only apparent during the day. Once it starts getting dark out, the fragrance disappears.

Here is a close-up, showing a bit more flower detail.

And a final close-up. The flower is a cream to pale yellow color, and there is a bit of a color pattern in the center.

And here is the one we've been waiting for! The orchid, raised from seed, has fully opened two of its three flowers. The third bud is swelling, and will probably open in a week or so. The flower form is very nice, and the markings are quite distinct. I am thrilled to have been instrumental in this plant's entire life, from the initial pollination of the parent, right through flowering of the youngster.

My very first orchid is still with me, and in bloom. This is the one that started me on the road to orchid mania. It was touch and go when first I brought it home. The roots were not in great shape, but it managed to survive.

Here is a closer look at the lovely little red/brown freckles in the center of the flower.

Last, but not least, is a Paphiopedilum. This one has been a reliable bloomer, and holds it flower for months at a time. It has also split off a baby at repotting time. Baby is now making a spike, so even after this flower fades, there will be one right along to take its place.

Say ahhhh!

And here we go! The very first bloom of the orchids I started from seed!

If you've been following along, the mother plant was pollinated around the beginning of 2009, and the seeds were sown in September 2009.

Fast-forward four years, and we have our first bloom. I am totally pleased with the results, as baby has even better defined patterning than momma did. I'll post more pics as the rest of the buds open. But I wanted to get this teaser out as soon as it began to open.

Altogether, I kept 24 plants from the original culture. None of the others has started spiking yet, although a few are probably getting close. So this particular plant is definitely the most precocious of the bunch.

Buds! We have buds!

The tiny spike that I showed two months ago has been making excellent progress. In fact, we now have three well-formed buds. Given that I started from pollinating the mother plant back in early 2009, it has only been four years to get to this point.

Reminds me of a quote from "Duck Soup" by the Marx Brothers.

Treasury Secretary: "Sir, you try my patience!"
Firefly: "Don't mind if I do. You must try mine sometime."

Anyway... Here is a photo of the plant as of today:

Here is a picture that shows the underside of one of the leaves. The reddish color tells me that it is getting enough light. It also shows the label - the date indicates the last time it was repotted (October 2012).

In the next picture, you can see that I don't directly clip the spike to its support. I've damaged a few that way, so now I use some blue plastic (non-adhesive) tape along with a spring clip. The tape is specifically sold for tying up plants.

In this last picture, we simply have a close-up of the buds. They look very healthy to me. Hopefully, by next month we should get to see what they look like. I can't wait!