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Originally Posted by exasperatus2002  1. how much of the new orchids traits rely on the pod plant instead of the pollinator plant and vice versa? Do they tend to take more after mom or dad? |
It depends somewhat on what kind of orchids you are breeding. In orchids there's no such thing as "mom" and "dad" we have pod parents and pollen parents. In Paphs it seems that when an easy blooming plant is used as the pod parent, the offspring are easier bloomers. This is especially true when theother parant is a tough bloomer. And example would be the Brachypetalum Paphs when crossed with Corypetalum Paphs. When the Brachys are used as the pod parent, the offspring bloom much easier than when the Cory parent is used as the pod parent.
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Originally Posted by exasperatus2002 2. If your going for color or shape, who should you make the cross with or do it with both so you cover both possibilities? |
What genera are you crossing?
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Originally Posted by exasperatus2002 3. If you want to name the cross should it be a new one. How do you find out if its taken? I have a daughter (Cassandra) and there is a Phal. with her name but its an ugly one in my opinion. I'd love to come up with a Cattleya hybrid to name after her. |
When you make a cross, once it blooms you can register it with the RHS (the world body for the registration of orchid hybrids) and give it a name. You can download a form with instructions from:
Royal Horticultural Society - Plants: Registration of Orchids
When you submit your registration, you must indicate a first choice for name and a second choice. The RHS will see if any other crosses bear the same name. If not they will process the registration. You can search yourself to see if a name has been registered by going to:
Royal Horticultural Society - Plants: The International Orchid Register