Beginning a Cym hybrid-aka: Mr Cym's secrets.

[MrCym]

Item 2. I usually just make one pod though if the cross is special, I sometimes make a saver. You also have to look at the plant, if it is immature, you may only be able to make one pod on it. If the plant is a 12" tub you could make ten pods and the plant wouldn't flinch. But one would need a very good reason to make that many pollinations on the same plant in any season. Variety is the reason we make hybrids. Imagine if you made ten different crossings with Minuet 'NH' 4n, you would run out of useful color combinations well before you hit ten crossings!

[Gary S]

Thanks again Mr Cym, 2 down and you have set a precedent with the first 2 answers. We all look forward to more inspiring info, over the next week or so. This is what makes a genuine forum as against what all the other's purport to be.

[frex]

mr c, how many plants would have you had when you first entered the scene ? were they plants from your own collection or did you buy into certain hybrids that were already performing well on the market to breed with ? did you collect a lot of species and primary hybrids at all when you were first getting into the cyms ? did you ever have plans to put more complex hybrids back to species ? (in fact how did you get into cyms in the first place ?) i was chatting to someone elsewhere about the following today: sometimes it seems that a cross only has worked by pure chance ? do you buy into this and if so does that mean if you want to try more difficult crosses you really do need a bit of space to grow two large populations of parents between which to make said x so the odds of success are increased ? i'd also be interested in the answer to these questions from other forum members reading like KH ?

[MrCym]

I won some money at the races and that kick-started my collection. Initially I bought a mix of hybrids in a range of cool-growing genera plus a few species. Quality Cym hybrids were hard to source, most of them came from Britain or Australia and currency was restricted. I imported a lot of plants from India of various Cym species and selected among them for superior forms. Our strain of Cym. eburneum and Cym. devonianum trace back to one of those originals,

It was not till we moved back to NZ in 1985 that I was able to grow really large populations of critical hybrids. We did some of that in the US from 1973-1985 but commercial pressures meant we had to sell seedlings and there were many keen customers.

Long before it became widespread, we used to regularly make odd fun hybrids between modern hybrids and key species. But they were strictly hobby types so never really commercial in that you could select and clone say a thousand of a good one. We made the primary Herbie Poole between Cym. grandiflorum and Cym. parishii 'Sanderae' plus treated it with colchicine. That created quite a stir when the cross bloomed. Three years ago I had to remake it because nobody thought enough of the original to make any serious effort to maintain the cross in cultivation. Depressing really.

I have no wish to reinvent the wheel nor engage in some long-term 2-3 generation development from the Cym species now. Too old, too many other quick result avenues that appeal more. When I see people fiddle-farting around with Cym. goeringii primaries I smile and remember we have taken this species to the F2 and F3 now and that is where my interest lies.

[MrCym]

4. This is a much more important question. Many crossers are clueless about the relative merits of pod versus pollen parents. They do not know about extra-nuclear (mitochondrial) inheritance which is quite important. First thing is to consider ploidy. Most Cyms now will be tetraploid so the crossing can be made without either parent having an excessive ploidy influence. In the unlikely event of a 4n X 2n crossing (this is usually only for commercial cut flower types now) then the diploid should hold the pod or it can be overpowered genetically. I sometimes make reverse crossings, sometimes not. But I always will cross onto the parent I want to have a greater influence, ploidy being equal as my first choice. Of course this has no influence on traits like albinism which are Mendelian-influenced. Plus, some orchids never have usable pollen or others never hold a pod but produce fertile pollen. This information is only gained through experience but if registrants register their hybrids in the correct order with the RHS, pod parent X pollen parent, it can easily be researched on OrchidWiz.

[MrRoo]

We made the primary Herbie Poole between Cym. grandiflorum and Cym. parishii 'Sanderae' plus treated it with colchicine. That created quite a stir when the cross bloomed. Three years ago I had to remake it because nobody thought enough of the original to make any serious effort to maintain the cross in cultivation. Depressing really.

Andy will any of these be available from Graham later this year?

[MrCym]

If not this year, next March. I'm not sure how far advanced they are.

[Gary S]

Based on your answer Andy to question #4, the average guy needs a bit of knowledge on that, or ask an expert.

[MrCym]

No Gary, this is all they need to know really, it's not complicated.

[Gary S]

That is good to know Mr Cym, I hope the budding hybridiser's are taking notes.