Cym. devonianum and Cym Vogelsang

[MrCym]

I had the great pleasure of finding my 4n Cym. devonianum 'NH' 4n in bloom yesterday. It is SO hard to bloom here, one has to juggle it back and forth between warm and wet to cool and dry or else the spikes initiate and fail to extend. Anyway every flower will either be used as pollen or saved for future use. No, I'm not going to tell what I've crossed it with but let's just say all three pollinations will be breaking new ground!

For a few minutes I did contemplate remaking a 4n Vogelsang. But why didn't I? Well, I think fairly, anyone who knows Cyms will agree that we pretty much wrote the book on Vogelsang hybridizing. Originally made as a diploid by the great Firmin Lambeau in Belgium, it was registered in 1928. Lambeau was a real Cattleya guy so this was his first Cym hybrid. Maybe the fact that he died several years later was the reason it was not used? But he made another Cym hybrid named Glory Wood (Oriole X Plover) that was registered in 1933. A decade after his death, Sanders (St. Albans) registered a hybrid named Nelly Sander from it in the middle of World War Two (1943). Nothing from Vogelsang however. Was the 2n infertile or was it just overlooked?

Anyway, the grex was remade in the late 1960's at McBean's and the seedling named Vogelsang 'Eastbourne' was bloomed by a famous NZ musician, Henry Rudolph. Henry agreed to donate a growth off his plant which was sent by Norm Porter and I for Colchicine treatment at Nicky Zurcher's Lab in Australia. The 4n iteration bloomed in the early 1980's and was exceedingly fertile. By far the best hybrid from Vogelsang was Richard Tauber 4n (X Radiant Harry) and it became extremely popular around the 13th WOC time (1990) all around the Cym world. We registered our last Vogelsang 'Eastbourne' 4n hybrid in 2013 and that offspring is an exceptionally useful late cut flower type intermediate named Carmenere.

One of the things we adhere to is not to go backwards or even sideway today. I'm fast running out of hybridizing time and there are so many NEW avenues to explore.

[Gary S]

Now that is good news Andy, was it hiding from you I wonder?

My seedling devonianum's are growing quite well now they are hanging in a tree and only getting natural rain - plenty of that over the last few months.

[MrCym]

Well I last observed the spike about three weeks ago and it was barely extending so the development was rapid. I have a very busy week ahead, took out about 40 flasks on Friday and I have to plant them up tomorrow and Wednesday. Tuesday I have an appointment in Medellin.

A little tidbit of useful information. Many years ago, Norm Porter and I shared the information that deflasked seedlings which had been allowed to dry until the roots were white (this can be 24 hours in warm weather and days in our big wet) established significantly faster in plugs/compots. I differentiate as he always used compots and I only use plugs. Either way, the results were quite obvious. Now I don't mean dry to the point of desiccation but distinct dryness is a plus.

[Gary S]

I agree with that point Andy, I have done this with Aussie Den seedlings out of flask for years, got that tip from a now passed very good grower many moons ago.