My First Cross

Pollinating Orchids is not all that difficult, but it is something that most hobbyists shy away from.  Aside from the difficulties/complexities of actually growing orchids from seed, there is one major reason why: the flowers immediately begin to fade and wilt!  If the hobby is about growing beautiful ephemeral flowers, why would you want to shorten their duration as objects of beauty?  Well, for the same reason I like an ugly little brown fish as much as popular colorful aquarium species and a stinky "carrion flower" as much as a sweet rose - it's interesting!

With that attitude, I looked around my "Orchid Zone" and discovered a few things blooming.  I decided that flowers would fade in a matter of weeks either way, but a seed pod would take months (or even a year) to develop, giving me something interesting to watch.  I had been studying up on pollination methods and had stocked up on the seemingly ubiquitous wooden toothpicks, so I was ready.

LC Interceps (slug munched)
© 2011 MadOrchidist.com

One flower, LaelioCattleya Interceps, had been munched by slugs as it was opening and was not going to last, but the column and anther cap were still intact.  I grabbed a toothpick and removed the cap and then the pollinia underneath.  I separately removed the cap and pollinia from a recently acquired LaelioCattleya Schilleriana, and placed the Interceps pollen on its stigmatic surface.  The deed was done!

LC Schilleriana
© 2011 MadOrchidist.com

I folded up the Schilleriana pollen in a piece of clean printer paper and put it in the refrigerator for future use (as I had read online), and hoped for the best.

I couldn't believe my luck when my very first pollination, of a single flower, began to develop a seed pod.  The ovary began to swell, and the beautiful purple and magenta flower began to fade.  I could care less about the flower at that point - I was breaking new ground!!

Initial Seed Pod Development
© 2011 MadOrchidist.com

Since these first couple of posts are retroactively dated, I can also include a picture of the developing pod several months along:

Maturing Schilleriana Sed Pod (to the left)
© 2011 MadOrchidist.com

It isn't a purple flower, but to me, it's beautiful!  Even if you don't plan on flasking orchid seeds or making new hybrids, I highly recommend pollinating a flower occasionally, just so you can see your plant do something new!