So vendor x is offering “line bred” dendrobium speciosum….well let me say this in 20 years I have never seen a line bred speciosum…not even 1! I am sure there must be at least some out there somewhere, probably up in nsw but none have trickled down here to vic.

I guess before you all think i am nuts I guess I should explain what line breeding is. 

Lets say we choose 2 superior parents – lets say Mt Larcom Gold x Windemere, a cross made for the first time a long time ago. This initial cross is not “line breeding” it is just crossing 2 plants together! (both collected from the wild – probably illegally) To line bred this we would take to of the babies (Gen 1)  often called siblings and cross them together – this getting a second generation of babies (Gen 2). We could then choose 2 superior siblings and again cross them to get to Gen 3 and on and on it could go forever. 

This method of line breeding has been used to improve species orchids overal as well as developing different traits, for example line breeding has been used extensively with kingianums and has helped to develop the range of colours now available.

So tell me why has true line breeding not been done with speciosums? Doesnt it work? All of the top plants I am aware of are either wild collected (Daylight moon is wild collected and still considered by most to be the #1 speciosum in the country) or first generation plants (ie larwind cross, windemere selfing, larmoon) the only close to second gen plants that are widely recognised is the goldimoons which is really gen 1.5…

Line breeding or just generation on generation forward breeding is anyone going anywhere with dendrobium speciosums? A lot of plants have come into existance with the aim of breeding the best speciosum out there so show us your plants. I would love to hear from someone who has some gen 3 or gen 4 plants that they think are well ahead of the original wild collected plants….

Perhaps I should give everyone a peice of daylight moon and we can all give up on the seedlings.