Plugs are young orchid plants that are growing in plug trays and ready to pot in 2″ or bigger pots. The best thing about them is that they are affordable. I pot them into 2″ or 3″ pots with large orchid bark as media and I water them about every other day for the first few months. These plants are a good 4 years away from blooming, but when you do bloom them you will feel a sense of accomplishment. I grew most of the orchids in my collection from plugs.
This is one of my own crosses; let me tell you about the parents.
Pod parent – Rlc Fortune, registered by Stewart Orchids in 1963, a cross of C. Memoria Albert Heinecke x Rlc. Xanthette. Through the years, Rlc Fortune garnered quite a few awards and as of 2021, it accounted for more than 2100 progeny, the most famous of which was probably Rlc Goldenzelle. I used the Rlc Fortune ‘Doubloon del Rey’ cultivar in this cross, which received an AM/AOS in 1965. Its flowers were described as follows when awarded: golden yellow flowers with coral lips and gold-veined throats and side lobes. It’s a strong grower and makes tall sturdy growths.
Pollen parent – I’ve always loved big yellow Cattleya flowers with red lips and flares, and the best of those has always been Rlc Toshie Aoki. It’s a lovely thing, but some people report it as being somewhat difficult to grow and flower. So instead, I prefer Rlc Williette Wong, which is Rlc Toshie Aoki crossed with Rlc Tassie Barbero. Tassie Barbero is itself 1/2 Rlc Fortune. Rlc Williette Wong is nearly nearly identical to Toshie Aoki, but I do find Williette easier to grow and flower and the plants are sturdier and less prone to rotting.
Expectations – Flowers on this cross will undoubtedly be mostly yellows, most with red lips, some with flares, and I hope to see a little more of that gold veining in the lip. It should be a fun cross. The first photo is the Rlc Williette Wong pollen parent, the second is Rlc Williette Wong’s family tree, the third is pod parent Rlc Fortune ‘Doubloon del Rey’.
Notes – I have quite a few crosses in cell trays right now besides this and will be adding them to this page as time goes by.
