Gigi and I were talking on another thread about seedlings and my response got a little long, so I thought it should be another thread since it it its own subject.
Gigi Plumeria: "I'm bad at growing seedlings, my germination rate is quite high so I stopped growing them. I currently have 75+ or maybe more growing and I'm afraid to get rid of them, just in case one is the "special one" . Some are now over 2 years old. I kept some in small pots so they don't grow too big too fast. Especially if I have to wait 3 to 7 years."
You are exactly right in it is a long process and in your fear of missing the "Special one". I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the caviler attitude most growers have towards seedlings and refer to them as "Common" whites...yellows etc...I have to agree, when ours first started blooming after growing and babying these things for 3-4years, they weren't anything special...they were just whites and yellows...some had some uniqueness and we had some that stuck out...but they weren't that much different than the parents. Over the growing cycles, their personalities started to emerge and after 7 years we started to find plants with really different blooms. Now that they are 10 years old...they are just like children..as different as snowflakes.
At the Plumeria Society sales I go to...it is very common for them to cut seedlings off at the base to graft a named variety...usually reds because they are hard to root. I have no idea what all they discard and they will never know what they are cutting off for another. We never noticed Kiya or Kealani before last year....year 9.
So what we are starting to realize is it takes a while for the seedlings to mature and reveal their true nature. Here are some of our named babies ...we are going to file registration on 5 this year. Remember, besides the bloom, you have to consider the plant itself...the leaf color, structure etc...and smells are as different as the blooms are. The parent plants was a Samoan Fluff (pure white, round petals, yellow center) and an Aztec Gold.
Kiya
Kealani- white and very yellow...they never open more than they are in this photo
Amancer- as different as it gets
Amarillo- Oddly shaped petals-has very droppy "Dog Ear" leaves
Fools Gold
Dawn Glow
Texas Mango
Laguna Moonrise
We have more, but you get the idea...I have no idea where the purple came from in some of these, but we assume it is just like the DNA in people, in that traits are passed on for generations ..so you never know what you can get. Amanacer is the strangest with its crinkle texture petals. Let me know your experiences!
