A blooming hybrid
TGlavich@aol.com (Mon, 03 Feb 2003 17:59:14 PST)

Mike,

Congratulations on your first hybrid. It would be great if you could show us
a picture of they hybrid and Mom and Dad.

The question of where to go next is always the hardest. It's good to write
down what you think and improvement would be, and then work towards that. I
find that without a written goal, I tend to wander in every direction, and
pursue every novelty. A written goal helps when you have to throw away a
couple of hundred plants that just aren't in the right direction. One good
list of improvements is on the Hadeco page, where they are very explicit on
what they think a better Hippeastrum is.

Getting the bigger flower is certainly a possibility, and although the color
may wash out a bit as the size grows, this is where back crossing to your
hybrid can be used to help restore the color that you want, while still
maintaining size. The only way to get there is to grow lots of seedlings,
and to throw almost everything out except the few that have the
characteristics you are seeking.

Good luck.

Tom Glavich