I often get seedlings pupping at an early stage, Gonz. I wouldn't say it's the norm, but it's not that unusual either, so I don't usually pay much attention to it. I've even had a few bloom at that stage, which definitely catches my attention, but it doesn't necessarily mean that's going to be its permanent pattern. It just got a wrong signal somewhere along the line.

Sometimes a seedling will start pupping if there has been some sort of damage (visible or not) to the meristem of the main plant. In that case, you will usually see several pups at once and it will become fairly obvious after a while that mama has stopped growing. Other times, however, the mother will continue growing just fine, and there doesn't seem to be an obvious reason for it. I can only assume that it's just doin' it cuz it feels like it. ;-)

Thanks Lisa, I was hoping for your thoughts. This should be an interesting year with all those hybrids growing up.