Swimming in 4" Pot

[Clawhammer]

I purchased a Cattleya Schroederae (after a long search for this species) and the size was described, as it often is, as a 2 years to bloom plant in a 4" pot. When I got the plant there are just two mature leaves and one new growth. It is a tiny seedling, the rhizhome is less than an 1". It is healthy.

I am not happy with the size, but I will admit I am not familiar enough with the species to dispute the 2 years to bloom claim. I can say that when I see a plant offered in a 4" pot I expect that it will be filling at least half of it, otherwise it is misleading.

Am I being unreasonable here? The other plant this vendor shipped me is the completely wrong plant and I haven't gotten a response to my email about it yet (2 days). I didn't complain about the size of my plant, but I am planning on following up today if I receive no response and may mention it. Wanted to get some second opinions first.

I will be reviewing this vendor soon and will update with the outcome.

[KingKong]

The plant has filled the pot with roots but that pot is unsuitable if it has no drainage/ventilation holes at the bottom.

The last one I got was the size of my thumb - also considerably smaller than I was expecting but it was cheap and some of my slow growing angraecums will take just as long to become blooming size.

Any orchid can be brought to flowering size (at least any I have grown - there will probably be exceptions) in 3 years so yours 2 years to flowering size could be right. Probably 3 years with less good care.

A wrong orchid on the other hand is more annoying I find - luckily hasn't happened yet touch wood, waiting for an ebay purchase to flower this year which I am pretty sure won't be what I paid for

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

I purchased a Cattleya Schroederae (after a long search for this species) and the size was described, as it often is, as a 2 years to bloom plant in a 4" pot. When I got the plant there are just two mature leaves and one new growth. It is a tiny seedling, the rhizhome is less than an 1". It is healthy.

I am not happy with the size, but I will admit I am not familiar enough with the species to dispute the 2 years to bloom claim. I can say that when I see a plant offered in a 4" pot I expect that it will be filling at least half of it, otherwise it is misleading.

Am I being unreasonable here? The other plant this vendor shipped me is the completely wrong plant and I haven't gotten a response to my email about it yet (2 days). I didn't complain about the size of my plant, but I am planning on following up today if I receive no response and may mention it. Wanted to get some second opinions first.

I will be reviewing this vendor soon and will update with the outcome.

My C. schroederae is a medium-sized plant (6 inch-15 cm pseudobulbs, topped with 6 inch-15 cm leaves) and it has bloomed several times. So I would say that two years to blooming for that plant is extremely optimistic. Like in your dreams. Maybe under perfect cultural conditions It could grow fast enough to get to blooming size, but don't hold your breath.

KK, I don't see how you can see the drainage holes or lack thereof. X-ray vision? The large bark is appropriate, those roots look a bit dehydrated, but a new plant usually needs repotting on general principles. It looks like a healthy plant, just not as close to blooming as the vendor says. (In fairness though, "2 years to blooming size" does imply a pretty small plant, so still at the "guess" stage. At least they didn't call it "near-blooming size" which WOULD have been a misreprentation)

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Roberta

My C. schroederae is a medium-sized plant (6 inch-15 cm pseudobulbs, topped with 6 inch-15 cm leaves) and it has bloomed several times. So I would say that two years to blooming for that plant is extremely optimistic. Like in your dreams. Maybe under perfect cultural conditions It could grow fast enough to get to blooming size, but don't hold your breath.

KK, I don't see how you can see the drainage holes or lack thereof. X-ray vision? The large bark is appropriate, those roots look a bit dehydrated, but a new plant usually needs repotting on general principles. It looks like a healthy plant, just not as close to blooming as the vendor says. (In fairness though, "2 years to blooming size" does imply a pretty small plant, so still at the "guess" stage. At least they didn't call it "near-blooming size" which WOULD have been a misreprentation)

Thanks Roberta, I thought that was the case. Thanks for the sanity check, I am going to follow up and complain about this plant too. The vendor still has an opportunity to make this right but I don't get a good feeling from the lack of response so far. Review to come soon....

[DirtyCoconuts]

id be disappointed as that is not a 4" pot sized plant.

i cannot disagree with the 2 years to bloom because i don't know this plant but i would be very doubtful of that claim

[Clawhammer]

Thanks everyone.

After a little pushback I received a full refund. What a shame, I totally would have paid a fair price for the seedling if it was represented accurately, it is healthy and hard to find.

[Fairorchids]

Estimates of 'time to BS' are notoriously vague, and need to be qualified. What I can do in the greenhouse with near optimal conditions, is entirely different from what:

A.1 Hobby grower with greenhouse will achieve.
A.2 Hobby grower growing under lights in the basement will achieve.
A.3 Hobby grower growing on window sill in an apartment will achieve.

B. What an experienced hobby grower will achieve, vs. a 'newbie'.

When I sell young plants at a show, I try to be specific, such as: 'I expect it to take 18-24 months in my greenhouse, it will probably take you 24-36 months'. On Ebay, I state the longer time frame to keep it simple.

[WaterWitchin]

Very well stated Kim.

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Estimates of 'time to BS' are notoriously vague, and need to be qualified. What I can do in the greenhouse with near optimal conditions, is entirely different from what:

A.1 Hobby grower with greenhouse will achieve.
A.2 Hobby grower growing under lights in the basement will achieve.
A.3 Hobby grower growing on window sill in an apartment will achieve.

B. What an experienced hobby grower will achieve, vs. a 'newbie'.

When I sell young plants at a show, I try to be specific, such as: 'I expect it to take 18-24 months in my greenhouse, it will probably take you 24-36 months'. On Ebay, I state the longer time frame to keep it simple.

Thanks for sharing your thought process, it sounds like the fair approach.

I was mostly annoyed with the 4" pot descriptor, as this denotes a nearly mature cattleya. This lil guy has a rhizhome that is maybe an inch long at best which is really misleading. If the number of leaves is two less than the inch diameter of the pot I think a refund is in order

[Fairorchids]

Using the pot size as a guide, you would reasonably expect that the plant is potted in a suitably sized pot. That was clearly not the case here.