How many Give it Up, do U

[Keysguy]

I have several grower friends who all seem to think that 2000 is a "manageable" number.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

I have several grower friends who all seem to think that 2000 is a "manageable" number.

The "manageable number" probably needs to be a ratio... plants per unit area. That number is really different for those living in an orchid-unfriendly climate growing inside the house (at least necessary to have some areas without plants, like the toilet, bed, and kitchen stove) and those of us who can put them out in the back yard.

[farley101]

Did a quick count and I've got 61 at this point, not counting the babies I took out of flask about a week ago. A quarter or so of them are missteps where I over/under watered or some such fun learning experience and am working on coaxing them back to health again. I don't have a lot of experience under my belt, but I'm doing a lot of learning in a short time!

[KingKong]

I am a bit dubious about the claims of 1200+ orchids.

That would mean that every day of the year 30+ of those orchids would need transplanting.

The watering can be done automatically or by rain but repotting 1200 orchids yearly, even if just every 2 years is a recipe for giving up to me. Unless it is a business - then 1200 is fine as they would get sold before they would need repotting.

However claiming that is a bit of cheating then isn't it?

I could claim I have over a million orchids then since this planet is my home and I could go visit a million in the wild lol.

[kvet]

11 - three split into two each when repotting a few weeks back. They just multiply on their own

[SundayGardener]

I probably haven't been at this long enough to have given up and come back, but since a certain elderly relative asks me in disbelief every singe week: I have ~ 100, all indoor by necessity.

If I could call my outdoor plants orchids then it might approach ~300.

I don't know how long I'll be able to keep up, I might have to reduce for the sake of simplicity, but right now the numbers work for me. Having just a few is a problem because then I pay too much attention to them and of course they die from all the suffocating doting. Also, I need numbers to justify my lifelong dream of having a greenhouse!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by KingKong

I am a bit dubious about the claims of 1200+ orchids.

That would mean that every day of the year 30+ of those orchids would need transplanting.

The watering can be done automatically or by rain but repotting 1200 orchids yearly, even if just every 2 years is a recipe for giving up to me. Unless it is a business - then 1200 is fine as they would get sold before they would need repotting.

However claiming that is a bit of cheating then isn't it?

I could claim I have over a million orchids then since this planet is my home and I could go visit a million in the wild lol.

What makes you think that when one has a large number of orchids (1200+ ) that they are repotted yearly? You are accusing people, members of this Board, of lying or cheating when they give such a number. Have you SEEN their setup? (For instance, a small part of mine can be seen on my website under "growing areas". There is much more growing area beyond what is shown in the photos) You might be claiming what you don't have (I can't judge that), but other people have no reason to exaggerate. This is a reminder to stick to the facts about orchids, not to attack people.


There are different ways of managing orchids, under different conditions. For instance, mounted orchids, or those in open baskets, don't need repotting at all, maybe in 10 years a mount needs replacing. With high-quality bark most groups can go easily 3 years before they need to be potted. Other things do need more frequent attention. This ties into automatic watering... if the medium is matched to the plant's requirements it is quite possible to water everything in an area the same, and have different effects - L. anceps, in baskets or mounted need to dry out, are hanging above Cymbidiums that want to stay damp, so they're in small bark. Same watering, each plant gets their different needs met. Both require high light, which is why they are in the same area.

There are also ways to keeping track of a large orchid collection. My system involves each plant having a unique number, tracked in a database. Plants that are removed (died, donated, occasionally sold) are also tracked, so getting a fairly accurate number is easy.

[WaterWitchin]

I didn't want to respond to this, but will. Right now I'm back up to over a hundred. Don't have an exact count at the moment. Hated to respond, because it reminds me of several times over the past few years I would NOT have over a hundred, and try to stick with around 50. Never reached that goal yet, but I know less than a year ago I'd whittled back to 65ish.

My issue was having to schlep orchids in and out of the basement each year...getting too old for that action. I have several friends who contribute to my delinquent ways (the ones here know who you are). I also run across some that are "needs" and get them without giving up one. No self-control at times.

And now I'm talking about putting up a greenhouse... a lifetime ambition. Do you have any idea what losing that excuse for schlepping orchids up and down stairs is gonna do to me?

If I lived in a more temperate climate like Roberta, SouthPark, KeyesGuy, DCoconuts, etc... it would be the end of life as I know it, and a "new normal" would commence.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

And now I'm talking about putting up a greenhouse... a lifetime ambition. Do you have any idea what losing that excuse for schlepping orchids up and down stairs is gonna do to me?

Whatever size you were planning, double it at least. You'll get another 5 minutes before you fill it up.

[SouthPark]

Estimating roughly 100 here. And that's about it now ------ max capacity pretty much reached in the growing area. That number includes some baby/juvenile plants - far from flowering size.

Actually, max capacity exceeded recently ----- as some very kind Cymbidium seller shipped 4 extra plants aside from the big one - so ended up with 5 plants instead of 1. Leaf span of cyms can be a big factor with limited growing area real-estate. Although, since I'm new to Cyms ----- appreciative of that nice gesture from the seller. Obviously a good sort.

Also ----- maybe like many growers here, we may have doubles or even triples of certain plants - not just due to needs for divisions, but due to 'backups' - in case of unforeseen circumstances - disease/virus/something.