Orchid Shipping/Importing Laws

[emmajs243]

See Bela Vista is EXACTLY who I wanted to order from! I almost pre ordered for redland but didn't know if I had to be there or if they would ship when they got state side or how all of that works..so sarajean SUPER helpful. Redland airfair was OUTRAGEOUS by the time I heard about it.

So sarajean, I totally can just from them and they will ship once stateside?! That would be perfect!

And Ray, I wasnt necessarily planning to jump and import anything asap! But I was curious what it would take to do. And I also was curious what people's opinions on it would be!

Now what I didn't think about in all of this, the plants from ecuagenera I saw at my show, can I expect those are all recent imports or are they plants that have been with ecuagenera for a while?? I'm guessing from your comment those are recent imports which was REALLY helpful to put plant condition in perspective! If the plants were cheaper, I probably would have tried out a few other plants I had been looking for but ugh....for the price, some had black Rot, some so infested with scale that no viable eyes were left, like not ALL were...practically on their way out but out of 10 Catts I really wanted to buy, I only took 1 of them and yeah, she is still in rough shape. So that is partially my fear with pre-ordering or importing. I don't even get to see that the ones I choose at least salvageable.

So thank you VERY much for those who likened it to the plants at the show! Very, very relatable! The show was eye opening however....there were tons of people buying plants just covered in scale or that weren't even green anymore but entirely yellow for high prices. I don't know if they just didn't know and will probably end up on this board looking for help or if they were confident In their abilities you know? But it did make me realize that my plants are In amazing condition in comparison and how tough orchids really can be.

I am partially a little shocked I haven't even posted about the one I got at least to get some opinions but idk, I feel like she will come around!

I got an Lc. Canhamiana 'Azure Skies' for only $30 and although she has quite a few back bulbs with no leaf and that were packages in the newspaper with her roots (bareroot) so they have started yellowing, all her pseudobulbs are the plumpest I have ever seen. Her root ball isn't in great shape but it's coming back. I did a soak in the garden solution....thank you Ray! And she her roots are looking better. She had three new growths so I knew she would be putting out roots soon at least (although one was broken in transport it looked like) and she has two sheaths, one definitely has buds although, Idk that I will let her bloom or not depending on her health. She does have some smaller black spots on the underside of a few leaves that I will need to try and take care of but overall, I definitely feel like she will come back. She is in good enough condition to fight at least I feel like!

So I am going to pull the velamin off the dead roots but leave her be for the most part and just focus on getting her healthy! A new orchid friend told me something like, "my view on bacterial/fungal issues, they are only a problem if the plant is weak or stressed. Focus on getting the plant strong and healthy and they can overcome much of that stuff." And I really took it to heart! I've been much less panicky since! Along with seeing the other Catts at the show and their condition, I've realized they are tougher then I ever thought and don't need constant human interference but just need some good culture and should be ok!

I know this unfortunately may not always be the case but it was an eye opening experience at least! And! I have much less anxiety about every little thing finally!

[katrina]

Originally Posted by emmajs243

Now what I didn't think about in all of this, the plants from ecuagenera I saw at my show, can I expect those are all recent imports or are they plants that have been with ecuagenera for a while?? I'm guessing from your comment those are recent imports which was REALLY helpful to put plant condition in perspective! If the plants were cheaper, I probably would have tried out a few other plants I had been looking for but ugh....for the price, some had black Rot, some so infested with scale that no viable eyes were left, like not ALL were...practically on their way out but out of 10 Catts I really wanted to buy, I only took 1 of them and yeah, she is still in rough shape. So that is partially my fear with pre-ordering or importing. I don't even get to see that the ones I choose at least salvageable.

So thank you VERY much for those who likened it to the plants at the show! Very, very relatable! The show was eye opening however....there were tons of people buying plants just covered in scale or that weren't even green anymore but entirely yellow for high prices. I don't know if they just didn't know and will probably end up on this board looking for help or if they were confident In their abilities you know? But it did make me realize that my plants are In amazing condition in comparison and how tough orchids really can be.

In order to get through inspection, the plants must be free of disease and insect. It would be highly unlikely that any orchid would have black rot but,rather, what you're seeing is a result of the extreme stress, mechanical damage during the prep and/or shipping and packing and/or treatments that are done in order to get through inspection. I'm also nearly 100% confident there would be no active scale on any recent imports...again the whole inspection process would prevent those plants from coming in so the vendors are going to make sure their plants don't get confiscated and destroyed.

Recent imports are almost always very rough looking. And if the vendor came into the US for more than one show and the plants have been bare-root for a couple of weeks while here...they can be even more stressed and ugly.

As already mentioned, it can take anywhere from one to two years (sometimes even longer!) to get them turned around. Depending on the type of orchid...you can also expect to see a pretty high percentage of losses. When I grew masdies...I would see well over 50% losses in recent imports. I consider myself a pretty good grower of catts and it can still be a crap shoot w/those for me. The hardier the species, the better chance I've had but it seems the ones that I've been most interested in are those that tend to be fussier in their demands. What's a person to do though?! If you want it and it can't be found in the US...well, just gotta take the chance, right?

So, yea, they can look really rough but I'm sure there was no active scale. The black was due to injuries, stress and dehydration, or possibly a chemical treatment that was done before import. All that bare root time (if they still have roots!), no water and time spent in boxes and wrapped in paper w/no light...it's not a good time for the plants. Oh, and if the vendor is doing more than one show in the US...it's longer and now you can add in being packed/unpacked and repacked/etc into the mix of all of that stress. It's one big stress-fest for any plant and the results are not pretty but w/proper care, a little extra babying, and a lot of patience...many will do just fine over the long haul.

Side note...personally...w/new plants...both imports and "local"...I almost always un-pot and do a short, bare-root soak in mild soapy water and then use a soft toothbrush to clean them off before potting up. I've never had a recent import bring in pests. I have had it happen w/US grown plants. As a general rule though...it's just something I do even if I don't see anything. It the plant is from a vendor that I REALLY trust, and I know the medium is in good shape, and the plant has plenty of room to grow in the existing pot...I've been known to not do anything w/those plants right away. But more often than not...it's my soak and scrub routine.