Strange ways of choosing orchids to buy?

[Optimist]

Hi, I realized that I am the kind of person who learns from past mistakes, and yet, uses past successes to a nearly superstitious level. I have a dendrobium C. K. Ai. "Aka" X Caniliculatum that I have gotten the care down pat. It is a water hog even though lots of care instructions seem to say otherwise. So I just bought Dendrobium blue twinkle, which is another Caniliculatum cross. (Betty Goto x canaliculatum). I am not sure why I think that if I have one Canaliculatum cross care perfect, perhaps I will do well with another one. This is similar to the way I chose my other orchids. If I think I have done well on one, I will choose another that has some similarities.

[Louis_W]

That makes a lot of sense to me!

[Leafmite]

Hopefully, you also like other attributes of the orchid, too.

I just chose orchids to buy for a quirky reason, too...
I discovered that it is easy for me to grow small mounted orchids if I keep them hung in the kitchen window, above the sink (easy to toss them in a bowl to soak), so I bought more small, mounted orchids to hang in the kitchen window.

[WaterWitchin]

Now I'm usually inclined to get orchids that will grow within my particular environment and culture with no special treatment of them, other than a dozen or so that can't tolerate our blistering part of summer and get to come into air conditioning for a couple of months in July/August.

When I first started, I went with anything and everything that I thought looked cool. Big learning curve to realize I couldn't grow cool growers and hot growers in the same area 365 days a year. Same with mounted plants. I loved mounted. But messy and time consuming when grown indoors in my setup at that time.

A couple of decades later, different grow space, I found myself really wanting more mounted orchids again. So bought an automatic mister, figured out how to water without slopping water everywhere. Because I wanted mounted orchids real bad.

Also over the years I moved away from growing many that bloomed once or twice a year, to more than bloomed frequently OR stayed in bloom for a prolonged period of time. There are a lot of Cattleya with lovely blooms, but I want to stay below 100 orchids so don't need 50 of them to be Catts. Same with cool growers vs hot growers... I try to keep mostly those that will tolerate the temps of my grow space.

I believe choosing what orchids to have is a learning curve that changes over time, the longer one practices the hobby.

[Ray]

"Oohh! I LIKE that!" is a terrible way to select plants, but probably the most common methodology.

After a few decades, realizing that you have probably blown the funding that would have allowed you to retire early to the tropics, you learn, as WW mentioned, to select things that fit with your growing environment and capabilities.

[Roberta]

Orchid-growing is a process, not an "event" ... I have learned so many things about what does and doesn't work for me. And what I can modify in my conditions to accommodate the "I like that!" plants that reach out and grab me, and what is beyond what is possible. I try to learn from fatalities. Also, my tastes have changed. I started out the way most people do, with lovely hybrids, settling on what I COULD grow. Over time, I got hooked on species. I am definitely a "What can I get away with?" grower, but have been greatly improving my success rate as I learn about the factors (some not obvious) that separate the triumphs from the "sadly, no way".

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Hopefully, you also like other attributes of the orchid, too.

Oh sure-- but I think they are all beautiful, so the flower is always going to be good. This is the first year I am buying orchids again, and I have really over-done it, so I am just going to care for the ones I have, and wait for blooms. Most are "blooming size," (I buy them blooming size because I hate waiting), I only have one "seedling" which I need to wait 2-3 years till bloom.

[DirtyCoconuts]

If it is free, I’ll take it.

If I like it, I’ll look into it and if I think have better than a 50-60% chance of success it goes onto the list.

I am only allowed to spend money on orchids on the list.

It keeps me in check lol

[Diane56Victor]

I have a little of everyone comments in the way I choose my orchids.
Free = I'll give it a go.
If I like it and stand a reasonable chance of success I'll buy it.
I try to be sensible, but admit to having the "Ohh I really like that!" every now and then but I try really hard to temper that with my inner voice saying "Be sensible, will it grow in my environment, can I really do (insert orchids specific needs) as required?
Also wanting to concentrate on smaller growth orchids and those that are fragrant but there are those larger ones and non fragrant ones that are worth the space.

Just read this prior to posting, gosh a psychiatrist would have a field day with all that flip flopping over what to do!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Diane56Victor

Just read this prior to posting, gosh a psychiatrist would have a field day with all that flip flopping over what to do!

Only if they don't understand the orchid addiction. Nearly everyone here considers this normal.