Schwerter Orchideen, sale plants less likely to bloom?

[naturalistSean]

I'll be visiting Germany from Austria in October and am thinking about putting in an order from Schwerter. I have some very nice plants from them that have bloomed wonderfully.
However, I also bought a sale plant, Nancy Fairfax x Aussies Tapestry, a hybrid of hybrids dendrobium. It was on sale when I bought it in February 2021. I've not been able to get it to bloom despite it growing to a very large size. Since then I've noticed it has been on sale from then to now. Is it really on sale if it is the same price for 19 months straight? During this time they indicate that they don't have any photos of the flowers. So I am suspicious of it.
Now, I notice that they have Tolumnia scandens for sale for 1 buck. 1 single Euro. And it has been on sale for this price for a long time. Supposedly discounted from about 10 bucks.
So what are your thoughts? Could it be so discounted simply because they know it will not bloom? Any reviews on their site are from people with new plants. No one mentions spikes or flowers.
Again, I've a number of plants from them that are absolutely wonderful.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

How much do you lose trying a one buck plant? I'd buy it if previous plants have been received in good shape. Blooming should be a matter of conditions. That's just the way I see it. YMMV

[naturalistSean]

Good point Dusty. My concern is investing in the time and effort. The Tolumnia will require daily watering. Plus the cost and effort of mounting it. I've been strung along with other orchids this way! That said, I'll probably buy a few of them because, well, they are darn cheap.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Originally Posted by naturalistSean

Good point Dusty. My concern is investing in the time and effort. The Tolumnia will require daily watering. Plus the cost and effort of mounting it. I've been strung along with other orchids this way! That said, I'll probably buy a few of them because, well, they are darn cheap.

I may be way off base, and if I am will someone please correct me, but it seems to me if your plants are growing well but don't flower, there must be some environmental factor missing. Something akin to a phal never getting a cool period. Just my

[Ray]

While there certainly are plants out there that are more hesitant to bloom than their relatively close relatives, some of that might be nothing more than improper culture.

Looking at a totally made-up scenario, what if, in the random mixing of genes, a particular hybrid picks up the “grows fast” and “likes it cold” genetics, while most of its siblings got more moderate gene combo’s?

“Fast growing” makes it a particularly attractive plant, but the “cold” trait makes it bloom less readily than its siblings, growing right next to it on the (warmer) bench, but as we can’t see the genes, we don’t know that’s the issue.

I know nothing about that particular nursery, but might they be discounting plants that are less-than-happy under their conditions?

[SFLguy]

Originally Posted by naturalistSean

Good point Dusty. My concern is investing in the time and effort. The Tolumnia will require daily watering. Plus the cost and effort of mounting it. I've been strung along with other orchids this way! That said, I'll probably buy a few of them because, well, they are darn cheap.

I would avoid watering the Tolumnia daily unless it looks like it is needing more water. We've got them in a greenhouse with Cattleyas (Bright light, high temperatures) growing in an empty pot, and we water them once a week. We have higher humidity, but you probably still shouldn't water them daily. I always think to many of the islands in the Carribean and how dry they are. Plenty of humidity, maybe some dew in the morning, but rain can be sparse for some times of the year, and the plants want to dry quickly