How do orchid nurseries get away with it?

[nhbeek]

no roots, no problem, at least with cattleyas. Start testing for virus though and you will generally be unhappy.

As for why there is such a high infection rate - when I visited a "reputable" vendor in Florida last year I witnessed some workers going down an entire row of plants with a single, uncleaned pair of pruning shears cutting each plant...

The only two vendors I have found that consistently sell plants with no virus and good roots are svo and shogun

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'm going to provide a different experience and a different perspective than some that have been mentioned already, and you decide what is an appropriate way to grow your orchids...

1) I don't expect any of the orchids I get to have a stunning root system, regardless of the vendor.

2) I check the root systems of my orchid purchases regardless of vendor.

3) I reserve the right to request a replacement or a refund from a vendor should the plant be deemed unsalvageable upon receipt.

4) There are some vendors with good reputations that do provide a good number of plants with good root systems, but that is not a guarantee.

5) I closely observe my plants for a good amount of time after my purchase to make sure my growing methods encourage the proper root growth on my plants.

6) In case my growing methods fail to provide the desired results, I make my adjustments accordingly.

In some instances, I may have to do research AGAIN to see if I can come up with satisfactory solutions (it has helped a few times).

7) Through experience/trial and error, you'll discover which orchids will survive severe root damage and which ones will not.

Do the "pull test" to see if the messed up looking root is actually alive or dead. If you pull gently, and the velamen sloughs off, leaving behind the root's vascular bundle, it's dead. If you pull and it stays intact, it is likely still alive.

If you have questions about which specific orchids you purchased would survive, feel free to ask away, and with luck maybe a few of us can answer some of those questions for you.

---------- Post added at 04:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------

Oh, and to answer your question about "how they [orchid nurseries] get away with it [providing orchids with severely damaged root systems]"

People buy from them for a few reasons:

1) Inexperience/trust.

2) Some of the orchids the vendors sell are rarely offered. In some cases, no other vendor sells that orchid, so if we want that, we have to decide whether it is worth it to take that risk of buying it.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

[/COLOR]Oh, and to answer your question about "how they [orchid nurseries] get away with it [providing orchids with severely damaged root systems]"

People buy from them for a few reasons:

1) Inexperience/trust.

2) Some of the orchids the vendors sell are rarely offered. In some cases, no other vendor sells that orchid, so if we want that, we have to decide whether it is worth it to take that risk of buying it.

Add to that, there are some orchids that suffer from the bare-rooting process that is a requirement for imports. Sobralias fall into that category. Some Paphs as well. So under (2)... if you want it, and you can't find it domestically already potted, you may need to nurse it. It's not a perfect world...

[Leafmite]

Many vendors who grow their own orchids are quitting the business due to increasing expenses (or retiring) while most of those who are now getting into it are those who 'flip' imported orchids. I think more and more, we are going to be buying imported orchids that need some care to get established.