How do orchid nurseries get away with it?

[waterboy]

I am pretty new to growing orchids but I have been buying and growing plants for many years. This year I spent probably $1000 on orchids because I got bit by the bug. Even from reputable vendors there were purchases with crappy roots and plants that I will kindly say appeared less than vigorous. No other type of plant nursery would be able to stay in business with sales like that. Sure you can pamper the orchid and get the roots back but is it truly an expectation that it is OK to send out a plant that needs to be hospitalized by the buyer?

[Toadwally]

No, it's not.

[Roberta]

Welcome!

If you have received plants in poor condition, you should contact the vendor and get either a refund or replacement plant. (And if they don't respond, your credit card company will back you up.) There are enough good vendors around that you should be able to get robust, healthy plants. Take a look at the Vendor Feedback forum to find some that members have found to be outstanding. (And you'll see some where the experience wasn't so good, too.) As a new member, do read the Policy Announcement at the top of that forum, you can't share the bad stuff until you have been a member for awhile. But you can certainly benefit from others' experiences.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I'm sorry you had that experience. Fortunately that hasn't happened to me very often. I will reinforce what Roberta wrote about reading in the Vendor Feedback forum.

[Leafmite]

I am sorry that you had that experience. I do expect my orchids to have healthy roots when shipped and most vendors from whom I have bought orchids agree. Some orchid growers pot their orchids into new medium just as the new growth is about to produce roots and expect the old roots to die so this would not be a concern for them if there is new growth about to produce roots. I do my best to save the old roots.
There are certain types of orchids that go dormant...not sure what you are growing. Again, I am sorry that you were disappointed.

Concerning other plant vendors...there are many plants sold 'bare root' like roses, fruit trees, berry bushes, perennials, etc. that often need quite a bit of effort the first year to get established. I just bought bare-root roses and I find it hard to believe they will be blooming by June.... You must be buying either bedding plants or tropical plants.

[Dalachin]

I have been buying a lot of orchids in the last year too, and my experiences have varied. Some vendors clearly have standout plants and service… often I know I’m paying a bit more, but when there have been issues they have been very responsive.

There is one vendor i buy a lot from since they have great species and great prices. Emails about problems go unanswered. A couple that I’ve gotten from them have been real duds, others have been fantastic— much larger and more vigorous than expected. On the whole I feel like I’ve come out ahead, so I continue to buy from them.

There is another vendor who many people find reputable that I’ve stopped buying from— they have responded to complaints with all due attention, but the few good plants I’ve gotten haven’t overcome the disappointing ones.

I’ve also gotten some difficult to find and grow species that have looked to have marginal roots, but have really taken off when given a good situation.

I definitely want a good plant, but I think there is a lot of complexity in growing, buying and selling orchids.

[Roberta]

A note if buying imports... The plants have to be bare-rooted to pass ag inspection. They can be wrapped in sphagnum, but likely they were "introduced" to the sphag just before shipping. And the shipping process isn't very kind to orchids either, may take longer than desired. Some plants are more forgiving than others. But there are some really neat things that can't be obtained any other way. Success rate sometimes is a little dicey, but can be worth the gamble. (The orchid addiction is powerful...)

[Dimples]

I’ll add that there’s a big difference between an ugly/old/aging but still sufficiently functional root system, and a dysfunctional/damaged root system.

I’ve received phals with less than beautiful roots that haven’t missed a beat once they arrived. The old roots kept chugging along without a problem and new roots grew in too. I’ve also received a phal with beautiful roots that deteriorated rapidly on arrival because of treatment they received right before I got it. If I’m buying a sale/overstock or a <$40 phal, I know what I’m getting into and don’t mind. It’s fun watching new roots growing.

[Ray]

As to the "How do they get away with it" part of the original post: It's because people keep buying from them.

With the expansion of orchid growing, sparked to some degree by the ease of the internet and Facebook groups, some of which were begun by those same commercial growers, there seems to be a never-ending supply of inexperienced growers who just don't know any better, so assume the vendor knows what they're doing, so the issue must be their own.

The quite popular vendor on the west coast that doesn't want you to check roots or repot for a certain period of time also sponsors a very busy Facebook page where you are criticized or banned for questioning the plant quality, yet the business goes on well.

[dbarron]

And don't get me started on Ice Cubes to water Phals. Of course, maybe if that's the apex of their research, they're doomed to fail anyway (the consumers).