Where to find info abt orchid fast-growing or not/determine mature size?

[Louis_C]

I planning to buy some orchid seedlings. I don't want to buy orchid seedlings that take years to reach blooming size. I already made a mistake by buying Miltonia seedlings that take probably 2~3 yrs to bloom (And the shipment toke weeks to get here). Many website note "blooming size" or leaf size.
I wonder are there any source that help me find out the orchid is fast growing or not. Also give me some idea when it will reach blooming size by measuring leafs.

If possible the strength of fragrant as well. It pretty disappointing to wait years and realize the so-call fragrant orchid that you have to stick your nose to it to smell it.

If you have any idea how to determine blooming size and speed of growth or anything related please teach me as well.

Thank you for all your help
Louis

[orchidbingo]

Unfortunately, most orchid seedlings I know of will take more than a year to bloom, even with ideal growing conditions.


Why not buy larger plants? Carmela Orchids, for example, has a sale on 15 blooming size catts (no sheaths or buds) for $ 69.50, free shipping or they have 10 catts in bud for $80; free shipping. You don't get a choice but it is close to instant gratification. If you want really instant gratification Chesterfield Orchids offers a mixed box of 12- yes 1 doz. oncidium intergenerics in bud, in spike or in- bloom for $162 shipping included. Considering shipping from Hawaii is generally $ 20-$30 and up these are real bargains.
I've ordered from both vendors with no problems--except a few sunburned catts from Carmelas.
Chesterfield's intergenerics are so huge in 4 inch pots I've had to repot them in 6-8 inch pots after they finished blooming.
Carter and Holmes also offers collections of NBS catts- overgrown and in need of repotting for a very reasonable price. They are great vendors as well and shipping is only $17- any size order in the lower 48.

Have fun!

bingo

[orchidbingo]

Originally Posted by Louis_C

I
If possible the strength of fragrant as well. It pretty disappointing to wait years and realize the so-call fragrant orchid that you have to stick your nose to it to smell it.

If you have any idea how to determine blooming size and speed of growth or anything related please teach me as well.

Thank you for all your help
Louis

Andy's Orchids has lots of detail in their descriptions and often mention growth as well as fragrance. Carter and Holmes usually tells you # of years until expected first bloom.

bingo

[Ray]

Phalaenopsis, as a genus, are probably one of the fastest growing orchids out there, but individual's genetics and especially your growing conditions play a huge roll in the growth rate and age of initial blooming.

In Hawaii, a year or two from flask is common. In a home in Kansas (arbitrarily selected), 4 or 5 is more likely.

Don't forget that it's not just size that matters, either - a seedling grown ideally might bloom in a 2.5" pot with a total of 6" leaf span. Under lesser conditions, the plant might not bloom until it is much larger.

[orchidsamore]

First understand that a 'blooming size' orchid can mean anything the seller wants it to mean. Usually it means a small plant in a 4 inch pot.

Blooming size from me may be much different than from another grower. For this reason I never sell 'Blooming size' since it may not bloom in the time frame the customer wants.

Why?

Under ideal conditions a 4 inch Cattleya will bloom for most growers the next blooming season. When purchased by a hobbyist (or even by another grower) it may miss the next season due to changes in growing conditions. If it is a young 4 inch pot in ideal growing conditions maybe only 20% will bloom the first year. So for me a blooming size plant may be two or more years to bloom. Even as a professional grower results vary. I asked another excellent grower how long to flower the sanderiana alba I was buying from him. His answer was 1 year for him maybe 2 for me. For a hobbyist under less than ideal conditions ????

A seldom mentioned fact is that not all orchids bloom. A certain percentage of an orchid crop just never blooms. Fortunately the amount is small but every grower knows this is true. A friend destroys his plants if they get to overgrown 6 inch pots without blooming. He refuses to sell them.

The offers mentioned here were intended for orchids societies to use as fundraisers. You could always say you are a society and the shipper may ship anyway, if you feel it is worth it. But 10 budded plants for a society sale may only be 3 different plants 3-4 each and you have no ability to chose what you want.

I sometimes buy from Carmela and he charges wholesale more than these prices. Business is bad and you might get exactly what you want but you have no control.

Louis - very few orchids are fragrant enough to smell from a distance without 'putting your nose to it' to smell. Fragrance will vary for each persons nose. Orchids I can not smell customers rave about. If fragrance is what you want buy only plants you find in bud. The extra cost will be less than the disappointments.

There is no free lunch.

Seedlings are cheap in dollars and expensive in time. There is always a trade off. Only you can decide what will work to satisfy you.

For your first question, you will find info on this forum by asking. Most growers are honest about what they tell you but I find customers hear what they want to hear and are often disappointed. Is the orchid fragrant? Yes. Then not all people have the same sense of smell and you may not like it or even smell it. If I hand someone a plant and say smell it, they either like it or not. At a recent show I had 3 pots of an extremely fragrant Cattleya. Two smelt like heaven and one had no smell. They were from the same seed batch and next season the results may be different. Entire crops of orchids that have always been fragrant had no fragrance this year. Why? I have no idea.

[orchidbingo]

Not a nice post.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Your Miltonia sounds like one of the fast ones to bloom from seedling me.

It's unrealistic to want your orchids to bloom within a year out of flask. There's only a small percentage of species that can bloom in flask. And these may or may not be difficult to grow. Phalaenopsis appendiculata is one of those that are able to bloom in flask, but have the disadvantage of not being an orchid for the beginner as they take a long time for a miniature to establish itself.

The majority of the ones that are popular amongst the average hobbyist takes about 5 years (give or take) to get to blooming size.

If you want non-stop continuous blooms with relatively rapid growth, most Pleurothallis is the way to go. But they're either not fragrant, have a pungent odor (smells like raw potatoes), or may smell nice but you have to put your nose to them. There's also the thing with most species having small flowers that look super weird.

To date there are only seedlings of the larger Pleuros which may be slower growing compared to their smaller brethren, but still can outgrow a Phal.

There are only a few orchids that are so fragrant that all you have to do is stand within 5 ft of them and you can smell them. The ones I've grown and know of the strength of their fragrance are:

Aerangis fastuosa (the entire room was fragrant)
Brassavola cucullata (could smell it from one end of the porch)

There are a lot of very fragrant ones too, but you were asking for ones that you didn't have get close to or stick your nose to.

[got ants]

Louis, I am new to this forum, so I don't know ho you are, or where you live, but.....

There are two orchids I can recommend that are easy to grow, easy to find mature plants, and have plenty of fragrance you can smell a fair distance away...

First, the Florida Butterfly orchid (Encyclia Tampensis)

Second, the Coconut orchid (Maxillaria Tenuifolia)

The Butterfly smells like sweet honey, and the Coconut, well, smells like Hawaiian Tropic sun tan lotion, yep, like coconuts.

[got ants]

Here is an example of a Butterfly orchid being offered in blooming size.. (note: this was found by google search, I not familiar with the seller)

Encyclia tampensis 127: Camp Lot A Noise Tropicals

And here is a Maxillaria Tenuifolia

Orchid Plants Maxillaria Tenuifolia Specie - eBay (item 360133142304 end time Aug-18-09 16:57:37 PDT) *

*again, just google searched

[WhiteRabbit]

You might check out OB classifieds as board members often sell divisions of plants that have previously bloomed.

You might also look for plants that are in bloom or bud. There is a vendor feedback forum you can search to see which vendors are most recommended. Also feel free to post on the board asking about vendors

As for fragrance - a few I have can definitely be smelled from across the room - usually early in the day, one from across the house lol

Onc Sharry Baby and Onc Twinkle I could both smell from across the room early in the day (the Sharry Baby is large and had many blooms, the Twinkle was actually very small tho still had quite a few blooms on it)
Zygo mackayii I could smell from other rooms in the house in the morning and was actually too strong in the morning for me to be in the same room with it for long - after the first couple weeks it was better.

Try to choose plants that should do well in your climate / growing conditions

Good luck