Buying orchids in the winter

[failingflopsis]

For those of you living in colder climes, do you buy orchids in the winter? How are they shipped so they don't freeze or get bud blast? If I was planning on ordering from the internet would it be prudent to wait till spring/summer? Is there a particular supplier you like to deal with?

Thanks for all the good info.

[Jonatan]

I've bought alot of my orchids during the winter but directly from the store and I've only had a few meters to cover with my plant that was really well wraped. (I remember buying my girlfriends first phal. in the valentines day snow storm and it was -30 C outside.)
I'm personnaly scared to order over the internet during winter cause I never know how long it will take to get to me and how long it will stay in the non isolated truck that delivers it! I know that alot of places offer heat pack but I don't know how the plant reacts to that.

[smartie2000]

I have bought in the winter before several times. And one of the paph maudiae type was in bud and did not blast. They must be in low bud. If a paph was is high bud it would blast.
The vendor should use an over sized box. Lots of packing material like newsapaper. And ship by express post with tracking. Do not have the mailman deliver it to your house. Instead ask them to leave them at the depot. Heat packs also a good idea, though they can damage the plant if they overheat. I haven't had any bad things happen with heat packs yet. The heat pack should not touch the plant directly.
Good vendors tend not to ship in the winter.

[Mr. Failingflopsis]

Hang in there Mrs. Floppy.....springs a comin'

[cb977]

Hi Floppy...
Most reputable vendors won't ship in winter. It wouldn't make sense for them to chance a problem with the transaction.
Mr Floppy is right...spring is right around the corner

[Ray]

Originally Posted by cb977

Hi Floppy...
Most reputable vendors won't ship in winter.

I don't agree. It's not a matter of reputability, it's a matter of preparation.

Picture this:

• A box that is lined with closed-cell foam as extra insulation.
• Plants surrounded by piles of shredded paper, and wrapped in sheets of paper - all pretty good insulation by itself.
• The plants are surrounded by styrofoam peanuts in the insulated box, and heat packs are placed in there before closing it up.

I have shipped plants that way for years - including to Alaska in the middle of winter - without issue.

Granted, it is a P.I.T.A., but if you GOTTA have it...

[littlefrog]

I'm a big fan of bubble wrap. And big boxes. I'm pretty much forced to ship in the winter fairly frequently, since we have 4 or 5 months of winter....

I try to wait for a break in the weather. If it is above freezing here and I'm shipping south, life is good.

[cb977]

Winter?
Oh yeah! That's the season with the cold and snow, right?

By the way, I didn't mean to insinuate that a vendor is disreputable if they ship in winter...sorry guys

[failingflopsis]

[QUOTE=cb977;22392]Winter?
Oh yeah! That's the season with the cold and snow, right?

cb977 that's just cruel. rub it in!!

[cb977]