corybas

[sabrina1]

does any one know where to buy corybas?!?!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Australia. Forgot the person's name. The plants themselves are inexpensive. The shipping and permit costs are the things that are ridiculous.

J & L might even carry some in the future.

I heard they're ridiculously easy to grow.

They're tiny and have tiny tubers.

I've also heard they're prone to snail/slug attacks.

[lepanthes89]

Hi;
Most sp.come from Australia,so an Aust.dealer might be your best bet.
I grew two species many years ago,(one even got a CHM from the AOS),but have lost them since.
Let us know if you plan on getting them,we'll split the import fees.
Spiro

[lambelkip]

White Oak Orchids might have some, try e-mailing them

[Andrew]

Nesbitts Orchids in South Australia is probably the Australian source people are referring to. Contact them ASAP if you're interested as the (Australian) summer tuber catalogue should be out now. As King of Orchid Growing said, the plants are cheap but the certification is a killer. You could always ask over at the terrestrial orchid forum to see whether any of the Americans members have plants available for sale.

King of Orchid Growing,
I acknowledge that ease of culture is a somewhat subjective concept and while many Corybas do adapt well to cultivation, realistically, I wouldn't say they're very easy to grow.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Andrew

King of Orchid Growing,
I acknowledge that ease of culture is a somewhat subjective concept and while many Corybas do adapt well to cultivation, realistically, I wouldn't say they're very easy to grow.

If your experience says they're not always the easiest plants to grow, I'd go with what you'd have to say.

I was under the impression they were weeds in cultivation given what I was told by the owner of a respected species orchid nursery owner here in the US.

I've never grown any. That's why I said "I heard".

And, yes, Les Nesbitts of Nesbitts Orchids was who I was referring to. Thank you!

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

If your experience says they're not always the easiest plants to grow, I'd go with what you'd have to say.

I was under the impression they were weeds in cultivation given what I was told by the owner of a respected species orchid nursery owner here in the US

There's probably some truth in what the nurseryman said. They'll tuber multiply rapidly under good conditions, so you can go from a couple of tubers to a pot full in 2-3 years. However, as with other Australian tuberous orchids, they are somewhat fungal dependant and are prone to rotting if kept moist during dormancy. Their tubers are also comparatively small compared to other terrestrials and can easily dessicate if kept too dry. The flowers also dessicate quickly in low humidity. If you take all of this into consideration then yes, they are reasonably easy; a bit like how Disa section Disa are weeds if you get the conditions right.

In Australia, we consider the Corysanthes-type Corybas to be good beginner orchids for people getting into growing our native terrestrials. I'm certainly guilty of saying to locals that Corybas are easy to grow although what I mean is that they are easy to grow compared to other tuberous terrestrials. However, they're not in the same category as "box store" hybrid Cyms/Phals/Dens etc which was why I was reluctant to agree that they were easy, given that the thread was posted in the Beginner Discussin section of a forum that has a heavy bias toward growing epiphytes.

Maybe they are best described as "little girl with a little curl"-easy: ie when they are good they are very, very good but when they are bad they are horrid. They'll grow easily but you can loose a good proportion of the pot in a bad year.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'm thinking of getting some Australian native orchids (by this I mean getting stuff like Corybas, Thelymitras, Caladenias, Diuris, Pterostylis, Leptoceras, etc., not Den kingianum, Den speciosum, or Sarcochilus spp) from Les Nesbitts of Nesbitts Orchids depending on how things go by the end of February. If things go well, I'll be placing the order by the first or second week of March.

In the meantime, I'm not going to waste any time. So here we go...

I'm trolling around the OB for people on the continental US who would be interested in purchasing Australian native orchids and would like to put together an order with me to split the ridiculously expensive cost of shipping and paperwork.

It would be most cost effective to have no less than 10 people jump on board and do this. 20 people is even better!

If I made the order alone, it would cost me $195 for the shipping and paperwork. Split amongst 20 people, paperwork and shipping to the US is roughly under $10 per person. This does not include the shipping rates to the different states in the continental US should they apply after working out the details.

Discounts on large orders do apply!

For those interested, please PM me. We'll try to sort out details.

I apologize to those living in Hawaii and Puerto Rico for not being able to extend this invitation out to all of you. The shipping of live plants is complicated and I'm not equipped to handle this. So, I repeat, this is only for those in the continental United States only. Sorry.

Serious inquiries please.

Be aware that once I've placed the order, you've committed to buying the plants, there's no turning back! If you change your mind, do it before I place the order! No exceptions!

[ChipMolly]

Where in Australia can I buy Corybas? Nesbitt Orchids seem to have gone under?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

He's still around.

He just doesn't export anymore.

Try catching him in an Australian Orchid Society.