Orchid abuse - WHY?

[tucker85]

I was reading an article on commercial phalaenopsis culture. One reason they use sphagnum moss is that they don't need to use much water. The greenhouse is kept very humid and, because the sphagnum absorbs moisture from the air, the media stays moist for a very long time. When watering is required they only use a small amount of water to get the sphagnum wet. They never drench the plant like you would with other normal ornamental plants. When the orchid arrives at the big box store, it's watered like all the other plants. That's too much water for an orchid in a plastic pot with sphagnum. The roots can't get air and they begin to deteriorate. So the bottom line is that orchids grown in small plastic pots and tightly packed sphagnum can not be treated like all the other plants in the store.

[Vanda lover]

I sometimes wonder if phals are potted incorrectly so that they will die by the time they finish blooming. Then the person has to purchase another one because they loved the other one so much. I have seen them sold in decorative containers with no drainage at all.

[FSUOrchids]

Generally I find that people lose interest in Phals once they finish blooming. My girlfriend actually found a perfectly healthy Phal that someone threw in the garbage after its last blooms dropped. Now it's in my rescue collection.

[The Orchid Boy]

I bought 3 orchids from Lowes, all for $3 or less, before I bought a good orchid from a good source. Think about all the orchids that places like Lowes sell and all the people that buy them, very few people become orchid obsessed like us. I have a local vendor (The Plant House) that specializes in orchids and they have big plants and a huge variety, and a lot of their stock is $10-$20, great for me on a budget.

[Vanda lover]

Originally Posted by FSUOrchids

Generally I find that people lose interest in Phals once they finish blooming. My girlfriend actually found a perfectly healthy Phal that someone threw in the garbage after its last blooms dropped. Now it's in my rescue collection.

That's very true. 2 neighbours have given me theirs because they couldn't be bothered. 6 free orchids!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The following comment is not meant to offend anyone on the OB.

The problem with the majority of the people who start growing orchids and buy them from places like Lowes and throw them away after they're done blooming is due to a few things:

1. They think the plant is going to die. They think orchids behave like annuals, when they are really perennials - with a good number of them that can outlive their owners.

2. Many of these people don't care that much or lead such busy lives they don't feel they have the time to care.

3. Their view of orchids is rather restricted. They have no idea how large a family of flowering plants that orchids really are. Their world of orchids is restricted to Cymbidium hybrids, Cattleya hybrids, Phalaenopsis hybrids, reed stem Epidendrum hybrids, and intergeneric Oncs with a few Zygo hybrids, a few Paph hybrids, and a few Vanda intergeneric crosses. They see these all the time, and they get used to it. People don't see everything else they haven't been introduced to if they went deeper into the hobby. This habituation does not do much to inspire these people.

[Ordphien]

I don't really have much to say beyond.. they are cheap and readily available.
That and, at least in my immediate area, the orchids comes in fantastic condition to the big box stores.
I've ordered quite a few orchids from very well known and reputable dealers and there really isn't much difference health wise.
Shipping probably has a lot to do with it.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[PaxTea]

An interesting pair of videos: this is how they grow "Just Add Ice" orchids and grade them for the market.

Watch 'em go down the assembly line. Boom, boom, boom.

Part 1 (growing)

Getting Orchids from the Growers to Market Part 1 - The Home Depot - YouTube

Part 2 (grading)

Getting Orchids from the Growers to Market Part 2 - The Home Depot - YouTube

[Stray59]

Again, there have been some very interesting points made in the last few posts. And, to reiterate what I said earlier, the cheaper orchids do allow people to "purchase-and-pitch" orchids at an amazing rate. And this has given many nations new economic growth with jobs now available that weren't available in the past.
Mass production in the U.S. dates back to Henry Ford who started making inexpensive cars for the masses (the Model "T" being the original 'everyman's vehicle') and it allowed most to have the option to own a car which was unheard of until the first "T" rolled off the assembly line. This started the "high production, lower cost" thinking of the modern world.
Sorry guys, but this is a nation (and really a world) that is driven by profit and there is profit to be made in the commercial mass producing of ANY plant - many of today's "Ho-Hum" indoor plants (rubber trees, philodendron, etc) were once considered highly prized and restricted to wealthier upper classes with greenhouses and money to purchase such.
Before commercial growers were hybridizing anything with pollen and raising orc's by the thousands, native orchid stands were being practically cleared of all orchids and this led to high prices and stripped areas of growth.
So we need to face it - mass produced and poorly cared for (not ALWAYS one and the same thing) orchids are here to stay because, there is profit to be had.
But any private grower should warn customers that orchids raised in humid greenhouses will require different treatment than those that are grown in a less than ideal condition of most homes. And when they fail to educate - well, that is what led to the Orchid Board isn't it?
Basically it comes down to this; it is each grower's personal choice whether to purchase "mass produced" orchids or to purchase orchids from smaller, private growers, or even the larger, long established orchid growers. There really is room here for everyone. And who knows? Maybe the person that throws out a perfectly good orchid today will never get it out of their mind and will eventually become an enthusiast. But in a world that disposes of approximately 1/2 of it's usable food due to simple waste or spoilage, the orchid issue kind of pales in comparison, don't you think?
If you like it and can afford it, buy it; if not, don't. Simple as that and no need to continue to think that the "waste" or "abuse" of living orchids is really a high-priority world problem. Too many poinsettias get tossed right after Christmas because too many people are sick of seeing the red and green of the season! Same for Boston ferns in the fall, and many other "seasonal" plants.
Waste is a product of our world - sad but true. Do what you can to help out, but I don't think it is right to take paying jobs away from other people because they don't grower their inventory to suit your desires/ home environment. Learn about what you buy, rethink giving an orchid as a present to someone who not an orchid person or likely to become one and support whichever grower you feel comfortable with.
Steve

[Wild Orchid]

Originally Posted by Vrana

Here's my two cents (as a total orchid novice, mind you).


....But, with the exception of one rescue plant I got fairly cheap, they cost me over $30 each. Would I have bought these pricey, intimidating plants (long, detailed care sheet included!) if I hadn't first bought those cheap phals elsewhere? Probably not. Orchids have a reputation as being difficult to take care of, and orchid growers have a reputation for being weird and obsessive (you'd have to be, right, to put that much time and effort into a bunch of plants?).

....How many of the people on this site have a similar story? They started off buying a supermarket orchid, just because it was there, and it was pretty, and sure, 12.99 is a bit steep for a houseplant, but you've admired them every time you went in so why not, right?

.....My point is, and this is all personal opinion based on my own experience and anecdotes I've read online, a casual buyer wouldn't necessarily pick up an orchid from one of the better growers in the first place. Which means there wouldn't be as many hobbyists as a result, which actually means less business for orchid growers. I certainly wouldn't argue that what these big-box stores are doing reeks of greed, indifference, or ignorance at best, but it does encourages people to try out these plants and thereby give them an opportunity to get all, you know, weird and obsessive and over them.

I agree.
And to reference the earlier post re used cars... Well, I've just purchased a "new old one" a few months ago and - it's in a perfect shape. While there's a siginificant risk of getting a complete write off at the dealership, money & cost IS a factor and car dealerships are well aware of it (I get those surveys in heaps in the mail every day!)

Unless, 'reputable growers' want a casual customer to buy one orchid a year for a special occasion, their price range is not reflecting the reality of today's economy and what most of us can afford on a regular basis, IMHO

Thanks, everyone!