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- - Where to Buy? (http://www.orchidboard.com/community/beginner-discussion/68019-buy.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJF (Post 574483)

That would be great. I am too far to drive there. Look at his online pictures on his website. His greenhouse is so clean. He is a one man show and therefore, ensures quality. He is on Facebook too. He is a nice guy and answers all questions very promptly. He will even tell you if a plant doesn't look good enough to him to ship.:)

He has a lot more varieties and plants in the greenhouse than he says he can list on his website. I think buying plants in person is the best way to purchase them. If you go please take pictures to post.

The other place that you could buy orchids is local shows. That way again you can see them before buying. You can look at overall health, new leads and ask questions.

Do yourself a favor and just research online vendors really well prior to purchasing. I have had a couple of bad experiences that have wasted money, brought diseased, insect infested orchids into my home and caused aggravation. :((

I'll probably make a day trip over there someday, as long as I don't get stuck in DC/NOVA traffic it will make a really nice summer cruise :) And an excuse to hop the border for a little while. I'll definitely take pictures.

I rely on reviews for a lot of services, it would definitely be no different for my orchids. :) Thank you everyone!!

what kind of orchids are you looking for?

Maybe that can help narrow the playing field a bit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:) (Post 574540)

what kind of orchids are you looking for?

Maybe that can help narrow the playing field a bit.

At the moment I'd just like to have a look and learn what I can. I looooooooooved that Dtps. Tzu Chiang Sapphire I saw, and I am very interested, as you know, in Neofinetia falcata. I have also seen Onc. Twinkle around and think they're super pretty. And of course, numerous others I've seen in browsing.

At some point I'd like to try my hand at a Catt or two, I like that their flowers are reminiscent of daffodils, lol. And I looooooove Cattleya aurantiaca, I love the vibrance! I'm huge into color (unlike my poor fiance who is into brown and black :P Blurgh!).

Mostly, I know I don't have the proper lighting for Catts, and likely not the Onc. at least. And I am afraid to really get too much before I even know I won't kill it. I'd just like to learn and browse and see what's out there, learn what to look for, get a feel for how much stuff costs/why it is priced the way it is, etc. If that makes sense?

Try Oak Hill Gardens, their prices are affordable, but the trade-off is that the orchids are not always blooming sized adults.

Or you may see if J & L Orchids has something you like. Their orchids are not really "inexpensive", but they're not expensive either, and they have a good selection.

Mountain Orchid's list of availability is kinda low at the moment, but they occasionally have some cool stuff. In terms of price, their prices are not the lowest, but they might occasionally have stuff nobody else really offers here in the US.

Andy's Orchids has a huge selection, but the prices are not always cheap.

---------- Post added at 09:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:19 AM ----------

I'd also look into Exotic Orchids of Maui or Tropical Orchid Farm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:) (Post 574550)

Thanks! :) Would you recommend maybe testing my other plants for viruses or whatever first? I've been watching a couple of other threads where people were going back and forth and I am now paranoid that the alcohol I applied to my scissors wasn't adequate and I've gone and done in all of my plants with some funky disease and don't know it yet, lol. I don't know that much about how stuff spreads, but if I'm going to get more than just generic Lowes guys, I definitely want to try to keep them as safe as possible.

If it makes you feel more comfortable, sure, go ahead and test for virus. It doesn't hurt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:) (Post 574555)

If it makes you feel more comfortable, sure, go ahead and test for virus. It doesn't hurt.

Mostly I just don't want them to all croak on me. I wouldn't know what to do even if it did come up virused. All I've read is that some people throw them out and others don't. =\ It's very confusing.

If I were you, and some of your plants come up positive for virus; burn them.

It's either burn the virused plants, or put them aside in a remote corner somewhere and still run the risk that a flying insect with piercing mouthparts will spread the virus from the plants in that remote corner to your prized collection.