Question for teenage growers

[MrHungx]

Originally Posted by Nanook 2010

Not sure how many replies you'll get from teenagers going away to college worrying about what to do with their plants.

You're the same guy going on a month long vacation too...right?

Rent space from a local greenhouse, give away or sell...in my dorm room, I had a roommate who probably wouldn't have appreciated 10, 20, or 30 plants in the room

I already solved the problem with my vacation. The nursery where I bought the orchids from has agreed to let me leave the plants in their greenhouse for one month at no charge.

[hcastil3]

Originally Posted by HighSeas

Wow! Memories!

Some 30+ years ago, I had the SAME issue! I was in Nursing school. I had some 40+ orchids at that time and wondered too about their fate. Keep in mind too that Nursing or Medicine isn't like any other college degree....it's total commitment. I'm sure you probably know someone in that situation. Back then, there was no internet either. I spent at least until 7:00pm in the library before going home to write papers, learn drugs and do care plans for the next day. I was up at 4:30am to be in clinicals by 6:30am...followed by class. That said...

I kept my orchids. I couldn't stand the thought of giving them away and it didn't take me long to realize that they were the only ray of sunshine I had left in life! To add insult to injury...I HAD to make A's because I HAD to have scholarship money or I was out.

So this is what I did. I picked a room that had great sunshine. The brightest I could get. I set up my small desk and had a TV tray for a side desk. I had a bed in that room and other than that....I had boards with cendar blocks as plant stands. My books were piled in a corner. During the day, I had a plastic shower curtain that I threw over the bed and some of my orchids were even on my bed until the sun went down. It looked like a jungle in that room....Wish I had a picture of it!

I watered them on weekends, hauling them to the sink in a radio wagon, that also sufficed as a plant stand. That was my weekend Joy. And I really mean that. I inspected them...fed them....marveled.

During long study sessions....I used my "break" to repot, organize, clean up. Sounds so stupid...but it was, like I said, my retreat from all those other school related responsibilities. Since there was no time to "go out", go to movies, and no money to spend....they brought me through.

I'm in this situation right now. doing Pre-Med. going into med school next year... ... That up there is my life..


I use my break time when I can. to repot and so on.. they keep me happy and I use a misting system on some that require more attention...


However, I never want to let them go because they actually get me through school because of the little money I have... I also have to get A's in order to keep my scholarships and son on.. so .. its possible.. just harder... I have about 50 so far . so you'll figure it out... the moving part is the hard part

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[Island Girl]

Only thing I have to add, is that when moving orchids, liquor boxes work beautifully! The (liqour, or wine) boxes that have the divided compartments (for individual bottles), r perfect for protecting each individual orchid, & mounted orchids can be hung from the divider slats. They can be cut, bent, or otherwise modified to fit larger orchids too. Most liquor stores (@ least in NC) on whatever day they get deliveries (have to either go ask, or stalk their dumpster area *nightly* lol) will throw their boxes out behind the store, and u can usually just go pick them up. If they compact their boxes, maybe u can go ask them to save some w/o breaking them down first? (kinda like volunteer labor offer to take the job off their hands... The box break-down... They won't let u touch the liquor ... So don't get any ideas! Lol ) Good Luck! I really hope u get to bring all your orchids!! I don't think I could leave mine behind...

[Nanook 2010]

Originally Posted by MrHungx

I already solved the problem with my vacation. The nursery where I bought the orchids from has agreed to let me leave the plants in their greenhouse for one month at no charge.

Well there you go....since you've only had the orchids for about 7 months maybe you can sell them back to the grower for a reduced price......if no other options available

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by Pilot

I see. Lol. Maybe you need to get into Neofinetia instead of monster plants. Lol. Well good luck with whatever you decide. Good thing is orchids will exist outside of college.

Hehehe! You beat me to the punch on that suggestion.

Yes, check out some of the threads here:

Vanda Alliance - Neofinetia - Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web !

You can pack a lot of Neos into a small, well-lit space.

[Orchidflowerchild]

I would probably try to build a plant stand of some sort in your shoes. I have about thirty plants now in my little utility room on plastic shelves from Big Lots with T-8 shop lights (5 lights; 3 on top 2 on bottom over seedlings, totaling 10 tubes) and I am about to set it back up in a new place on this galvanized wire shelf I got so I can add another 2-tube light to the top and it will give some added filtered light to the seedlings, too. But we're talking about 5.5' x 4' x 3' of space taken up by a stand, that given seedlings mixed in, which would not outgrow the space very much if at all while you are in the semester...

But you'd still probably need a single or even an apartment for that.

Is there a greenhouse you might be able to sweet talk some professor into using some space in? Perhaps offer to clean and maintain things?

-Ceci

[james mickelso]

My suggestion, and I've done it many times with orchids I thought at the time I could not do without, is to put them up for adoption on Craig's List. When you are finished with school you can restart your collection. Orchids are just plants and there are always orchids to acquire. I have collected and then sold hundreds and hundreds of orchids. I've had large collections and small. At your age don't get hung up on things you have now. Get through school and when you are re-established, start another collection.

[KrissieLynn]

When you know more about the size of your dorm room, you will be able to better decide what to do. The one year I was in a dorm, if I had been in one building -roommate or not- there would have been no way to have any orchids in the room. The building I was in (should mention, NOT UC-Davis) the rooms would have held an orchid collection and two people no problem. I had 5 different places I could have put orchids in my dorm room, now that I think about it.

I don't know if that helps you out any, but that's my $0.02 for the day.

[The Orchid Boy]

But sometimes some orchids have sentimental value, like my first orchid, a little spotted noid phal. I'm glad I'm not going to college! From what I could find, no one from our recent family tree has ever gone to college. I've spent lots of time looking for more uncommon ones and lots that I have need extra care and extra humidity. I can hardly leave some of them alone for a a long weekend trip.

[MrHungx]

Originally Posted by The Orchid Boy

But sometimes some orchids have sentimental value, like my first orchid, a little spotted noid phal. I'm glad I'm not going to college! From what I could find, no one from our recent family tree has ever gone to college. I've spent lots of time looking for more uncommon ones and lots that I have need extra care and extra humidity. I can hardly leave some of them alone for a a long weekend trip.

Besides the sentimental value, I would not want to sell my orchids at reduced prices since I spent nearly $700 on them. The sentimental value makes them worth much more