seedlings

[diego_p]

how long do seedlings generally take to bloom? i want to buy a couple of orchids from orchids.com one of which is an amethystoglossa, cattleya. their seedling price is 18 as opposed to the mature sized $65 one.
also, has anyone bought from this website before?

[Optimist]

Several years.

[orchidsarefun]

I would advise that you buy this specific catt in bud or bloom. It could take more than a few years - in fact someone told me that theirs hasn't bloomed after 8 years !

[Optimist]

I kind of agree. My Blc. Seedlings are about 1foot tall. About 3/4s to 1/2 as tall as an adult in about its second year of bloom. I like Catts, they are very strong, but they grow very slowly, and live 100 years. They are like turtles. Its great to have a few seedlings, or young plants, but get some blooming sized plants if you want to see blooms within a year of getting it. I find it well worth it because sometimes the big plants are only twice the cost. Like $32. compared to $18.

---------- Post added at 04:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:04 PM ----------

Amethystoglossa costs so much (probably). First, it is a rare endangered orchid, and I also think it is huge. Dosent it have a 3 foot tall bulb? A 65 dollar plant is probably barely paying for the upkeep and maintenence to get it that big. Rareness and bigness drive the price up.

[diego_p]

interesting. well thats made up my mind. i'll just get a variety of seedling to blooming size orchids.
i think the all around experience will be great.
have any of you bought orchids from orchidweb.com? i might visit the place on tues.

[Fairorchids]

A mature Catt amethystoglossa can be anywhere from 18" to 48-60" for some of the 4N clones. Once it gets going, it will increase 6-8" on each new growth. However, it is a tricky plant. Do NOT repot unless you see new roots having started; otherwise it can sulk for years.

In a greenhouse, I expect Paph seedlings to take 3-4 years from flask to first bloom, with most plants requiring 1-2 years longer, and multiflorals taking about twice as long.

Miniature Catts can be done in 18-36 months, full size plants take far longer. If growing in a house, I would not recommend starting from flask; go with young plants that are at least 1/2 way to BS, and be prepared for the process to take longer.

[Optimist]

Thank you for the more factual account Fairorchids. I think combining the large and small is a good way to go too. I have four very large blooming Catts and about eight young plants. The big blooming plans keep me from going too crazy buying seedlings.

[diego_p]

Thanks for more info on the amethystoglossa. What does 4n mean? Is it an abbreviation for tetraploid? If so, what does tetraploid mean?

[orchidsarefun]

I found this one at $28 - near mature size. Its best to confirm by phone ( with any vendor ) the exact size they are selling, the number of pbulbs, is it a division and so on. I also do not know anything about this nursery or its rep.

Cattleya amethystoglossa (H&R Supreme x Camino Real) orchids for sale | B&G Orchids

Ploidy in orchids is...... complicated. This overview may help:
A Brief Look at Polyploidy

[Optimist]

The same plant in a 3.5 pot is selling at Clown Alley Orchids in Texas, for $24.

My full sized orchids are in 6 inch pots. Sometimes if it is heavy and in a large pot, it is nearly full sized. (I mean blooming size of course. A full sized Catt can weigh hundreds of pounds.)