Want to order my first flask...but what?

[My Green Pets]

I want to try deflasking and growing some baby orchids.

I'd love to start out with one of my wish list plants, like Paph rothschildianum or Cattleya rex, but I imagine this is overly ambitious and wanted to check with you all first.

I've read specifically that rothschild can be 10 years from seedling to blooming adult. But I'm not opposed to the idea of becoming intimately familiar with a plant's preferences over the course of a decade. And if they die, well, I'll try again.

Still, perhaps there are some orchids that are better for beginning de-flaskers? Any suggestions? Anyone with flasks just sitting around, needing a home?

[AvantGardner]

Sam at Orchid Inn has flasks of paph rothschildianum for sale. I am very tempted to get the 'Raptor' cross. I saw a pic of the 'Raptor' parent, and let me tell you, I've never seen a more beautiful roth in all my life. It has the darkest and largest flowers to date. It also has the highest scoring GM/JOGA ever given to any plant... But it is a $250 flask... He also has other, less expensive crosses, still with awarded parents

[Subrosa]

It seems to me that if you're going to invest 10 years of your life into something you should get something you really want, or at least something that will act as an intermediate step along the way to help you achieve it. I just ordered a flask of Acineta chrysantha so I'm in about the same boat you will be if you get your Paphs, a 10 year cruise to blooming. I hope I'm still around when the boat makes landfall!

[orchidsarefun]

I have flasks of my own crosses - phals and zygopetalum, and others in the pipeline. PM me if interested.

[My Green Pets]

Avant - I just browsed their lists. Very tempting. Wow. Steep prices but FCC plants. Much to think about.

[billc]

Check out Woodstream, they have smaller flasks at reasonable prices.

Woodstream Orchids

Bill

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

It seems to me that if you're going to invest 10 years of your life into something you should get something you really want, or at least something that will act as an intermediate step along the way to help you achieve it. I just ordered a flask of Acineta chrysantha so I'm in about the same boat you will be if you get your Paphs, a 10 year cruise to blooming. I hope I'm still around when the boat makes landfall!

10 years is a lot of waiting! You might have a specimen by then....An orchid blooms from 3 to 4 years old if hybrids and some species bloom in 4 to 5 years from flasks....
but you are right= why invest on seedlings when you can enjoy a mature blooming sized plant? I manage to kill almost half of my seedlings from flasks....so I would rather have one healthy mature plant than hundreds of little seedlings that costs a lot....unless you have an orchid farm and you need to mass produce plants for demanding stores.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Bud

10 years is a lot of waiting! You might have a specimen by then....An orchid blooms from 3 to 4 years old if hybrids and some species bloom in 4 to 5 years from flasks....
but you are right= why invest on seedlings when you can enjoy a mature blooming sized plant? I manage to kill almost half of my seedlings from flasks....so I would rather have one healthy mature plant than hundreds of little seedlings that costs a lot....unless you have an orchid farm and you need to mass produce plants for demanding stores.

From what I've been able to gather 10 years from seed to bloom is about right for Stanhopea and related genera like Acineta. I'd love to see them bloom in 5 years!

[AvantGardner]

I recently potted out my first flask, a Paph. Prince Edward of York from Orchid Inn. So far it has been an amazingly rewarding experience. I managed to keep over 75% of them alive over 5 or 6 months now, and all of the survivors are putting out new leaves. I started with a hybrid to see if I could do it. My next flask will be a straight roth, or maybe a kolopakingii.

I wish you luck no matter what you decide to do. If it fails, you will learn what not to do, and it will make you a better, more attentive grower. If it is a success, you will learn what you did right andit will reward you greatly and make you a better, more diverse grower. That's the way I look at it

[The Orchid Boy]

Check out the one flask listing at Fox Valley Orchids for $45. It has Paph. rothschildianum in its parentage. Fox Valley Orchids,Ltd - Lady's Slipper Orchid Specialists

---------- Post added at 08:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 PM ----------

And let us know if you get something and post pictures!