How do you know when you are not a "newbie" anymore?

[My Green Pets]

I think if you've rebloomed several plants, you're no longer a newbie. Also I think you can be very comfortable with one plant and a complete noob with another. I feel like I have a pretty good grip on Phals and Oncs, for example, but I have no idea what to do with a Cattleya!

[lauraeli]

I am a newbie. I started 7 months ago. But, perhaps due to overwhelming success, I dont feel like a 'newbie' anymore.

Right now I am limited to phalaenopsis...but someday I will move out of this tiny dark apartment...and there will be no stopping my green thumb! :-D

Seriously, when you look in my windows from outside, you would think I live in a jungle. But really it is just that I have filled every available inch of window space with something green. And then pointed a light at it.

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by CambriaWhat

I think if you've rebloomed several plants, you're no longer a newbie. Also I think you can be very comfortable with one plant and a complete noob with another. I feel like I have a pretty good grip on Phals and Oncs, for example, but I have no idea what to do with a Cattleya!

I've had a couple of Phals for several years, but I had no idea what I was doing so I wouldn't even call it "growing". I think I'd say I more officially started not yet a year ago. Not to brag but in this short time I've had quite a few plants rebloom. I don't know if I would or wouldn't classify myself as a newbie anymore. I think though that I am still very much in Orchid Elementary School. So maybe it's like that...Elementary, Middle, High School, College...

Cambria, I'm with you on the Catts! I've got a bunch of minis that made it all summer outside and since they've been inside I've lost at least 3 of them!!! I think they hate me...

[gngrhill]

I am a newbie every time I buy a new orchid that I haven't had before

[Jenn4a]

I think you start to make the transition when you stop second guessing what to do and you can rely on your gut instincts with confidence.

For instance, I'm a newbie about 2-3 weeks in and even though I can research what to do, I second guess and feel uncertain.
I feel very cautious, like if I do something wrong, my orchid will instantaneously burst in flames.

Maybe a little exaggerated but you know

But really, I think it's just prospective.
You may be an "expert" in one thing but also clueless in something else,... you can read everything there is to know but not have a clue once you get one.
It's the experience that counts too. I think both knowledge and physically caring for them are important.

[terracotta7]

A lot to think about...

From the responses, I would have to say that I am no longer a "newbie" when it comes to orchids in general because of the length of time that I have been growing. But I am probably in Elementary according to the Lotis definition.

The world of orchids is a pretty big place...so many to learn about and to try. I would echo what many have said about always being a Newbie when you get either a new plant or try a new type of orchid, even down to trying lights or a new potting medium (i.e. s/h) for the first time. I guess that is the wonder of it all!

Bud...I would agree that I would never want to consider myself an "expert". I find that whenever I get comfortable like that, I get an attack of scale or mealies or something and I realize that if there is any new growth or blooms, that that is the gift of the day. Enjoy it, savor it, learn from it.

BTW...welcome to OB Jenn! Great to have new faces and posts!

[ula]

What a great topic!
Maybe there's "rookie" stage before a "newbie" stage and then there's also the question as to when the addiction kicks in? I think many of us get recruited into the ranks with getting that first orchid ...I think once you've experienced-at least-your:
1st expansion of orchid collection,
1st orchid show,
1st orchid mail-in order,
1st reblooming of everything you have,
1st orchid death,
1st orchid ICU survivor,
1st pest treatment,
and, of course, your 1st OB post , you're past the newbie stage.

[Ray]

I have been growing orchids for over 40 years, and there is still stuff I learn day after day.

However, my standard response is that you're not an expert until you have killed your weight in plants. Fortunately, I find I have room for more "expertise" every year!


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

[Raqsharqi]

My name is Raqsharqi and I'm an orchid addict.

I've been tinkering with orchids for a couple of years, and thought I had achieved some level of success with Phals. They didn't all rebloom regularly, but they have roots like flying buttresses. So I branched out, and now have Oncidiums, Dendrobiums, a Catt, and several other varieties. Those plants are all new to me, and I haven't brought any of them to bloom yet, so I am clearly a beginner. And since I believe I am losing yet another one of the Phals that I thought I knew how to take care of, I'm wondering if I more properly belong in the rookie category, or if, as Ray suggests, I am working towards being an expert by killing my weight in plants.
I think this is a bit like asking someone if they are fluent in a language. We all think we are, but there are always words we don't know, and few of us are conversant in the specialized language of law, math, or science. Just like with language, I think there is never really a point where you have all the answers and are 100% successful.

[terracotta7]

Could it be that with orchids, as in life, the success is not in positive achievement, but in how you handle the failures? I am sure that everyone can think of their first orchid demise...but if you are still on OB it means that you've gotten past that.

Could it just be that it is a great thing to ALWAYS be a newbie? Even after forty years...? I think I am liking that more and more!

As my children have grown and moved on to their careers and new homes, I always am rooting for them to be "successful"...but more than that, I want them to have "deep roots" and be able to withstand the storms of life that will surely come. Too philosophical? Sorry... guess that's my mood for today.

Happy Holidays to everyone on OB! You all add beauty and sunshine to my life...thanks!