How many of you grow multiple of the same plant?

[JanS]

Ok, this is gonna sound really corny but since I don't think anyone came out and said it in the previous posts to this thread here goes: I have numerous multiple plants because I feel bad/guilty throwing them away and thus killing them. None of my friends are good with plants so giving some away is akin to sending them out to die a slow, meaningless death. My best example is Zygopatelum which I got years ago and it grew like crazy in all directions making it necessary to divide it many times short of potting it in a wine barrel-sized pot, with most of it filled with back-bulbs. So now I have about 6 plants ( and I did throw away many older bulbs) from the original. And each one tries their hardest and usually flowers each year. How could one give up on them?!

On the other hand, I also have a couple of Cattleyas that have a really unique scent which I bought as separate plants because I was afraid to divide the initial one. Funny thing is they bloom a few months apart, so my wife and I get to enjoy the flowers and scent twice each year.

[NYCorchidman]

I have some divisions, but eventually give away and keep just one.

I do have a few or many of the same stuff if they are seed grown plants because I want to see the difference among them as they grow and flower.

[JanS]

I bought a Cycnoches Golden Showers from Housermans while visiting my mom in Chicago 2 years ago... because I collect fragrant orchids. The one stalk produced a beautiful double flower last summer. Then, unlike all the posts about Cycnochs, it didn't go to sleep - it immediately started another stem which grew perfectly through the rest of last year (while the old stalk withered) and ultimately shot out a flower spike with 6 buds few months ago. Then trouble began: it was originally planted in a miniscule pot in sphag. I HATE sphag (!) because it is so hard for me not to overwater those plans. So I immediately transplanted it into coco chips but didn't remove all the sphag between all the roots. All of a sudden, I have a likely terminally dying plant due to root rot! Ugggh! I feel so bad!

I looked up some previous posts on Cycnocs and one of them asks how big do they get: I thought the attached pic was worth posting from a blog from a lady in South America. With my limited spanish, she does say that it is the biggest Cycnoches she and her friend have ever seen. Wow!!

I hope I do better next time...

[RJSquirrel]

I get 3 of everything

1 to kill
1 to keep
1 to give away

got everything covered!!

[lotis146]

I've come back to this thread now as my experience and growing has, well, grown.

Keeping multiples of the same has not been something I was ever interested in. I have a Phal with two keikis I will never give up because it has sentimental value to me. Then I've got some NoIDs (mini Phals) for $.50 a piece that I plan to give away as gifts when they flower again (but then I killed one). So I've got my reasons but at the same time I've got three vini Paphs that are all different but look similar enough to where I'm thinking I should pick my favorite from the group and get rid of the rest. (Btw, I'm not including my Odette's Vision in that trio because that plant has multiple growths and its flowers last a long time so it's a keeper. ). Add to that a couple of Phals (one's NoID) that look a lot like my sentimental NoID (well okay they're all pink). All these similar plants makes me want to give some up and add more variety.

However I very much understand not wanting to just "give up" on a plant! So seeing as all of these pink Phals were my firsts, and they're quite hardy, I just don't think I could give up on them.

That said I'm here today writing because I've finally found a Propetalum cross, however they're near-blooming sized plants so their blooms are yet unknown. The grower did say that one has bloomed with green flowers (I don't want green flowers, I want the yellow variety!!!), no others have shown themselves yet. So I bought one all the while thinking I should go ahead and get two in order to increase my chances of getting a yellow-flowering plant. I'd go for three but I need to watch my space and budget limits as it is, never mind it being show season. Given this seems such a rare plant, and a new cross at that, though I have to jump on this. In cases such as this I can certainly appreciate having "duplicates" as I am hoping they will have different flowers after all.

Trouble with this I wonder is that Zygos seem to have rather dominant colors with most being green, dark purple and or burgundy. It's only been with the influence of Promenaea (in my limited knowledge) that I've seen some yellow and red flowers. Then of course there are those bred with Aganisia (Acacallis) that are "blue" and white to varying extents.

So here I am going to purposefully purchase two of the same plant in hopes that they will not be the same.

[NYCorchidman]

I love Golden Shower and its fragrance (smells like fully ripe banana to me, which I happen to LOVE) but mine had a major basal rot at the base and died.
I have not see it offered anywhere since.

That picture is amazing!!!
Many of cycnoches get very big. You should google up some images of Twain Gold or related hybrids.
They get quite big.

Then again, in a tropical area, many things get big. hahaha

[FountainDesigner]

I think a lot of it has to do with what your interest is with the orchids / how you 'use' them. I have a wide (and ever-growing) variety, but I also mount a lot of orchids in my trees, and use them as part of my landscaping - I'm in Florida where this is possible, I know it's not an option for a lot of you. For landscape / tree use, I'm a big fan of mass plantings and repetition, just like you'd find within a specific biome in nature. So, while my potted plants generally don't have multiples, when I find something that does really well in my trees, you're likely to see it in several places around the yard.

[bil]

I'm not keen on duplicates, but I can see why, if you had a rare, or very expensive one, a backup would be a good idea.
I ended up with 6 identical pink hard cane dens from a garden centre that let me have a dozen cheap. I was going to get rid of most of them, but I put them together on the bench, and they looked so much better in a group, that I shall repot them all in a wide shallow pot.

I'd rather have fewer larger clumps than a lot of small plants.

[Andrew]

Jumping in on an aging thread as well.
I tend not to grow too many duplicates but about 1/4 to 1/3 of my orchids consist of multiple forms of different species and hybrids. Why? Just because theyre the same species or hybrid doesn't mean they're not different.


Thel. Goldfingers




Disa uniflora




Den. kingianum