Beginners VS Advanced growers

[Ashleyma23]

I would not call myself a beginner but I haven't had success at growing orchids . Sure enought I am getting tips and hints here and there. It's funny how when a newbie posts a photo of their "dying orchid" or something "strange" picture and advanced person comes around and says all looks fine. I think beginners are much more paranoid and think orchids and plants need to look exactly perfect. But I have seen many youtubers and pictures on here where the orchid would look to me out of ordinary but the plant would have great roots , spike and blooms.

I have learned to relax a bit more and not to over baby my orchids and they will come around when they are ready.

Thanks all and have a awesome week!!

[bil]

Originally Posted by Ashleyma23

I would not call myself a beginner but I haven't had success at growing orchids . Sure enought I am getting tips and hints here and there. It's funny how when a newbie posts a photo of their "dying orchid" or something "strange" picture and advanced person comes around and says all looks fine. I think beginners are much more paranoid and think orchids and plants need to look exactly perfect. But I have seen many youtubers and pictures on here where the orchid would look to me out of ordinary but the plant would have great roots , spike and blooms.

I have learned to relax a bit more and not to over baby my orchids and they will come around when they are ready.

Thanks all and have a awesome week!!

So true. You do something for the first time and you worry like crazy, but you do it the second time and it's much less of a worry.

[fudJy23]

I've been trying to grow orchids for the last 10-15 years and it's only been in the last 4 years that I haven't had a near 100% death rate. I still feel like a newbie but I"m starting to learn about them as I observe them.

It does help that I did have one orchid where it was neglected and I didn't water it for months at at time (out of sight, out of mind) and it took a good two years for it to die. Yes, I was a bad orchid parent. But it did teach me that they are incredibly resilient (as people keep saying) and that it really does take a lot to kill them.

[My Green Pets]

Oh my gosh I fussed and fussed over my first pair of Phals. "This root is bending the wrong way!" "This leaf has a tiny spot!" Thank goodness people here gave me the confidence to relax and watch them grow.

I think the reason I panicked so much was that orchids grow so slowly. If you're doing something wrong, by the time the plant reacts to it, you're in for some pain as it will take an equally long amount of time to recover. Errors in the orchid world cost months if not years to mend.

My most recent example of this is a new Paph growth that I accidentally broke off 6 months ago. Only now has the new growth reached the size of the old one. Six months of growth...snapped off in a second. (x_x)

[Ray]

The difference between "beginners" & "advanced" growers is that those of us in the latter classification have killed SO many plants that we are now numb to it.

[dbarron]

Yep, and every time we try a new orchid or different group, we're all beginners again and hoping for others with more experience to reach out and hold our hands at times.

[NYCorchidman]

I don't think such paring is logical.
It should be more like either "Beginner vs. Long time Grower" or "Poor Grower vs. Advanced or Good Grower".

Long time grower does not necessarily mean a good grower. lol

[dbarron]

Excellent point! Though most will have given up if in a few years, they've not become a better grower.

[Ashleyma23]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

I don't think such paring is logical.
It should be more like either "Beginner vs. Long time Grower" or "Poor Grower vs. Advanced or Good Grower".

Long time grower does not necessarily mean a good grower. lol

I meant it towards the beginner discussions vs advanced discussions.

But I understand your point. Beginner ( inexperienced / advanced - more experience thru trial and error was what I was meaning .

[Maryanne]

I've heard it said that an experienced grower is someone who has killed 100 orchids. A professional is someone who has killed 1000.
; -)
ML