Suffering Bellina

[desertanimal]

I ordered recently off eBay from a seller who claimed to have shipped successfully for many years in winter. I, myself, could ship a live reptile, fish, or arthropod in this weather. I expected my plant to be packaged and heated the way I'd package and heat a reptile. It's not exactly rocket science. It was not insulated one tenth as well as I'd insulate a reptile in either hot or cold weather, and the phal I bought came cold and had mush for roots a week after arrival. Sellers are just as responsible as buyers. If anything, they are more so. *Sellers* are the presumed experts in this enterprise, after all.

[katrina]

Ok...so maybe my post was misunderstood. I understand that people get so excited about orchids and just can't help themselves and they order...even if temps are far too cold. Trust me, I get the "need". What I don't get is when the plant gets cold damage and someone acts surprised that it happened. Or, that they blame the seller for the damage. If one opts to order in the dead of winter...then any damage or risk really is the responsibility of the person doing the ordering. I'm not saying don't order...it's not safe but if one wants to...then go ahead. But, if damage occurs then one should not expect the seller to refund or replace the plant. Any effect of that plant being exposed to cold really is not the seller's fault.

In years past I have ordered during the winter too (overnight shipping paid for!) and I have been lucky to not have any damage. But, I ordered knowing it could happen and if it did then it was on me...not the person doing the shipping.

Like I said, I'm not trying to be a B...but new grower or not...everyone knows orchids are tropical plants and they don't hold up well when exposed to temps that are too cold. Take the risk...take the responsibility if something goes wrong.

[MattWoelfsen]

I learned to curb my orchid addiction when I took the same chance you did a year ago when I bought a tropical orchid from a vendor in Southern California. Despite the best packing and heat pack provided by the vendor, the plants arrived DOA. I even took a vacation day to receive them from USPS.

Katrina's (I am not a B***H) post of reality is an invigorating reminder that buying these plants when it is Winter is impractical. Waiting for Spring to roll around when the temperature is more hospitable is practical. The follow up words of assurance for waiting would be: "These plants will always be available and if you wait, you might end up with a better plant."

I appreciate your candor Jenn4a. This thread has caused a lot of retrospection. It reminds me to have a little more discipline and not hit the "buy" button. I can wait for Spring.

[BettyE]

Phals don't like the temperature below 60 degrees...cattleyas can survive 45 degrees with no harm, however. I am sorry for your loss,however Spring/Summer is a better time to have a phal. shipped.I DID have a cattleya shipped from Hausermann in January,however was told that it would ship when the weather allowed. It was in sheath, and came in perfect condition. BettyE.

[Jenn4a]

I will read through the replies and reply later; right now I'm just coming by to give you guys an update picture.

I've been keeping him under a 50W infrared bulb so he doesn't get cold. I don't know if he would be safe to put in with my other phals? (I don't want to risk my healthy ones)
The roots that were plump and green yesterday are already looking dehydrated again. The leaves look worse too. The borders of the leaves are turning gray, and it almost looks like the crown is wet. It might just be really shiny though?

[bethmarie]

Some sellers will only guarantee plants in winter if you pay for overnight. I've seen a seller who explicitly states that winter shipping risk is on the buyer. I've occasionally sold orchids and shipped in winter. Absent any 'buyer beware' statement, if a seller ships in winter, it's implicit that they can do so successfully.

[desertanimal]

Agreed bethmarie. And if a seller lives in Wisconsin or Minnesota and states that they've been shipping through winter successfully for many years like the seller I purchased from, that's basically claiming that the seller can package and ship in freezing weather. When I sell snakes, spiders, or lizard, I do not ship if the animal won't make it alive. I'm the one shipping, so it's *my* responsibility to take transit of my product into consideration and make sure it will arrive in good condition. I don't typically but in the winter, but found a plant I'd been looking for for a long time. Given the seller lives in a place colder than where I live and claimed a history of successful winter shipping, I went for it. The fact that my plant now has no riots because they either cooked or froze in transit is on the shipper, not me. I trusted he knew wat he was doing. And having shipped live animals, I know damn well my plant could have been far, far better insulated in packing than it was.

[Leafmite]

I do order plants and orchids in the winter...always have out of habit from gardening. I put my order in for seeds and live plants and the company ships them out in late April or early May. That is how these mail order gardening companies have always done their business.
When I begin collecting orchids, I just assumed it would be the same and I was very surprised when Hausermann's and Al's Orchid Greenhouse shipped in early March when the temperatures were consistently 40'F. The orchids were perfectly fine, of course, being packed very well. Now that I have been collecting a while, I have come to expect great service from the companies with which I do business and I have never received cold-damaged plants.
I just found a forty-hour heat pack as I was dumping out the Andy's box and, on Saturday, it was still warm due to them only snipping the top and wrapping it in newspaper (Hausermann's does this too). Andy's clearly does everything possible to ascertain that their orchids arrive safely.

To be practical, during the winter, if it was not possible to ship flowers safely, many florists would go out of business as Valentine's Day is one of their most profitable days. Cut flowers suffer the same damage as living plants. Not ever florist is located in a big city near an airport or has a heated truck to bring them the flowers. And, while many flowers come from South America, some of the flowers are still going through the auction market in The Netherlands before being flown overseas. They have cold weather, too. I am guessing that the people that sell and ship the cut flowers know what they are doing or they, too, would be long out of business.

[Brooke]

Originally Posted by MrHungx

I purchased the alba form from the same seller off eBay. I live in California, but I was fortunate to receive a nice healthy plant. However, the plant I received was "Phal. bellina var. alba x self", not a pure Phal. bellina var. alba.

Mr. Hungx yout bellina is a var. alba because it is "selfed" or bred to itself. They used the plants own pollen to make the pod.

You could "possibly" have the normal coloration if two recessives meet up, but the self cross gives you a pretty good chance of getting an alba.

Brooke

[katrina]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

To be practical, during the winter, if it was not possible to ship flowers safely, many florists would go out of business as Valentine's Day is one of their most profitable days.

First, cut flowers and live plants are not the same and, as you know, require different treatment/handling. For example...cut roses/carnations/etc are best preserved in refrigeration...but you would never put a live cattleya OR phalaenopsis in your fridge. At least not if you want it to live and do well.

As for seeds and bulbs...well, again, different and can be handled differently than you'd handle a live, growing, orchid.

And, shipping to a florist is much different than shipping to a mailbox or front door. I seriously doubt the florists' deliveries are left sitting in a mailbox or on a front porch in freezing or near freezing temps.