what got you hooked

[ThePinkCucumber]

I was given a phal for Christmas, thinking to myself oh my goodness, I HATE these plants After that I went to my first orchid show and saw a Zygopetalum - I was hooked Until now they are my favourites! Speaking of which, I got Zygolum Louisendorf yesterday at a show where I helped out

[Orchidbyte]

Started growing plants when I was 9, first plant Asparagus plumosa,it started to die so my Mom gave me a book on plants and before I was 10 I had a garden full of plants. When I was in college, I went to a nursery called Paradise and saw all these strange looking plants, asked the owner (Gary Hammer) what they were and he explained that he just got back from Mexico on a collecting trip and most of these weird plants were orchids. He explained to me what locations and how they grew, before I knew it I was on a collecting trip with him all over Mexico collecting orchids, bromeliads, tillandsia, ferns and many other types of strange plants.

Been growing orchids for over 35 years and other plants even longer. My Moto "A space for every plant, a plant for every space".

Currently around 900 orchids and double that on other types of plants, yes just a hobby.

[ShadePlant]

As a kid I loved impatiens. Loved to watch the turtle pressure rise as I watered them. I was given an orchid as a gift, a phalaenopsis, and it started the craze for me. Now I have 1 Dracula, 3 slippers, two vandas, a brassavola nodosa and seven phals.

[galeandra]

I don't remember the first time I had an orchid, it must have been years ago. Here there wasn't a lot of knowledge about orchids so as I live in cold hummid weather, they all tended to die and I had no help knowing what I was doing wrong, nobody ever explained about how to know when to water them, so I guess I tended to overwater. Thank God for internet, now I think I'm doing much a better job and I have several of them. I have some other plants as well, but as I don't have much space, I don't have many plants.

[lotis146]

That medusae is awesome, great job growing!

I know too well the exponential growth in orchid numbers that tend to occur once you've been infected; I am relieved to see I'm not the only one, lol!

Six years ago - about - my Grandpa and wife got me a mini Phal for my birthday. I've always liked plants and have had random houseplants though I never really "got into them" and really just worried about watering. I managed to keep this little cutie alive in its tiny clay pot and sphag moss by watering it once the moss was crusty and letting it soak up all the water it could - pot doesn't have a hole in the base. However it never flowered again (still hasn't though I'm holding out hope). I wondered about it but that was it. Then after years of staying green the spike died. I worried and vowed I'd figure out how to care for it but didn't make it a priority.

Then I attended my brother's funeral some years later. Afterwards the question came of did we want to keep any of the plants people gave or did we want to donate them. Several family members, myself included, opted to take some of them, I volunteered for the four orchids b/c they're such elegant plants. My mother grabbed the plants for me and they stayed at her house for a while. By the time I got them back to my house most of them weren't looking good. Once again, I knew nothing about them so I didn't hop to it and repot them. So three of them died which made the fourth that much more important. Again, not knowing anything it didn't occur to me to cut the spike, which was good b/c it was still green, and in fact the following year it grew a few blooms to my amazement. Some months later the spike started to grow this strange thing at the end, I watched with great interest as it developed new leaves and roots.

These would turn out to be twin keikis, needless to say my interest was thoroughly piqued. I remember now that I found myself at a local nursery & was awe-struck to see this wonderfully strange plant sitting among their orchids (normally Phals, which mine is). It was incredible to learn that it was also an orchid, a Paphiopedilum with a green and white flower. Seeing as I was already in love with the one I had I got it, but not after some long thinking about the $40 (or maybe it was 60) price tag (now I know this place charges a premium for their orchids. The lady told me it may flower again but it also may never flower again after that bloom dies, I decided to take my chances especially since it had such cool mottled leaves. (Ironically this plant has not flowered yet again for me but I know in part it's b/c for a while I neglected it and I still think I'm trying to find just the right conditions.)

Finally in the winter of 2013 my plants weren't doing so good. Mother Phal & the twins were very wrinkled and limp, the worst I'd seen them. So I jumped online and started looking around for some advice, you can imagine I'm sure what happened next. Once I got here, registered, and posted my questions people were quick to respond with tons of helpful information including how to care for my twin keikis. Now mother Phal still with a green spike (not the original) is growing a new spike!!! The twins - Itty & Bitty I call them - are in their own pots and spiked for me last year, stayed green and bloomed again this year each time only a couple flowers though. Since I started out not knowing anything it didn't occur to me to look for a tag (or keep track of one) or to look to see if the side of the plastic pot had a name on it as I found out later the ones that died did. So Mother remains a NoID.

My fascination grew very quickly. Within no time I'd picked up three NoID Phals b/c they were super cheap (one died, another turned out to have a name and number on the pot, it & the third are growing spikes now) and planned my first orchid show. Would you believe me if I said I only bought one? Paph. Pink Fred...

Now I have let's say over 80... Great question.

---------- Post added at 10:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 AM ----------

PinkCucumber, I got Zglm. Louisendorff this spring & actually last spring I got Zglm. Rhein 'Moonlight' which is the same cross as Louisendorff, somehow this cross has been registered more than once (maybe even more than twice). What's nice is my Rhein 'Moonlight' is the peloric version thus why I allowed myself to get Louisendorff. Rhein is in double spike now, just beginning.

[ccrow]

I started out with two dendrobium hybrids from the bargain shelf at a big box; I figured if they could survive long enough to go out of bloom there, then I could probably grow them:-) After having those for two-three years and having them grow and bloom for me, I bought a phal at a local greenhouse. When that also did well for me, I was bitten by the bug, lol. I now have a bunch of phals(mostly noid), another den and a paph. Also just got Bllra. Howard's Dream. I may need an intervention soon...

[Trollsvans]

I first noticed orchids when I stumbled upon an exhibition.
What got to me was:
Sympodials! (although I do grow monopodials too, rhe sympodials are more fascinating)
Asymmetrical flowers
Epiphytical

Following my usual love for oddballs, I quickly fell for Stanhopea, Bulbophyllum and Catasetum, but classic Cattleya and Oncidium are still close at heart.

[ThePinkCucumber]

Lotis146 - I searched a bit and noticed that this particular cross is registered at least 3 times! Don't know how that happened.
It's nice that you have two that are the same but aren't at the same time
For some reason, zygos are quite rare to find here, and if you do, they are pricey (25+ Eur or so). Luckily this time I got a nice discount, so I'm sure excited :P Actually, when the vendor told me he'll give it to me for cheaper my answer was 'Oh no, no, you can't do that, no!' which made him look extremely perplexed, and then I thought to myself 'Damn it, just smile and nod!!' Haha
So I now have only two - this Zygolum and Zygopetalum James Strauss, who is spiking for us now I must say I didn't take proper care of him, as I didn't know any better, so he was surviving for a year or so. I moved him to a warmer room and now he's going nuts with his fat roots and the fat spike.
Ah, I just love these guys, the foliage, the blooms, everything! Ok, maybe not the fragrance, I know, I'm a weirdo, but I can't stand the smell, just love the blooms so much!!

[phalnoob]

Wow amazing stories everyone thanks for answering. Its good to get to know everyone a little better and its great hearing how the orchid journey began for us all. Lol funny how 1 turns into 10+ haha 😂 so glad its not just me!
Iv never been to an orchid show or anything (would be dangerous) but i dont know of any nearby.

[ThePinkCucumber]

Phalnoob - it just doesn't stop! I've come to a point where I think to myself 'I can either have a beer now or put the money into the orchid jar' - it's really bad!