First plants bought online and shipped. Advice?

[PaphLover]

1. Finally purchased my first plants online, and also my first phrag…very exciting! Since I've never received a shipment before, not sure what is acceptable damage and what isn't. I would think it must be difficult to ship a plant perfectly and I like the grower very much, but being a newbie, not sure if this is something to bring to their attention or is pretty common and not worth mentioning.

Phrag: Carol Kanzer
Paph henryanum

2. Also, the phrag was labelled as 'near blooming size', but it seems so tiny. Your opinion? Some growers list what their sizes mean in months until first/next blooming of their plants, but not this one. Is there a standard # that most growers go by or is it different for each one? I can certainly contact the grower, but was curious if there is a standard out there.

3. Any special culture tips for newly shipped plants? Or for Carol Kanzer (I read a thread on Orchidboard that said it was difficult to grow.) Should one let them acclimatize for a few days before watering, etc.? I did try to look this up online, but didn't find any specific instructions.

[silken]

Your plants look pretty good. The little brown line on the one leaf is just superficial damage. Shipping can always cause a risk of a bent leaf or in winter, of being chilled. I am thinking this wasn't shipped far as it looks like Forestview plants. I don't know if there is a standard of how long certain terms mean. I looked on Cloud's website for near bloom size of a Paph. or Phrag. and for them it means 12 months. Even bloom size can mean 6 months or whenever the next bloom season is. A Phrag can bloom with only 1 or 2 growths.

I don't think the Phrag. should be a particularly hard one to grow. I think standard Phrag care for both parents which would be likely setting it in a saucer with about an inch of water and flushing the pot and changing water often. Phrags don't like a lot of fertilizer so go very light on that. The pearcii is especially water loving so do not let it go dry or even near dry.

Good luck and post photos when they bloom!

[PaphLover]

Thanks silken!

Yes, the brown line is where the leaf was bent in half. And I think the other darker green spotting is a little bruising.

It is fascinating to see how plants are shipped in pots with media. Really quite a precise procedure.

[bil]

One of the best parcels I got was the simplest. Each plant was wrapped softly in newspaper, and they were all put into a cardboard box with shredded newspaper around them all.
They arrived in excellent condition, unlike some packages that looked as if they had been stepped on.

[Fairorchids]

Size definitions vary by grower. On Ebay BS is often grossly abused.

Having said that, Phrag Carol Kanzer is one of the smallest stature Phrags, so this plant is probably within 6-12 months of being BS. However, this one is a finicky bloomer. I have had it for 9 years. It grows well ( divided it 4-5 times), but I have never bloomed it. According to Glen Decker, it needs clean water.

Henryanum is variable in terms of size. This one has a new start, so it probably is BS.

[PaphLover]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Size definitions vary by grower. On Ebay BS is often grossly abused.

Having said that, Phrag Carol Kanzer is one of the smallest stature Phrags, so this plant is probably within 6-12 months of being BS. However, this one is a finicky bloomer. I have had it for 9 years. It grows well ( divided it 4-5 times), but I have never bloomed it. According to Glen Decker, it needs clean water.

Henryanum is variable in terms of size. This one has a new start, so it probably is BS.

Oh my! Never bloomed in 9 years. I've got a long time to wait then…

[wintergirl]

I have a smaller sized phrag. I keep it just sitting in a saucer of clean rain/distilled where its just getting the plant container wet on the bottom. I wipe the container out once a week and replace with fresh water. I also take my plant to the sink where I pour rainwater through the plant to remove salts, ect. I also spritz a little rainwater on top of the media every morning.

Right now I have mine on higher than a phal but not as much as a vanda light. Not sure where I am going to keep it yet. The good water is the main thing for your phrag.

[PaphLover]

Originally Posted by wintergirl

I have a smaller sized phrag. I keep it just sitting in a saucer of clean rain/distilled where its just getting the plant container wet on the bottom. I wipe the container out once a week and replace with fresh water. I also take my plant to the sink where I pour rainwater through the plant to remove salts, ect. I also spritz a little rainwater on top of the media every morning.

Right now I have mine on higher than a phal but not as much as a vanda light. Not sure where I am going to keep it yet. The good water is the main thing for your phrag.

Thanks Colette. I did collect some rainwater and gave it that rather than tap water. We'll see how this goes.

[tucker85]

I agree that your plant looks like it's in pretty good shape. I'm new to phrags but two of mine have bloomed on small plants, just a little bit larger than yours. So I wouldn't be surprised if yours could be ready to bloom in a year or so. Phrags require more light than paphs so if you have a Phrag that doesn't bloom, you may want to try increasing the light. Good luck.

---------- Post added at 10:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:18 AM ----------

You can see that this one is blooming on a fairly small plant. Phrag Jason Fischer.

[PaphLover]

Thanks Tucker. Your phrag is gorgeous. Such a healthy looking plant! Also, a much bigger plant than mine.

Will keep my fingers crossed I can get mine to look as healthy as that!