Saw some cool NoID stuff at the grocery store

[nogreenthumbs]

I was in the grocery store near me today. It's a Whole Foods, and it had some really cool NoID "Oncidiums and Intergenerics". Yeah, that's all the label says. THere were some with plenty of closed buds, some with really tall spikes and multiple spikes, some with really big round pseudobulbs and some really attractive blooms. I'd love to buy 2 or 3, but I don't have the space and I already have a couple of oncidiums and I'd rather know exactly what I'm getting. They're only $19.99 which seems like a pretty good deal for what appears to be really nice plants. I guess it's a good thing that I don't have a ton of space or I'd probably have a ton of NoID orchids.

[estación seca]

They probably are nice plants, and are likely to be fairly easy to grow. Each person needs to decide how important is a name on the label.

Sometimes they sell plants that need cooler temperatures than people can provide, so you have to watch for that. Most of those would be Zygopetalum (blue-purple-green-brown, often fragrant) and Miltoniopsis hybrids (pansy flowered orchids.)

Trader Joe's usually has similar, very nice plants. The larger spiking and flowering orchids in markets here in metro Phoenix are around $20, and ones in smaller pots, also in spike, around $12.

Sometimes you can ask the produce manager to put you in touch with the grower, who may be able to give you a name if you send them a photo of the flowers, and tell them where you bought it.

A member of our orchid society gets the supermarket plants that go out of flower and brings them to our monthly auction table.

[Mountaineer370]

Steve, I'm in the same boat you are as far as space for plants. I've probably only got room for a couple more, period, so even though the ones at the stores are tempting sometimes, I'm holding off for a couple that are on my list of particular ones I would really like to have.

A month or so ago, I saw a bunch of large Vandas (!) at my local Kroger (big grocery store chain in my area). They were in large glass vases. I felt so sorry for them. If the average grocery store Phal is doomed to die, I can imagine Vandas will suffer the same fate, probably even more quickly.

Originally Posted by estación seca

A member of our orchid society gets the supermarket plants that go out of flower and brings them to our monthly auction table.

What a nice thing to do!

[Fishkeeper]

I've started to see those guys at my local H-E-B, and some of them have gorgeous flowers. I ended up picking one up that seems to be a Zygopetalum hybrid, and aside from being incredibly crammed into its pot, it's healthy.

[Cym Ladye]

These cheap mericlones coming in from Taiwan by the thousands, are what is putting the American hybridizers of these plants out of business. Rather than the plant buyer going to a show or contacting a known grower in their area, they become impulse buyers of NOID plants at their local grocery store when shopping for milk and veggies. I only find it sad, . but none the less, a sign of the times.

[Optimist]

I tend to ignore or avoid grocery store orchids these days. I am trying to get a collection of healthy steady bloomers. In my climate, the cattleya clan does the best. I tend to kill oncidiums, and so I just think I should stick to mule ear oncidiums like trichocentrums.

Strangely I also have done well with orchids that need constant watering, because I just dump water on them and let them be, like some bulbophyllums, and phragmapediums.

You can't get any of those at a grocery store.

[greenpassion]

I have to confess that I have actually had to avoid going into grocery stores that I know nearly always have orchids because I cant say no! And I have bought several phals from them. I just mentioned in another topic that I have a phal that is blooming again on it's old spike, and the flowers are more numerous and larger than the original blooming, and it is a grocery store phal. I guess I got lucky with that one... I currently I am so very out of space for even 1 more orchid, that I'm safe to enter these places.

---------- Post added at 08:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Cym Ladye

These cheap mericlones coming in from Taiwan by the thousands, are what is putting the American hybridizers of these plants out of business. Rather than the plant buyer going to a show or contacting a known grower in their area, they become impulse buyers of NOID plants at their local grocery store when shopping for milk and veggies. I only find it sad, . but none the less, a sign of the times.

I guess I sort of 'outed' myself regarding this. And I'll do it again: I guess I'm a new enough grower that I've not yet been all that concerned with whether or not I'm buying a NOID or a specific name. I do have a Sogo Yukdian V3, a Phal Amabilis and a Phal Stuartiana, but other than those, all my other phals are rescues from one place or another. I'm sure down the line things will change for me in my choosing, but for now, well...

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Cym Ladye

These cheap mericlones coming in from Taiwan by the thousands, are what is putting the American hybridizers of these plants out of business. Rather than the plant buyer going to a show or contacting a known grower in their area, they become impulse buyers of NOID plants at their local grocery store when shopping for milk and veggies. I only find it sad, . but none the less, a sign of the times.

On the contrary, I think that these supermarket orchids are ultimately good for the in-country growers, because that's how many people get their start in orchid growing (I'm one of them). You don't plan on growing orchids, then a nice cheap mericlone catches your eye while grocery shopping, and you bring it home. You discover that you like orchids, and buy a few more. And then you get addicted and start buying from all the nice local vendors and start going to shows. I just can't imagine someone who has no/few orchids deciding to start the hobby by going to shows/local vendors.

[greenpassion]

OMG. Camille you are so spot-on. Thank you for that validation. Excellent.

[nogreenthumbs]

It was a couple of days later, so this is only about half of what they'd originally had (and the least impressive half). That top left psuedobulb is the size of my fist and I'm 6'1!.