How to find mini-catts to buy... - Orchid Board

Lady Tottington · #1 06-25-2010, 12:20 AM

Hi all! In an earlier thread, you all were very helpful in telling me some search terms of what I could look for in finding a mini cattleya... (c. Nobilior, c. walkeriana, Lc. Aloha Case, C. schilleriana and C. aclandiae)

but how else do I know if an orchid will be a mini orchid if it doesn't have "mini" in the title or the above terms?

I guess I need to know how exactly I can find them?

Thanks friends!

smweaver · #2 06-25-2010, 07:03 AM

Why don't you contact a few nurseries and tell them what you're looking for. Santa Barbara Orchid Estate (Santa Barbara Orchid Estate Home Page) and Hausermann (Welcome to Orchids By Hausermann On-Line Orchid catalog.) are two of the larger and older establishments (though there are many others), and both have lots of cattleya hybrids, many of which are undoubtedly compact growers.

peeweelovesbooks · #3 06-25-2010, 08:45 AM

Well,

If you are looking for species, you can check out orchidspecies.com, which is very helpful as a starting point. It shows you pictures of plants (in situ and otherwise) with a good summary of cultural requirements. You can use that as a starting point for your research.

You can also run a search on the orchid nursery search engine, which is located in the advanced growing section of the OB. There are growers who specialize in miniatures. You can also go to orchidmall.com and check out specific vendors there.

Marble Ranch Farms, SBOE, Hausermann's and Sunset Valley Orchids come to mind off the top of my head for hybrids---Miranda Orchids and maybe canaima orchids for species. You can also check Ruben in orchids online--he sells on ebay under the name of topmacsniper. His stuff is wonderful.

good luck!

Lady Tottington · #4 06-25-2010, 10:05 AM

Thank you both!! Just what I needed! Much appreciated!

Izzie · #5 06-25-2010, 01:48 PM

You might talk to Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids, or just browse his website- they specialize in miniatures and micro-minis for the Cattleya grower. I've spoken with him personally, and he's one of the most gracious and generous people I know. Not to mention exceptional plants and prices.
Gold Country Orchids

Also- not always, but in many cases, Potinaras (Pot.) tend to be compact or miniature.

I'd add C. luteola, L. pumila, L. alaorii, C. intermedia, C. acklandiae, Soph. coccinea (now Catt.), and Soph. cernua as common parents that produce compact, miniature, or micro-mini plants.

Carl Austin · #6 06-25-2010, 08:35 PM

Alan Koch of Gold Country is a winner. You must also check out Sunset Valley Orchids. They have a whole section for mini-Catts. H&R also has some good mini-Catts.

Carl

Lady Tottington · #7 06-26-2010, 12:39 AM

Thank you Izzie, those are great prices! OMG! Have you purchased from them before? How did you find the plant size?

And Carl, thank you for the Sunset Valley Orchid name! Wow, they have a lot! Their prices are very reasonable as well! Have you purchased from them before? I'm curious what the size of one of their compacts in a 3" pot would be & how mature the plants they sell are?

Thank you both for the resources! Yay!

Carl Austin · #8 06-26-2010, 12:42 AM

I've purchased from Sunset Valley Orchids and the plants were great. Most of them were close to blooming size. I really recommend them.

Carl

Izzie · #9 06-26-2010, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Tottington

Thank you Izzie, those are great prices! OMG! Have you purchased from them before? How did you find the plant size?

And Carl, thank you for the Sunset Valley Orchid name! Wow, they have a lot! Their prices are very reasonable as well! Have you purchased from them before? I'm curious what the size of one of their compacts in a 3" pot would be & how mature the plants they sell are?

Thank you both for the resources! Yay!

I love how reasonable GC's prices are! They really give you some great deals for top-quality plants.
If a plant comes from super-heavily-rewarded quality lines or is an exceptionally rare and superb plant- you'll see it in the price, but it reflects the worth. You can still get award-potential plants without breaking the bank though.

I have purchased from them- Alan spoke at my Orchid Society about 'Miniatures for the Cattleya Grower' and it was outstanding. He runs his greenhouses very well, and makes sure that his plants can thrive in a variety of conditions and all are very durable.

I know the plant size by just talking to him and getting to know what he grows- most of his meristems and seedlings are compacts, minis, or micro-minis- which he usually designates in their descriptions. If it isn't specified, odds are it's at least compact (under 12").

And his species are outstanding- all are bred to move away from inbreeding, and to be very hardy and flower very well. He makes sure that all of his plants, especially parents for crosses, are able to thrive and flower well in at least two of the three climates/conditions that he grows in (he has three greenhouses with different conditions)- so his plants do as well in Tampa as they do in Denver.

gnathaniel · #10 06-27-2010, 01:58 AM

Marble Branch Farms is a good place to look for mini and compact cattleyas. They make a lot of interesting hybrids and carry some hard to find species as well, including many not listed on their website.

The guys who run it (Mark and Gary) are part of my local orchid society, so I get a lot of chances to shop with them. They usually throw in good bonus plants when I buy more than one or two and their prices are cheap anyway, so when they're selling at a meeting I always go home with more plants than I think my budget will accommodate!

Last time the bonus was a big Broughtonia sanguinea seedling from an outcross they'd made between two different color forms, on a purchase of $24 for two other plants (Leptotes bicolor and Dendrobium aberrans)...

--Nat