Orchid n00b, plant fanatic! - Orchid Board

thebuddingbotanist · #1 01-06-2017, 04:37 PM

I'm pretty new to orchids, but I've been a gardener for pretty much my whole life. I used to keep my whole yard full of various flowers and plants, but I was always told orchids are hard to care for, so I stayed away from them.

New Orleans is my home, but I'm currently in college in Colorado! I was really missing my plants back home until my school's greenhouse had some orchids on sale for $3 and $5 (needless to say, I stocked up!). I don't have much space in my dorm, and I know I'll have to get my plants back home for the summer, so I'm mostly interested in minis, but I'm one of those people who can always find space for plants (although my roommate might disagree with me).

I just figured I'd introduce myself on this forum. I don't have anything in flower yet, but I've got a few spikes, and I hope I'll be able to share some photos later on in the year! If anyone has any tips for road tripping or flying with plants, let me know!

Leafmite · #2 01-06-2017, 05:51 PM

I cannot help you with the moving of orchids but, if they are small, perhaps you could pack them up well and mail them home so you would not need to worry about them getting too hot in the car or fussing with them at the airport. Stakes, cellophane and newspaper can go a long way of protecting plants during shipping.

Miniature orchids are great space-savers. I started by collecting the behemoths, got rid of nearly all of them and now have mostly small orchids. Too bad many of the other plants are quite large.....

Great to have you here! Hello and welcome and good luck with your college education!

estación seca · #3 01-07-2017, 01:40 AM

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

In the dorms I built shelves with concrete blocks and wood boards in front of the windows. I asked my roommate first.

Orchid Whisperer · #4 01-07-2017, 11:00 AM

Welcome Orchid n00b!

The key to being able to move plants - don't buy too many! Seriously - I know that a lot of people really believe that there is no such thing as too many orchids, but the tune changes when you have to move them. When I was a student, I bought the largest plastic ice chest I could find and carefully packed the plants in that, wrapping each plant in newspaper before placing it in the ice chest. Some plants that are too tall need to be laid down on their side in the ice chest. Plants should be a bit on the dry side, rather than wet, when you pack them. Unpack promptly when you get to your final destination. Any plants in bud or bloom may need to be secured upright in a seat or on the floorboards to protect flowers. Never leave plants for an extended time in a car, in either hot or cold weather.

Flying pretty much requires all plants to go in an ice chest. Really, if you are flying, you may save yourself time, hassle and money by shipping them to your destination. Remember that there are sometimes limitations on transporting plants from one state to another, due to agricultural pests - check with state agricultural departments.

charlesf6 · #5 01-08-2017, 02:11 AM

aboard!

No-Pro-mwa · #6 01-08-2017, 11:50 AM

Welcome to orchid board. I'm just across the border,hows the snow?

thebuddingbotanist · #7 01-08-2017, 08:28 PM

I'd been wrapping plants in newspaper for transport before, but the ice chest is a good idea! I had plenty of space in the beginning of the school year, but some things grew, and I need to either stop going to nurseries or really work on self control... because I'm struggling to keep my collection travel sized now. Thanks

---------- Post added at 06:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:27 PM ----------

I'm actually still in New Orleans right now for winter break. No snow here, but we did have a freak freeze last night....

jkofferdahl · #8 01-08-2017, 09:05 PM

Welcome to the Orchid Board, and this great hobby. Though my undergrad degree was English, I made many friends on the faculty in the biology department and soon after I graduated I went to the botanists for tutoring on orchids.

I've moved my orchids collections more than once. To me, doing so was as stressful as any aspect of moving. I used a lot of newspaper and plant stakes, and as others have said I packed orchids last and unpacked them first. Others have advised that the one best way to ease moving is to exercise great self-control. I personally can't echo that because I don't really know what it is.