When do you become "discriminating" - Page 2 - Orchid Board

quiltergal · #11 07-26-2011, 03:12 AM

#1 lack of space. #2 lack of time to care for them all. #3 growing and blooming a plant successfully just to prove to myself I could. #4 give away or sell the ones that don't interest me anymore.

I still have kind of a hodge podge of different hybrids and species, but my main interest lies in Paphs, Phrags and species Phals. I'll probably keep the one tray of Catts for now. I'm down to 3 Dens. The masdies aren't happy but I'm not ready to give up yet.

Leafmite · #12 07-26-2011, 10:52 AM

This spring, after adding a bunch of new ones, I saw that if I added too many more, I wouldn't be able to give them enough attention or have the space for them. I have had some opportunities to buy orchids lately but haven't been tempted, not enough to give in and buy, anyway. I have a variety of orchids I really enjoy, feel content with my collection, and now I expect an orchid to really impress me if it wants a home.
Leafmite

fotofashion · #13 07-26-2011, 08:07 PM

Thanks to all of you for your thought provoking replies. I'm going to read them again because there sure were some gems to ponder.

Beverly A.

Val · #14 07-26-2011, 09:17 PM

#1: space. Right now my orchid space is 100% full. Any new addition would mean one orchid has to go. I have been considering selling or giving away some orchids because my wishlist is still long. I won't part with my NoID phals, mainly because they have sentimental value. But giving away the cool(er) growing orchids seems a wise thing to do (cymbidium, dendrobium).

#2: "a beeter player belongs to a higher ligue". I feel I could grow almost any Phal (except for some very demanding species), so I need to prove it with the "ivy league" species / novelties.

cday2inflorida · #15 07-27-2011, 07:38 AM

I have a lot of orchids that have become a "stone around my neck". I'm not interested in them at all. Some I hang on to for sentimental reasons, the others...I'm going to unload.

RobS · #16 07-27-2011, 09:26 AM

I mainly collect Encyclia's I started over 25 years ago with Epidendrums and Encyclia's. As the latter do better in the windowsill I stick with them. For a nice Encyclia I do pay the money. As most Encyclia's flower in the first half of the year I started to collect other species that adapt well to the growing regime of the Encyclia's: Laelia, Cattleya, Galeandra etc.

silken · #17 07-27-2011, 11:09 AM

After about 4 years of collecting and growing orchids, I have recently arrived at the 'somewhat discriminating' stage. As others have mentioned, I was first buying just about anything I had access to. Catts were a big attraction to me with their big showy blooms. I bought a lot of seedling catts since that was all I had access to and most of them perished. But my tastes have changed and flip-flopped over the years. Now, I am appreciating my NOID phals a lot more and enjoying a variety of orchids including catts, phals, 1 phrag, paphs, an encyclia, masdevallia, miltoniopsis and a few in the oncidium intergeneric as well as two rossioglossums that I am determined to get blooms from. I have really put the brakes on when it comes to getting new ones as I am running out of space. Since I am retired, time isn't a huge issue, but it can be occasionally. And when we travel and go to the lake, it is a problem. Luckily our house sitter for when we travel enjoys my orchids and does a reasonable job of caring for them, but what if he becomes unavailable??

So while I can't say I have stopped buying orchids, I do seriously intend to slow down in a big way.

ezil · #18 07-27-2011, 06:48 PM

Silken, are you sure about that? Summer in Canada can be very short - which means more time at home. I know retired people here who either take plants with them (now there's dedication for you!), or have them in an enclosed area where lights, ventilation an misting are on timers. A lot easier to handle, and they travel a lot! If you do succeed in cutting down, please let me know how you do it: I've tried, but ended up with more plants than I ever intended and a growing wish list....

peeweelovesbooks · #19 07-28-2011, 08:23 AM

About 1 year and hundreds of deaths after starting the hobby. Gave away a lot of stuff, threw out a lot of other stuff, and kept only the things that interested me. I have a very discrete list of vendors from whom I purchase religiously. Not many people sell Laelia anceps and I go where the plants are.

mujacko2002 · #20 07-28-2011, 09:51 AM

Mabuhay!

I make sure that the orchid i purchase will thrive in my garden. And i have this motto "if i wasn't able to buy it at that time its either my money is not enough or its just isnt for me". Cooler growing orchids like cymbidiums will just have to be a wishlist for now not unless i transfer to a place where it can thrive. What i would want to fully develop is the skill to know when the seller just wants to sell the orchid to earn a profit even though he/she knows it only likes cool climates.