What was your first orchid?
 

We all have to start off somewhere, usually with one plant that sparks our interest in orchids.

What was your first orchid - can you remember it's name?

Mine was Blc. Oconee 'Mendenhall' AM/AOS and it's flowers looked something like this.

http://www.orquidarionsa.com/oconee.jpg

My first was actually a NOID phal but she's gorgeous!

This should be a very interesting thread...thanks Dave ;)

My first orchid
 

When I was in 8th grade, I was into gardening and house plants, so my mom brought me to this orchid greenhouse she heard about, called Kensington Orchids, in Kensington, MD. This was a HUGE operation, with literally acres and acres of greenhouses. I walked into the first one, and saw a field of phals in front of my eyes. I honestly remember that moment well to this day. I understood on some level that I was hooked for life.

Mom bought me a nice big white phal, i have no idea what the name of it was. We moved to Minnesota, waaay up north, near Canada. I kept that orchid through the years there, and it never bloomed, but kept on growing. The plant got huge. At the end of my high school years, we moved back to the DC area, in my senior year, and I brought the phal with me. It started blooming immediately. It then bloomed non-stop for the next 5 years, never without a bloom, and sometimes with as many as 30 blooms at a time, each easily 6 inches across. I started accumulating more orchids at this time.

Sometime in college, my parents were tending to my orchid collection, and it got some kind of virus and died quite quickly. But to this day, it was the largest, most robust, bloomingest orchid I have ever had.

Nice stories. My first orchids came in a trio! (Again with the trio for me). NOID Phal (The one I posted about lately concerning the seed pod and its seeds), one NOID Dendrobium, and on Onc. Sharry Baby. When I saw that I didnt kill them, I got more orchids. Always in trios though, how strange.

Tindo, that sounds a little like OCD. One, two, three...one, two, three...one, two, three! ;)

I'm also in the noid phal club...

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...hal_orchid.jpg

this one had about 25 flowers on a branching inflorescence, and is now awaiting repotting (tonight) into s/h. so far it's been growing well, hopefully it continues!

Scott, sounds like you are in deep with the S/H......

yep. so far I have the catt that I divided and the phal that was poorly potted (repotted it last night into s/h), and tonight (provided I ever get home from work, which is questionable at best...) I will be moving 3 or 4 other plants over. over the next few weeks I've got another couple that are going, just waiting for the optimal time.

my catts are doing great. I just noticed not only some wicked new root growth on them, but also another new growth. so now both baby plants have 3 new growths! I lost one leaf from one of the oldest backbulbs, but it was kinda tenuous even before I repotted, so I think it was just that leaf's time to go.

What did you water them with once you moved to S/H. I am assuming that you started with K-L-N for soaking the clay and them for the first watering as per Ray's site suggests?

Did you continue with K-L-N until new root growth was evident and then moved to a fertilizer
or
Did you start using fertilizer with the second watering after the initial K-L-N watering?

signed; Curious in Clay!

once they're in the pot, it's kinda hard to see if new root growth is going on or not without disturbing the plant, and I figure that repotting is a pretty huge disturbance and the plant wants to heal for a bit. so I just did the kln presoak/first watering and then subsequent waterings are with MSU at 125 ppm.

last night I ended up moving 2 noid phals over, along with my Oncidioda Charlesworthii. The first two were in dire need of repotting--super densely packed sphag which had rotted some of the roots (although it was uneven, so they still had a fair number of nice beefy roots). I wasn't surprised since one was an IKEA rescue and the other was a flower shop plant. The oncidioda was actually potted well previously, and the media was in good condition, so it had a great, well developed, healthy root system.

Anyway, we'll see how things go. I've still got a few other plants to move over shortly.

I can remember my mother-in-law loved orchids. After she passed I put together a cookbook in her honor and found a Blc. Newman's Bay 'Low' that was an exact of what she loved to grow and pictured on the cover of the cookbook. Kept me looking for one, still looking :) and one day after moving back to Orlando, I walked into a local Market, an orchid table and darn if that table was not calling me over "looky Cheryl ORCHIDS, buy me buy me please" ... Whewww whoooo, after that how could I resist. I bought 2 Den, the one pictured (borrowed photo) computer crash taking old chid pics with it, Den. Mini-Hybrid and Den. Mini Salaya Blue. Both in need of repotting, which now I am sure they could have waited another year but they are still hangin' in there and one day they will flourish me with blooms ... that's my story and I am sticking to it...:banana: :banana:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ybrid_Pink.jpg

*putting off cleaning the house from top to bottom in the horrible event that MIL comes here!*

I have a funny story about how I came to love orchids. One year my husband was away for business for our anniversary, the 4th of July and my birthday - which all fall in a 10 day span.... so he sent me crazy expensive flowers. One of them smelled SO strong and I was in LOVE. I thought it was an orchid and always thought I would like to run across that orchid and grow it. I knew nothing about orchids. Every once in a while I would sort of look for it - but I don't even remember what it looked lie - online. I came across an orchid that smelled like chocolate / vanilla and thought nothing could be better than that!!!! :drool:
Noticed there would be an orchid show in my area and planned to go. Had a trip to Miami with the husband's work and we drove out the Keys. I begged him to stop at every flower nursery in search of what I knew was Sharry Baby. FINALLY got him to stop and wouldn't you know - they had one! In bloom! :cheer:
I carried that home the whole long flight. Got so many compliments on this orchid and couldn't stop sniffing it!
I now realize that the flowers from my husband probably weren't even orchids LOL but I quickly became obsessed! Would still love to know what the flowers were.....
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...id-KeyWest.jpg

...first orchid was Dendrobium Burana Jade...

I hate hybrids (as most of ya know!), but this is the only man-made hybrid orchid I still have... I love this plant, the petals and sepals are light green, and the labellum is purple with white striations... easy going plant... it won't make a specimen though, and its been 8 years...

-PM

My first was Brassia Datacosa 'Coos Bay' AM/AOS. It is long dead now, but I will acquire a new one soon.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a_Coos_Bay.jpg
(Not my picture)

I watered it every day, you know, because it rains all the time in the rain forests... :scratchhead:

Brassias are very easy to care for, just treat them like an Oncidium.

I lived in Oregon at the time, way too dry in the winter for mounted plants. I may try a few now that I'm in Florida though.

I picked up a new Datacosa 'Coos Bay' today, along with a Brs. Edvah Loo 'Nishida' HCC/AOS from Odom's Orchids. The Edvah Loo is huge, I count 14 pseudobulbs and at least 4 new growths in a 6" pot. It has one spike right now, I expect the buds to start opening over the weekend. I found a spike on the Datacosa when I got it home, so I'll have another one blooming fairly soon.

My first orchid was a white phalaenopsis that I purchased in Hawaii during a visit in 1973. It didn't have a name but I thought it was a very lovely thing. I brought it home, then of course it had to have a friend so I visited the Beall Company which was then located on Vashon Island- a ferry ride from Seattle.
They had every type of orchid imaginable and were pioneers in oncidium intergenerics especially, but also produced memorable hybrids in many genera. I purchased a pink phal from them after spending the better part of a day checking out their greenhouses.

This led to windowsills full of plants, mostly warm growers that did well indoors. Most of the old orchid companies are gone now, but I was able to see many of the west coast biggies like Rod McClellans, Stewarts, Arthur Freeds, as well as Gordon Hoyt (miltoniopsis!), Baker & Chantry, Bealls, etc.
It's kind of sad that these great old companies are not here or diminished.

Hi Guy’s and in particular Cheryl.
I honestly can’t remember the first orchid I ever owned more tan likely an Aussie native.
Cheryl I think you may be the victim of an incorrect name tag hunt:hmm . I am fairly sure that you are in fact looking for Blc Norman’s Bay ‘Lows’ this is an old Hybrid going back to the 1950’s and is the parent of some very fine progeny:drool: including Blc Crispin Rosales = Blc Norman’s Bay x Blc Bonanza (1959).I think you should still be able to find one these(At least in Australia) they are still obtainable. Anyway I hope this may be of some help.:biggrin:
Regards Craig

Oh my you are absolutely correct...senior :dumb: moment, at the time of the post I had been in Carter and Holmes an seen Newman's and guess it was on my mind...Yes Norman's Bay is correct...thanks for the correction and the history, definitely have helped....:cheer: :banana: :cheer:

I was into house plants , Went to a discount store named White front in So. Ca. there was a rack of orchid plants in bags . I bought one Mem. Crispin Rosales took it home opened the bag and undid the instructions . it said your orchid should bloom in 4 or 5 years .:o
It outgrew the little pot so I repotted it in .... garden dirt .. it grew and bloomed 2 of the prettiest blooms .
I did get an old book from the library , read the thing and did not understand one word :) Gin

NOID Pha
 

My first orchid was Paph. Rosy Dawn and a noid white Phal. I received them as a birthday gift from my father back in 1970. Both plants were dead within 6 months but by then I was hooked. I have been growing (and sometimes killing) orchids ever since.

~ V

My first was a phal, given to me by my Mother who just knew I would love orchids---she was right---her sister lives in Houston, TX and raises orchids and plumerias. This aunt gave me a plumeria in 1999 and I finally got it to bloom this summer! They are wonderful tropical plants as well, just not as interesting as orchids. I still have that first phal....but it hasn't bloomed in a long time. If the grow lights I recently got don't coax a bloom, I give up!

My first orchid was a NOID phal ( I think it's still alive :biggrin: ). Afterward I gained a momentum with them, I started experimenting with other orchid genus.

This is my first orchid, noid phal. It was in bloom three times and now it's resting.

I bought it in the supermarket. I was waiting in the cash line and there were lots of big, beautiful flowers tempting customers. I didn't know what plants they were, but I bought one of them anyway:biggrin:

Next day I went to library to seek some books about orchids and that's all I need to get the virus:dumb: :drool:

Now I choose miniatures instead of these big ones.

My first orchids was a no I'd phal, a white one, from a local nursey that my parents got me. I'll post picture when it spikes again :)

another no ID phal fan
 

Yup, another orchid addict introduced by a simple gift of a phal. It seems to be in flower or spike all year round, but I hav'nt been able to coax it into producing a keiki yet. Poor plant lived for years on my parents coffee table in near complete darkness and skipped a few years of flowering. Quite the survivor, it's labeled as Crystal Fiel, but i can't find a thing on the cultivar, so it's just another white phalaenopsis from TJ's!

I still have my first orchid even though many have come and gone since. It’s a Cattleya hybrid Lc Netrasiri Beauty x Blc Varut Roonkamol. I planted it in sphag when I first got it and rotted its roots off. It recovered after being replanted in a wooden basket full of fir bark. Then it was largely neglected for two years during a period of fascination with other genera, many examples of which died slow, agonizing deaths while in my care.

I eventually learned that I can successfully grow nothing but Catts and Phals, so I have been striving to become especially good at that. Meanwhile, my interests have narrowed down almost entirely to species Catts and Phals.

With more light and better care, my first orchid began to really take off. It’s a big, fine-looking plant now and it’s currently in sheath. I think mine is a seedling rather than a clone, so I can only hope the flower will look something like the beautiful picture I saw in the listing when I bought it. About a year ago on another forum, I saw a picture of a blooming Netrasiri Beauty x Varut Roonkamol seedling, and that flower was butt ugly.

If my hybrid produces a flower like that genetically inferior little knot, I’ll be disappointed also, but I’ll keep the plant and care for it just the same. It’s like an old friend by now.

My first orchid, like probably many others, was phalaenopsis. It is still growing in my house, and it's gotten two buds right on its first spike. I don't know the color of flowers, but I guess it's purple.

Mine was a Sharry Baby given as a get well gift. I had no idea about plant burn and almost lost the plant. I recovered it, but it never bloomed. I then gave it to a friend when I moved to Kauai, who later told me it had a tiny spike with a few blooms on it right after I left. When I moved back she gave it back in worse condition than the burn situation. Now he's finnally healthy and I'm hoping for a spike this year. Any suggestions on promoting this?
Erin

My first orchid was a sickly Noid Phal that somebody gave to my Mom...she gave it to me as she knew i liked orchids. It bloomed a year or so later and was a huge beautiful white. Shortly after i gave it away to a new member in our society...it was their first orchid as well.

Great question Wendy! It's neat to see where we've all come from and where we are now in this great appreciation of Orchids

My first orchid was a Vanda Pat's Delight. It got it because of the flower that it has and also, my wifes name is Patricia....she loved it when we saw it at one of the orchid shows we went to.

Mine was Cym Don Quixote which I managed to kill........no pictures of it unfortunately.