Changes in collecting habits
 

For awhile, I have pondered how my collecting habits have changed over the years. When I started about 4 years ago, I basically grabbed any orchid that was cheap. These were mainly No-Id phals, and sick plants. Obviously, a lot of these plants died on me, as I did not have the knack yet.

I then began to be more careful, and also to experiment with various types of orchids. I worked on my first terrariums, tried to raise my first minis, and ordered my first plants on line. Also, I started to collect books on orchids, and did a lot of on-line reading.

My next stage seemed to be in building up my "special interest" orchids. Paphs, Phrags, Cattleyas, and Bulbophylums, as well as continuing to care for the orchids I had already.

I am now at a stage where quality is more important than quantity. I will be doing my first down-sizing, and also buying orchids that are nearly "specimen" size, and which cost more (often due to age/size).

I wonder if those who read this can relate their own "stages" in orchid collecting.

A very interesting topic!

I suspect that many, if not most, of us begin in the hobby grasping at anything that says "orchid" on the label. I know that when I started my goal was to collect and grow the pretty flowers! As with others, then, I bought what looked pretty. And had all sorts of trouble.

Eventually I realized that different orchids need different conditions. Thus, I evaluated my conditions to determine what sorts of orchids I could most successfully grow. Phalaenopsis fit into this category, and before long I became a full-fledged Phal Phreak. Almost 40 years later my passion for the genus is still strong.

Of course, I couldn't just settle on Phals. I added the occasional other genus, especially Neofinetia and Zygostates. Over the last year or so, the latter two genii have peaked my interest in various forms of tiny plants, and so I've been collecting more miniatures - which, of course, has included miniatures Phals.

I would argue that the process you describe is similar to collecting anything. I am being more picky in my collecting due to how I care for the orchids and what works best. I killed a lot of phals this winter and I have very poor luck with Neos and Miltonias. I, like you, also having less patience for the cheaper, not blooming size plants.

Going through a similar culling down period with my wrist watches. Have about 30 of them that I would like to get down to about a dozen. Most are cheaper models that I liked the face. After wearing all of them for a time, I plan on getting rid of the ones I don't wear as often and those that are not comfortable on the wrist.

Interesting indeed! I am not nearly as seasoned as most of the members here and I've appreciated all the helpful information I've received.

I began growing orchids 3 1/2 years ago with a Miltoniopsis as a gift from my husband. I took that as a challenge, I had grown many other house plants, never an orchid! I did a lot of online reading and searching for information, and was surprised at how well my orchid was doing. Sooo, I had to have more. I added an Oncidium noid as I loved the yellow dancing ladies, next I added a Phal surf song with big beautiful flowers. I also picked up a few mini Phal noids from Lowes and I believe that is when the mini orchids fascination kicked in for me.

The inter webs are amazing and I soon discovered Andy's Orchids. Holy Crap, I was in awe! Most of my collection is miniature, in terrariums and countertop greenhouses, in windowsills in our kitchen and shelving in our dining room. Always something in bloom it seems and always exciting. I discovered many other wonderful vendors and of course, Al's Orchids just a short drive away. One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday afternoon.

My latest change in collecting has been Neofinetia and I love them. I've only collected a few in the last 5 months, they are not as easily obtainable. The history behind these plants fascinates me as do the many forms and beautiful flowers. I do wish there was more information available for Neofinetia.

Maybe my Neofinetia collecting will be what slows my buying down a bit. I am anxious to watch my plants as they enter this growing season.

I have always collected plants. Most of my indoor plant collection is made up of plants that have usable leaves, flowers or produce fruit. The orchids are quite an exception to this rule (unless we consider that the guinea pigs do enjoy eating the flowers when they are just beginning to wilt).

In the case of orchids, I started by buying what suited my own tastes. After joining here and an Orchid Society, I was influenced by what others considered to be worth collecting. I soon found I did not really enjoy the orchids as much. I even thought about quitting the hobby. It took me a while to realize that my tastes in flowers do not really agree with the popular standards held by the orchid world. After much thought, I decided to collect orchids I like without care of how anyone else will regard the plants. I am not saying that I buy the orchids because the flowers are 'pretty' as that would eliminate my Lepanthes gargoyla and the Bublophyllum from the collection but I am buying the orchids because I love them, just as I do with my other plants.

I must say that, after doing this for the past year, I am really enjoying my collection much more. Sure, these orchids will produce flowers that will incur little enthusiasm by others but I certainly find myself excited about them. :)

just four years! lol

I started with phals maybe 10 years ago. When I tried to Branch out my choices didn't work out so well. A couple of years ago I found a denphal and then some bag babies followed me home. Success! I visited a supplier who gave me a reed stem epi and then I connected with a small local grower. I joined the OB to figure out the ID of a start I bought and now I am hooked but not as bad as could be.lol I try hard to grow what suits my conditions.

I responded to this earlier and apparently just closed the tab without submitting it. :duh:

Gist was, I went crazy a year ago and bought everything that was cheap and now have a bunch of plants I don't really want but have some weird feeling of attachment too but am getting really close to giving them away or selling them.

I now hardly ever look twice at a plant that grows more than 7'' tall, and prefer Pleurothallids and Laelias. I do get the occasional 'other' so as to be a well-rounded orchid collector.

I will note that my "specialization" is not causing me to spend any less money.

I started when an online friend explained that phals were simple, as long as you potted them in coarse bark and followed a few basic rules.
I was hooked, got into phals, and then thought I would try my luck with a couple of Cattleyas.
I immediately realised that I would need a greenhouse to get them thru the winter, so I built as large a greenhouse as I could get away with/afford.
I found that the local garden centres had a few den phals, den nobiles and two or three paphs, and since all those grew, I started stretching my wings a bit. then I discovered the joy of mounts, and picked up what dendrobiums I could and a few miniatures to boot.
The greenhouse is getting pretty full, but I have discovered 'Close Orchid Packing.'
Those who know a little of atomic structures will know all about face centred cue packing and HCP (Hexagonal Close Packing.) which allows for the greatest number of spheres in a box (think packing oranges)
The introduction of intestitial compounds allows ever denser packing, and this can be applied to orchids, where the large mounts are hung on extension hooks to cover the back wall, while smaller orchids are hung between the big mounts.

I has enabled my collection to expand.

My OH cried when she hear this. I had no idea that she would be so happy for me!

I am still in the buying-anything-cheap phase. Although I am slowly changing this. Becoming more interesting in miniatures and if I could in Japanese orchids.

Unfortunately here in Switzerland I need Cites for "everything" outside, so not so easy or cheap to buy from internet providers.

Yes Fernando, only 4 years! Can you believe it! You can get a degree in 4 years, so why not massive knowledge (or adequate knowledge) in something you absolutely love.

This is so me right now! I started about 2 years ago in my own apartment windowsill. It started with a few Catts and Dens and anything else I could find for a decent price. After I killed a few MANY, I finally got the hang of it. This little challenge from college has turned into a full fledged hobby so much so that I built a greenhouse that I've been using for the past year. I have since moved on from Catts and into the territory of Dendrobium species and Phal species (that speciosa got me hooked) and now venturing into angraecoid territory though my track record with them is not the best. And now I'm even considering some Onc. types after talking with an old professor from my school...

Save me...

...and my wallet.

Someone talk some :twocents::twocents: into me.

My experience has been similar. It all started with a phal given to my wife as a birthday present by her sister. Then I bought every Lowes bag baby I could find. Eventually I fell in love with Latouria Dendrobiums and they now dominate my collection, along with some vandaceous minis and phal species. Posts on OB got me hooked on carnivorous plants, and now I am getting into bonsai.

I've always loved growing houseplants and spent many hours with my grandmother when I was young as she taught me everything she new about taking care of plants. That woman could grow anything! She died forty years ago, but I still have three of her plants from her collection that I have propagated over the years. When my dad comes over and sees the orchids blooming, he gets a little teary eyed and remarks how proud his mother would be if she saw them. I think about her almost every day as I water my houseplants and orchids.

Joseia, how sweet!

Most people wind up being happy with things they can grow well, and stop beating themselves up by trying to grow things that just don't like their conditions.

I also limit my collection by trying to get mostly fragrant plants. And some kinds of plants that really wow most people don't do much for me, like big-flowered, round, overlapping petal, non-fragrant Vandas. Give me unusual, fragrant Vanda hybrids, involving just a few species, that don't include sanderiana.

I personally like to buy young plants, unbloomed seedlings or mericlones, and watch them grow. I'll buy a mature plant of something I want if I can't find seedlings after searching for a year or so. A member of our society harangues me that I should only buy large plants of awarded clones so I get good flowers faster. I try to explain my main enjoyment is watching plants develop; he doesn't understand at all.

Totally agree with you about seedlings vs mature. The satisfaction of growing a plant to maturity and being rewarded with flowers is a great feeling.

That is an interesting point. I am not interested in seedlings much. I like to buy the "specimen" size plant. I do have a few seedlings, but I suppose I am into having a "backbone" to the collection. Of course, I do have the odd 5 year old full sized cattleya that is 2 feet wide and yet has not bloomed yet. I am pretty sure I have to move to Georgia to have consistent blooming.

Interesting topic! I've enjoyed reading the responses from those with decades of experience, as well as those who have only been addicted for a few years.

I got my first orchid about two years ago, so I may be the "youngest" one in this thread so far. With the exception of one plant I got off my society's raffle table, everything I have I acquired in bloom, so I can enjoy the flowers and know that the plant is at least capable of blooming. Now the trick is getting them to rebloom under my care. It's only happened once so far, with my first one, a NoID phal, and that plant looks to be developing another spike right now. Fingers crossed!

For me, I try very hard to select plants that are likely to thrive in the small growing area I have in my home and shy away from others which are very nice but require much higher light and/or humidity than I can provide.

Another important factor to me is that the foliage be on the attractive (to me) side, even when the plant is not in bloom, as that is probably what I'm going to be seeing most of the time.

I'm sure things will evolve, and in another two years, there may be many different plants in my collection. We shall see......

Mountaineer370, it's also been two years since I got my first orchid. I was intrigued by the bizarre flowers of Den spectabile I saw as a Lowe's bagged orchid. Initially, I tended to buy 'exotic' ones like psychopsis and latourias. Since then, I've diversified to more 'traditional' types like phals and catts. I guess that's in contrast to many who start with a phal.

It's been a weekend tradition for me to go out hiking or biking somewhere new, stop by a random Lowe's near there, buy one orchid. This way I found a variety of orchids around my home (...plus or minus 3 hour drive, haha). And I somehow find myself surrounded by 40 orchids.

This might sound odd, but I enjoy watching things grow more than the flowers themselves. I tend to buy seedlings or dying plants on sale and find pleasure in reviving it. The flower is like a 'thanks' of that care.

I think it just goes along my graduate studies in fermentation science. I study how microorganisms grow and produce antibiotics. It's slow and tedious - only for the true enthusiast of culturing things!

And that brings me to the end of my orchid collecting. I'm about to graduate and who knows where I'll move. I'm planning to sell / give my plants and start anew. I guess I'll start my new collection as I did my first: with a Den. spectabile that will never, ever bloom.

I started off with phals I had been given, had to give them all away when I moved and started rebuilding my collection with 'rescues', either £2-£3 bargain bin plants from the supermarket, or ones that friends were throwing out. TBH, this is still my favourite type of orchid as I love the challenge of trying to save the plant and also it is a lot less stressful - if I buy a perfect, in-full-bloom plant, I feel a lot more responsibility to keep it that way!

Last year, I bought my first den phal and then acquired a rescue den phal and a rescue odontoglossum. I would like to get some named varieties this year. I do still love all my originals though - if I ever have a rescue that I don't like once it has recovered and is in bloom, I give it away. Most people are delighted to have an orchid, so it gets a good home and I get some more space for a new orchid!

Fun thread! I've had orchids for almost three years and like everyone else started with phal hybrids. Then I exhausted the offerings of phals, cattleyas, oncidiums, and dendrobiums at Trader Joe's and graduated to eBay purchases, then purchases direct from nurseries and other reputable places (Carter and Holmes, Seattle Orchids, The Orchid Gallery, Olympic Orchids, Sunset Valley Orchids, etc.). For a long time nothing bloomed for me and it was very discouraging because I'm extremely impatient. I even threw a few away (wouldn't do that now). Then things started happening after about a year or so, and this winter more than a third of my collection bloomed (out of almost 100 plants)!

My conditions haven't always been super optimal and last summer I found I was unexpectedly pregnant. I was physically exhausted and neglected my orchids and basically had an orchid apocalypse during which almost all of my oncidiums dried and withered away in the heat. The ones that survived - mainly dendrobiums, phals, and cattleyas, along with a very select few oncidiums - constituted the base for my new collection, which is mainly comprised of various dens, catasetums, catts, and phals (for phals, I've been focusing on species, which I adore). Recently I've been brave enough to buy a few oncidiums to replace some of the ones I lost and miss, since I'm in a new place that actually has air conditioning (woo!).

So now I'm caring for a newborn (not alone - with the help of my partner), a dog, and almost 100 orchids, while trying to finish a PhD. At times I've wanted to scale down the orchid collection, but when I try to figure out what to get rid of I can't pick even one plant! Even the cheapo phal hybrids from Trader Joe's have value to me because they were among my first orchids and I've put a lot of effort and time into them over the years. They're like pets, and this year they all bloomed, so it would be even harder to get rid of them. And unfortunately I can't stop myself from occasionally acquiring more (my partner doesn't help in this regard - he is a huge enabler). It's hard to keep up, but I absolutely love watching the orchids grow and change.

Sweet post.

There's always room for one more orchid...:rofl: