Favorite vendors

[Davey]

Yes. I am looking forward to going a little farther south one day. I know I am going to see Smiley in Clermont again. I'm also interested in that Louisiana place that people keep talking about.

[katsucats]

From my list: Ecuagenera, SVO, Tropical Orchid Farm, Oscar Allen, Dynasty (if you could get Clint to respond), and SLO Orchids.

These are on the top in terms of healthy orchids and also value. There are some vendors with generally healthy plants, like Andy's and Marlow's for example, but are dollar for dollar smaller plants than the list above, in my experience.

[katsucats]

Originally Posted by Davey

I'm also interested in that Louisiana place that people keep talking about.

I don't want to be "that guy", but oh well, negativity to one person is money saved for another. I've bought several plants from LaOC. Each time they're extremely small. Every time I felt ripped off. Except when I bought a flask of Clo. glaucoglossa for 60+, which was a good deal, and the next day he raised the prices of all his flasks to 80.

But he does sell rare species you'd have to be looking pretty hard to find anywhere else, so I feel like he's capitalizing on that allure to sell plants barely out of the flask.

To put money where my mouth is, Tropical Orchid Farm and H&R also sell plants in the 10-20 range, but more established. Hausermann also has orchids for cheap, but sometimes they're just as small, other times larger.

So I would only buy from LaOC if I'm a collector and know exactly what I want. If I'm just browsing, almost certainly there will be other vendors that sell similar plants at a much better value. For example Clo. rosea is the more common, almost more desirable cousin of glaucoglossa, that you could find in a number of places (e.g. SVO). Or Phal. Little One is probably more vigorous and easier to grow than one of its parents, Phal. hygrochila. It's also more common.

[Davey]

Thank you so much katsucats and everyone. I still haven’t added anything to my collection yet, but I’ve been looking at all of the vendors y’all mentioned. I’m interested in that Phal. Little One. Also been looking into equestris.

I’m interested in the smaller plants because they’re easier to bring inside during the winter, and I love to have little flowers on my windowsills. However, I’m still trying to make a place for them “vacation” outdoors during the summer months. . Hurricane Michael took all the trees (about 15 of them) that provided shade and I’m trying to fix a place to grow my lower-light plants under our clumping bamboo now.

[Roberta]

A note about Phal. (Vandopirea) Little One - it got lumped into Phalaenopsis but it is more Vandaceous. And it's quite cold-tolerant. (I grow it outside, winter night temps routinely in the low 40's F, sometimes down into the mid 30's F). You can't do that to a "true" (traditonal) Phalaenopsis like Phal. equestris. So if you have to make a choice, take your growing areas and needs into account. (I love 'em both, but P. equestris has to live in the greenhouse or indoors)

[Keysguy]

To Roberta's point regarding Vandopirea Little One. It is amazingly temp tolerant.
I have one that I bought from Jim Marlow several years ago. I grew it as a Phal (that's what it was considered then) in my greenhouse in New Hampshire originally and it did "ok". But when I moved it to my outdoor grow space in the Florida Keys and started growing it as a vanda, it really took off. It's a neat little plant. Interesting flowers, nice fragrance. I guess the only negative I have is the flowers never seem to last more than a couple weeks for me.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

To Roberta's point regarding Vandopirea Little One. It is amazingly temp tolerant.
I have one that I bought from Jim Marlow several years ago. I grew it as a Phal (that's what it was considered then) in my greenhouse in New Hampshire originally and it did "ok". But when I moved it to my outdoor grow space in the Florida Keys and started growing it as a vanda, it really took off. It's a neat little plant. Interesting flowers, nice fragrance. I guess the only negative I have is the flowers never seem to last more than a couple weeks for me.

My flowers usually last for 3-4 weeks. It is blooming now, though I lost most of the buds to a nasty thrip attack . So this time, who knows...

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Originally Posted by Roberta

A note about Phal. (Vandopirea) Little One - it got lumped into Phalaenopsis but it is more Vandaceous. And it's quite cold-tolerant. (I grow it outside, winter night temps routinely in the low 40's F, sometimes down into the mid 30's F). You can't do that to a "true" (traditonal) Phalaenopsis like Phal. equestris. So if you have to make a choice, take your growing areas and needs into account. (I love 'em both, but P. equestris has to live in the greenhouse or indoors)

Hijack alert!
Roberta, considering adequate water and shade, how warm do you think typical noid phal can tolerate? Mine are kept indoors with temps between 65 and 70ish. If they can tolerate 90s I may find a shady spot for them outside.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Dusty Ol' Man

Hijack alert!
Roberta, considering adequate water and shade, how warm do you think typical noid phal can tolerate? Mine are kept indoors with temps between 65 and 70ish. If they can tolerate 90s I may find a shady spot for them outside.

With shade and adequate water the Phals will be OK. I just heard a talk by a commercial grower, he said that he keeps the Phals at 83 deg F day and night during the growth phase, drops the temperature to 66 deg F day and night for a couple of weeks to start spiking, then lets them warm up to days around 75 deg. F with nights still at 66 deg F. while the spikes develop. So... your Phal will probably grow very nicely in the heat. Then if you brought it into the air-conditioned house in a few months, that might kick off the bloom cycle. (Not as severe as what the commercial grower does, but likely will have the same effect)