The future of orchid growing

[CTB]

I think many, many orchid collections have started with a big box store phalaenopsis, or with a gift from a friend.... You get interested and you learn with them. (Now you would have to really twist my arm to get me to buy an orchid from a box store) but the price is right.

When they die many times you have been infected with the bug then you venture into the world of orchid collecting. I think just like everything else orchid collecting will go the way of the imports. It's getting harder and harder to find any local growers. So many e-bay sellers aren't growers they are importers. Orchids take years to grow and many growers? aren't willing to wait and are selling plants way too small.

I joined an orchid society to be with people who have the same interest, and societies have many great speakers who sell great plants. Why pay that shipping fee. Many speakers are very well known and you can preorder and they will bring your orchids with them shipping fee free. The judging and showing your orchids is a payback for all your hard work. Orchid collecting used to be high society but now with the imports and their low prices most people can afford an orchid or two.

Gardening has always been a great hobby since Adam and Eve.

[Ray]

I've been growing for over 40 years, vending for about half that, and have seen a great deal of change in the marketplace.

I think there is plenty of room for the mass-marketed orchids (maybe not the dyed ones) annd for the "specialty" ones most of us prefer to grow.

I tend to focus my growing on the stuff that interests me, and use the $10 phalaenopsis as "color" around the house.

[RosieC]

I'm one of those people that wouldn't have started in the hobby without the mass market phals available so easily. Then seeing all the variety of orchids here on OB (having come here for help) I got hooked on the more interesting types.

But then local sources of the more interesting types are not around and I think just like I find it hard to buy locally, small nurseries who try and only sell locally are going to really struggle because their market is not in the sorts of orchids lots of people want (and which everyone can get in the supermarket) It's in the sorts of orchids that hobbyists want and those people are spread more across the country. But those hobbyists who want the more diverse orchid types are often encouraged into the hobby after picking up a cheap one... so would there be less hobbyists if it wasn't for mass market orchids to get them started... I don't know but I wonder maybe if that's the case.

Personally I probably buy most of my orchids these days from shows, where I can hand pick the plants, or by visiting a nursery as a diversion on a long distance journey. The thing I find interesting is that at these shows the sort of showy mass market phals are what draws people in with the pretty colours... then hopefully they might look at the more interesting stuff as well, but not all will.

[HighSeas]

I think the point has been made that failure to change with the times has hurt many growers. I think the adequate use of e-commerce plays a huge role in profits.

It requires resources to engage in this kind of business...and of course employee's.

More employee's equals higher costs. Thanks to ObamaCare.

I think it's become more and more difficult to operate a business in this country and the small operations can no longer make it as a result.

[gnathaniel]

Originally Posted by HighSeas

More employee's equals higher costs. Thanks to ObamaCare.

I think it's become more and more difficult to operate a business in this country and the small operations can no longer make it as a result.

No disrespect intended (quite the opposite!) but could we please keep political assertions out of this discussion? Obamacare is a very complex piece of legislation and placing the blame for small-business woes on it isn't really useful or entirely accurate, particularly in this context. Thanks!

Anyway, I do think a lot of older orchid nurseries have struggled to keep up with changing times, but on the other hand I frequently feel overwhelmed with the number of nurseries I can mail-order from. I also know that I have far greater access to a much more diverse range of species and hybrids than my father (also an orchid grower) did when he was my age. I feel like the internet has made the horticulture world both 'bigger' and 'smaller' in various ways (if that makes any sense), which is necessitating a lot of sometimes painful shake-up in various nurseries' business models.

[nikkik]

Originally Posted by gnathaniel

Anyway, I do think a lot of older orchid nurseries have struggled to keep up with changing times, but on the other hand I frequently feel overwhelmed with the number of nurseries I can mail-order from. I also know that I have far greater access to a much more diverse range of species and hybrids than my father (also an orchid grower) did when he was my age. I feel like the internet has made the horticulture world both 'bigger' and 'smaller' in various ways (if that makes any sense), which is necessitating a lot of sometimes painful shake-up in various nurseries' business models.

Well stated gnathaniel! I completely understood and agree with your 'bigger' and 'smaller' statement!

I think the issue is we have become a "NOW society". We can get so many things with the click of a mouse, our dinners through a window and our movies from streaming or a box at the local store. When it takes time to locate something we want, we become frustrated by all of the energy and time it took to find it, myself included!!

I have already noticed some growers that have adjusted to this type of market. I know of a particular grower/seller who sells on eBay, in a brick and mortar store and an online store. Their stock of plants is in constant rotation, if you see something one day, it most likely won't be there in a week. Love or hate this vendor, they've nailed what today's current market requires for success. And I've spoken to several vendors over the phone recently and they have told me they plan on having websites that are more user friendly in the near future. My fingers are crossed (while my husband probably prays against this happening for the sake of our bank account)!

I think that we are at the place where some orchid growers will prosper from the changing business model, some will not and new sellers/growers will emerge. Only time will tell, but I definitely enjoy reading what others think in regards to this subject!

[jeremyinsf]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on my topic. It's been wonderful to read all of them. I do agree on many points, and have some perspective on others:

- I have a noid vinicolor Paph that makes a great, very large flower. It's been through thick and thin, and somehow, I didn't kill it early on. I got it at Trader Joes several years ago. It's in bud right this moment! On my (now existing) spreadsheet of orchids, it's #1. So, I too got my start there, and agree with many that it's how lots of people start. They have their place, I have no doubt.

- I agree with Ray about using the $10 Phal to 'color the house'. I buy them and enjoy them while they are there, but I don't invest much in them beyond that. I have a few I've kept around. I don't feel guilty about them not being a prize plant. But they have their place, even for a person who's into Paph's and stuff like me.

- I have bought at shows before and I think it's where I will find nice stuff in the future. As other places close, it will be a good place for me to get my hands on plants I can actually look at before I buy them. I do find them to be the most expensive though, for whatever reason.

- I've bought plants blindly on the Internet before. I don't actually enjoy doing that. I like to see what I'm getting. Especially when it's a lot of money. Have had the experience go both ways though. I have a couple plants I love that I couldn't find elsewhere, that came out nice, and were a good price. I've also come to understand that many vendors consider just about every plant "blooming size" and I think it's total s**t. I have some single growth, 6" leaf span in 2" pot plants that are blooming right now. So, they are "blooming size" because they are "Blooming". I don't want to pay a ton of money for such a plant, when I'm expecting for what I'm paying, I'm going to get a mature plant. I also know what a killer expectations can be, in general.

- Some of the best plants I have, I didn't search for. I was in a place, and from afar, a light was shining down from the heavens on it, telling me it was there just for me to take home (OK, I'm having a bit of fun here...) and that it was meant to be. The plant in my avatar picture was one of them. It's over 25 years old and is surely a specimen. I could never, ever buy that plant online... but that's in part just based on how I do things.

- I'm one of "those tech people" so I have my own perspective on opening an e-commerce store, moving things to the web, etc etc. It's what I do for a living. That whole process is much more complicated than it sounds. You can't just get a web page, and a paypal & UPS account, and poof, you are an online retailer. I understand how 'old school' people just don't want to go through the work, especially when they might be burnt out, to make this transition. Many will though, and that's probably good for all of us in some aspects.

- Awards, societies, and all that jazz mean very, very little to me. With a couple exceptions, I buy a plant because it's healthy, and I love how it looks and makes me feel. I collect orchids - not ribbons. I don't know if this will ever change, but, we will see. I have a dog I got from the pound, and she's the best animal I've ever had. I didn't need a dog with papers and certificates and bloodlines etc etc. In fact, I don't want that, at all. So this might just be part of my personality. Meeting with groups of people that are interested in the same things as me is great though, and fosters knowledge and even plant growth.

- I love my collection. I've been able to find some great stuff this last year and am happy I could while some of these places are still around. Hopefully I can make them thrive for years to come.

I really appreciate we have this forum to discuss these kind of topics, to help each other, have some fun, and learn. I am grateful to everyone who's contributed to this discussion.

[james mickelso]

Again, I see small businesses booming in this country. Yes there are woes for them but their is so much demand for so many new and exciting products. It's the business model which dictates whether a SB makes it or folds. As for orchid growers/nurseries they are far more numerous now than when I first started looking for more than what I found on the side of the road. Orchid shows are a big player in motivating those already bitten by the bug into diversifying. But big box stores are the main contributor to expanding the markets for orchids. They are usually the first time people come into contact with an orchid. That and Mothers Day here in the US. Just read these threads and what do you see? "Please help me with my orchid which (I/daughter/husband/sister/friend) bought for me (at HD/Trader Joes/Lowes). And because of the increasing interest in the usual types of orchids offered for sale the growers/nurseries can also stock and offer a diverse selection of the unusual.

[brn_thmbs]

awesome discussion
old and new alike partaking, times they are a changin'!
can't wait to see what the new crop of enthusiasts/hobbyists/nut-jobs (that's me!) will take from all the experiences, tips n tricks, lessons learned & passed on wisdom, etc. into the next era (let's call it 'digital').
exciting stuff!
right or wrong we consumers, as well as producers/vendors/etc, will do things differently.
some things will work, others won't. I'm looking forward to seeing where it all leads in the time I have to share
thx again for the convo

[HighSeas]

Originally Posted by gnathaniel

No disrespect intended (quite the opposite!) but could we please keep political assertions out of this discussion? Obamacare is a very complex piece of legislation and placing the blame for small-business woes on it isn't really useful or entirely accurate, particularly in this context. Thanks!

No disrespect taken gnathaniel, however, this isn't a political "assertion". It was short and sweet statement based on FACTS that businesses are having to face in these times. Do some research. If you think it has no impact on business, you haven't done enough.

I agree that this isn't a political discussion nor did I make it a political discussion. I simply stated that ObamaCare WILL have an impact. That IS entirely accurate and I will state it in this context as it does apply. Certainly you do not have to agree. Thanks!