Tips on buying orchids

[priz_m]

Originally Posted by cb977

LOL...funny you should ask!

Our friend Laura gives her chids a stern lecture when they're not cooperating, wagging finger and all!

"You will either grow and/or bloom or you're going to be in trouble!!!"



It must work because her chids are always blooming like mad!

I cannot believe this, ok then though love for mine then....

[let_it_grow]

Some orchids will grow larger and larger leaves when they are happy. The oldest leaves should be the smallest ones. If a Phal starts to grow smaller leaves then its not happy. Its not uncommon for flower shops that sell all kinds of plants to neglect the needs of the plants cause they know they will likely be sold before the plants begin to show the negative effects. For this reason i also look to the conditions of the store, the lighting, the placement of the plant, touch the dirt, the leaves of the plant, peek in the back to see if they have a pile of dead plants.

[cb977]

Originally Posted by littlefrog

A long time ago now (10+ years, at least) I wrote a little article about selecting plants for my website. Part of my 'Orchid FAQ' which probably nobody reads... It is still valid. Littlefrog Farm Orchid FAQ

The real key to selecting orchids is to be observant. And to pick what you like - don't let somebody tell you what you like. Don't worry about what judges think.

Rob

Thanks for the great article, Rob!

It is sure to help some of us along the way...and I love the story of how "Littlefrog" came to be

[cb977]

Originally Posted by priz_m

I cannot believe this, ok then though love for mine then....

It works!

For the past few months, I was inspecting my B cordata for signs of spikes/growth/anything! Each time Laura came by, we'd both give it a once-over and would find nothing

Then, Laura came over one day and I left her alone in the orchid room. About a week later, I spotted the first of two spikes on the B cordata! When I told her about it, she told me she had given Miss Cordata a talking-to and voila! magic!

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by cb977

It works!

For the past few months, I was inspecting my B cordata for signs of spikes/growth/anything! Each time Laura came by, we'd both give it a once-over and would find nothing

Then, Laura came over one day and I left her alone in the orchid room. About a week later, I spotted the first of two spikes on the B cordata! When I told her about it, she told me she had given Miss Cordata a talking-to and voila! magic!

can she come to cal and lecture some of my plants???

[lostonthebeach]

Originally Posted by cb977

It works!

For the past few months, I was inspecting my B cordata for signs of spikes/growth/anything! Each time Laura came by, we'd both give it a once-over and would find nothing

Then, Laura came over one day and I left her alone in the orchid room. About a week later, I spotted the first of two spikes on the B cordata! When I told her about it, she told me she had given Miss Cordata a talking-to and voila! magic!

She needs to produce an instructional and/or motivational tape for the rest of us.

[priz_m]

Originally Posted by lostonthebeach

She needs to produce an instructional and/or motivational tape for the rest of us.

Or I can say "Don't make me bring Laura in here young lady!!!"

They'll know what I'm taking about

[Stefan]

hey everyone,
this is just an add on. someone once told me away to tell if an orchid has just been reppoted, especially cyms.
what you do it grap on to the backbulb and move it a little, you could do the same with others i guess, but dont yank at the plant till it breaks, lol, and if the plant moves alot it has been reppoted recently, if it is fairly firm, not moving much, it is well bound.
hope this helps a little.

stefan

[LauraN]

Well, I see that my Friend Sue has tipped my hand and given away one of my little secrets to getting orchids to bloom!
I do sometimes give my plants a stern talking to! and it does seem to work in most instances, but I try not to over use this procedure, as I am afraid of a massive Orchid Room revolt!
Sometimes I don't even open my mouth, I just give them the evil eye, or use telepathy to get my message across...
In fact, I am sure that most of my plants think that I'm crazy and the only reason that they cooperate, is they are afraid that I'll leave and never come back to care for them.
Seriously though, I do tell my plants all kinds of things.
Like when we got our first cold snap in October (which is rare for Florida) and I wasn't yet prepared with the winterization. I gave them all a little talk "I've done the most that I can do tonight...You'll all have to hold on, it's gonna get cold, but you are tough and I know that you can handle it!" Sure enough they all did just fine, even with the chilly wind blowing through the not yet closed up West wall.
I also try and let them talk to each other and that seems to work well also. If I have a Vanda that isn't blooming I will hang it next to one that does and tell them to discuss things amongst themselves and see what happens. Sometimes though I think the over-bloomers might intimidate the youngsters, so I don't move them so close that they get frightened.
I also have a habit of putting my plants in time out! If they are not growing or blooming to my liking they get put in the corner until they decide to cooperate, sometimes to great success and sometimes to death. But, at least I didn't have to watch them die as I try and only pay attention to that corner about once a week...

About this time, you are thinking to yourself...Yep, she's crazy! and you are most certainly right as my family tells me on a daily basis when they see all the orchids that I've acquired since the last time that they looked...

[LauraN]

Sorry to have hijacked this thread with my nonsense... Now, Back to the tips on buying orchids...
Try and buy the healthiest plant, even if it is not blooming at the time. (although when I first started buying, everthing that I bought had to be in bloom, as my theory was that I might kill it before it bloomed the next time around and I wanted to be sure that I was able to enjoy the flowers)
There has already been some great advice on the thread!
The first thing that I do now is search through the entire plant looking for bugs and scale. If they pass that test them I look for the plant with the healthiest leaves (not necessarily the greenest, as dark green sometimes means that they aren't getting enough light). Then I look for the most leads. I am also a root fanatic, so they must have good roots to start with!
I try not to buy things that are recently potted or mounted, although sometimes this can't be avoided.
If you buy from a grower, ask them about the history of the plant, and if you are unsure of your skills at picking one out, ask them which they think is the best looking one.
I always try to buy the best plant within my price range! I am a stickler for not buying young immature plants. I know that others have good luck with them, but I usually don't take the chance and prefer instead to get one that has been growing successfully. (just my opinion)
When in Bloom, I look for flower quality first (richness of color), then number of buds or flowers per spike, and then number of spikes per plant. I'd rather have one awesome blossom, then a bunch of smaller, paler ones.
As you start buying orchids, you'll discover which ones do well for you and which ones don't... Don't stress out about the ones that you don't succeed with. No one is good at growing all of them.
Know what your growing conditions are and at least in the beginning try and stick with those that grow in that condition.( something that I've never done!)