what got you hooked
 

Hello.
Well im new here and have loved chatting to you all and getting helpfull advice and suggestions so thank you. But what i wondered was what was it that originally got you hooked and is it just orchids you all keep. For me i got a phal after debating as everyone said dont it wont last......but i did and that was months back and its still in bloom!! I now have 5 phals a mini phal an oncidium and a dendrobium nobile along with more houseplants. I would love more orchid species

My son gave me an orchid for a mother's day. In doing research about orchids, I found out what interesting plants they were. I loved the fact that they didn't grow in dirt and some of them had flowers with faces. The more I read, the more I found things to like. Then I decided to retire. I thought I should have a hobby that would keep my mind active with learning new things. So what started with one is now 53. My husband counted them the other day, later I heard him outside singing a little song about 53 orchids. Something about how 53 turns into to 100 then comes the greenhouse!

Haha love it great story!!! I love how different they are too

I started with carnivorous plants when I was little, but I don't quite remember the first time I saw an orchid. I know I got my first one from the grocery store, it was a pink Phal, and it just captivated me, but I killed it. It wasn't until years later that web sites like this one gave me the courage to try again--and this time around, thanks to all the helpful advice, I've been pretty successful :)

Here's the plant that flipped a switch inside me, causing me to go orchid crazy: Bulbophyllum medusae!

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...ac49c04baf.jpg

what got you hooked
 

Your medusae is one that has me going crazy too CambriaWhat. My dad gave me an phal that was given to him by a coworker and I abused it so bad. First I left it in the car, then I would cut off the aerial roots ( I know that's pretty gruesome ). It wasn't doing too good, then I started watching YouTube orchid videos ( which I am pretty addicted too as well ) Then phal finally came around and blooms two flowers for me after two years. The year after that my collection shot up from 3 to 80+ orchids in 6 months. I am still new but I feel I am getting the hang of these guys now :)http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...fe32d96425.jpg The phal that started it all! It is in orchid heaven now unfortunately :( my newbie mistakes were too much for it.

Oh wow! Medusae is amazing i want 1 😃
Cool carnivorous plants are something iv never kept. I think theyre not in as many places where i am other than venus fly traps.

Im glad i found this forum and watched some vids. Mine seem to be doing good despite my newbie-ness! I just want more species lol but dont want to kill them if my environment isnt suitable for them

Yeah that medusa is impressive. Phalnoob, if you look on line there wll be places that sell carniverous plants. I have just bought a couple of young nerpenthes, pitcher plants, as they have similar needs to orchids.

I also bought an adult nerp of a different species here, and as is my wont, repotted it instantly. Good job I did. They like an open substrate like orchids, but with 50% sphag, 50 % bark.
This tho was in a compacted ball of dense material with as much ability to allow air in as a lump of wood. So, good job I did.

I got started on orchids long, long ago, but never got round to keeping them as there just weren't the plants or even the info on growing.

Then recently a friend tipped me off as to how easy it was to grow phals, and I was hooked.

Very impressive!
I might have a look and get something ☺ they do look very cool, the venus flytraps i seen looked to be in just soil.
Glad you repotted then, i recently bought a zz plant and it was quite root bound so i toyed over repotting or not and i did thankfully as sooooo many roots were rotted, its doing good now.
Theres so much info available now its great i think thats what helped push me to buy a phal!and here of course 😃

Read up on flytraps before you buy them. IIRC, they need a tall pot as the roots go deep.

What's a zz plant?

A zamioculcus z...... lol cant remember the other z.
Its a houseplant with dark green rubbery looking leaves. Its one of the houseplants thats very hardy, ithink its also known as an eternity plant as it lives a long time. Though in the condition those roots were in not long had i not repotted.
Yeah i will look into them more before i try them.