Recommended Online Orchid Sellers, Questions About Orchid Care.

[alecStewart1]

Hello friends!

So looking to find somewhere to get my first orchid online, and I was wondering what y'all recommendations are.

I found

OrchidWeb by Orchid Limited: Buy Orchids and Orchid Supplies - OrchidWeb

Andy's Orchids: Andy's Orchids'

As two that stick out to me the most from looking at their websites.

I live in Texas, so I'm looking for some more warmer weather orchids or possibly something I could keep at my desk in the office (I have a desk humidifier I could use). I really like the Neo/Vanda orchids, but Phals, Cattleyas, Oncidiinae, Dracula and Dendrobium are lovely as well. Really, there's not any that aren't appealing in some way.

In regards to care, I have a few more specific questions:

• Tolerable PPM for Orchids
  
  For my carnivorous plants and other house plants (Begonia maculata, Calathea Ornata, Satin Pothos and a few more) I use a ZeroWater filter and tank that gets my ~250PPM apartment tap water to 0-5 (I use a tester I bought, not the one they provide). I imagine orchids appreciate low PPM water as well or even prefer it, but I was curious if it's as big of a deal as it is with carnivorous plants.
  
  
• Dealing with Shipping Shock
  
  I was curious what's the recommended way to deal with shipping shock for plants bought online. With some the carnivorous plants I have, it's recommended to pot the plant (if not already potted) and put that in a bag to get humidity to 90-99% to help the plant adjust, and after a few days of the bag being closed you slowly open the bag and let the plant adjust to the humidity of it's new environment.
  
  I don't know if this is the same for orchids, so I thought I'd ask.
  
• Fertilizing
  
  For my carnivorous plants I feed them roughly ever 3 weeks to a month, as most of them catch their own food outside or some fungus gnats or occasional bug I've caught inside. For the houseplants it's about every other month during the growing season.
  
  Do orchids need frequent fertilizing, or is it more spread out than other plants?
  
• Dormancy
  
  For the plants I have that have a dormancy period I usually just leave them outside until it starts getting more frequently 50 degree Fahrenheit and below. Then I just stick them in a fridge or garage. For most carnivorous plants, it's highly recommended to give them a dormancy period.
  
  Is it also highly recommended to give orchids a dormancy period, and, if so, are there any different ways to do so besides the ones I've mentioned?

Thanks for any advice you give!