Cattleya HELP! - Orchid Board

Ccino42 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-25-2006, 08:30 AM

Hi there,
I am an orchid newbie. I bought a cattleya off of ebay. It was sent via Expresspost, made it here in 3 days. The only problem is my brain-dead postal deliverer decided NOT to read the label on the front of the parcel stating: "Live plant enclosed do not expose to Sun, cold or heat" and left my precious plant in my supermail box for me to pick up at the end of the day. Needless to say I was quite upset but that is a whole different story.... my problem is... it was exposed to cold for at least 3 hours. The leaves went dark and mushy then dropped off.
Can my baby be saved??? Is there anything I can do to salvage it!
Please help!
Thank you,
Dawna

Marty · #2 (**permalink**) 01-25-2006, 10:23 AM

What an ass the postal guy was ! I absolutely hate that, seems that every time there are instructions, like keep upright, fragile, etc. They will purposely drop it and leave it upside down. I always have bad luck with packages.

I'm sure someone here will chime in with an advice,

I'd probably give it some light and soak it for an hr or so in sugary water (if it's mounted, not potted) and keep it at room temp. But then again, I have no clue if that will help. I'd hope that the damage isn't total and something will sprout out somewhere.

Before you do anything, wait for the pros to reply. There's plenty of experienced growers here.

Marty

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ccino42

Hi there,
I am an orchid newbie. I bought a cattleya off of ebay. It was sent via Expresspost, made it here in 3 days. The only problem is my brain-dead postal deliverer decided NOT to read the label on the front of the parcel stating: "Live plant enclosed do not expose to Sun, cold or heat" and left my precious plant in my supermail box for me to pick up at the end of the day. Needless to say I was quite upset but that is a whole different story.... my problem is... it was exposed to cold for at least 3 hours. The leaves went dark and mushy then dropped off.
Can my baby be saved??? Is there anything I can do to salvage it!
Please help!
Thank you,
Dawna

littlefrog · #3 (**permalink**) 01-25-2006, 11:11 AM

Don't know if I'm an expert, but it has happened to me. Both ways (shipping and shipped). My gut instinct tells me that if it got cold enough to mush the leaves within three hours, the plant is probably toast.

If the rhizome has not turned black, there is a chance that you may be able to encourage a dormant eye to grow. But not a very good one... Put what is left of the plant in a good sized ziplock bag with some damp (not dripping) sphagnum, blow into the bag to fill it up and seal it good. Put it somewhere that isn't terribly bright until you see new growth, or the rest of the plant rots and you have to throw it away.

Many growers will replace or refund a plant that arrives frozen. Most do (I do too), and encourage you to give such growers your business. It isn't your fault that the plant froze. It might be the seller's fault if the box wasn't packed correctly, but probably not their fault either. But, rather than assigning fault, good customer service prevails. I've sent a few boxes this year where the (rather expensive) plants arrived damaged or frozen (even FedEx overnight, with heat packs), which was disappointing to say the least. This is why I hate shipping in the winter, and will wait until spring to replace the plants. Anyway, the point is that you should contact the seller and tell him/her what happened, and see what they are willing to do for you. It may be nothing, but it never hurts to ask.

Ccino42 · #4 (**permalink**) 01-25-2006, 11:40 PM

Thanks for the info.
Yes I would love to contact the ebay seller but as luck has it they are no longer a registered user. My first taste of orchids has so far been tainted but I will press on.

littlefrog · #5 (**permalink**) 01-26-2006, 08:29 AM

Not registered anymore... Hmmm.... Well, maybe market forces do work.

Don't give up. Wait until spring (maybe April in Alberta), and order from a reputable nursery. One who actually has a physical location, or at least a nice website. Ask around a bit to see if the reputation of your chosen vendor is good.

I think it is a little dangerous to order your first orchid from some random schmoe on the internet, especially ebay. You don't know what to expect, and won't know if you got a good deal or not.

Oscarman · #6 (**permalink**) 01-26-2006, 06:44 PM

April would indeed be spring for us in sunny Alberta, although we are still waiting for winter!! It was 4°C (39°F) today and it rained this morning!

Dawna,
Don't be discouraged by a crap deal with eBay. There are many very reputable Orchid Growers/Greenhouses in Canada you can easily order from once the weather warms up.

If you are in the Edmonton area February 24 - 26, the Orchid Society of Alberta is holding it's annual show and sale at Grant MacEwan College, South Campus. 7319 29th Ave.

Friday, Feb. 24 - noon to 8pm
Saturday, Feb 25 - 9 am to 5pm
Sunday, Feb 26 - 9 am to 5pm

There will be plenty to see, hundreds of plants to buy and a ton of information available.

Think about trying a more mature (flowering size) plant. Phalaenopsis orchids are especially good for the first time grower. They are fairly easy to bloom, re-bloom and are comfortable in the 'human' environment.