How many to kill before YOU say UNCLE?

[fotofashion]

It is SO easy to succumb to the siren song of that beautiful photograph on a vendor's site and lose track of the fact that your climate, many times, will limit what you can grow successfully. Been there, done that enough times. I now look at the description carefully before buying mail order, especially if the vendor is in a climate much different from mine. Another help is to buy from local vendors. Here in Houston we have several and I feel I can buy with confidence from them. There have been a couple of times I was panting for a particular orchid but the local vendor told me that it wasn't suitable for our climate. Respecting his judgement helped me to avoid orchid murder.
So, do your research first. We can grow many, many species and hybrids here so the few we cannot should not make us too sad or attempt to do something unreasonable.
Beverly A.

[mab3362]

I live in Houston and killed one too! I know of only 1 person with success blooming them here and she has a set up for only cool bloomers (inside). Don't forget we can bloom/grow alot of stuff here that people of north would kill for!!

[Gin]

I don't want to count the number I have lost (killed) in approx 30+ years . I was told you have to kill your weight in plants to be called a grower as that is how you learn, if all went great would not learn anything, is a tough pill to swallow .
Hang in there we have all lost plants .. Gin

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by Gin

...I was told you have to kill your weight in plants to be called a grower...

Wow! Looks like I have to put on some more weight!
Cake anyone?

[Connie Star]

Originally Posted by Eyebabe

Wow! Looks like I have to put on some more weight!
Cake anyone?

I like your style, babe

[Lagoon]

There waaaaaaaay to many orchids in this world to give up now, you just need to find the right ones - the orchids that thrive in you're conditions. Focus on you're success so far, and think about you're failures.

Theres much to learn about failures, it teaches us what not to do then we move on from there.

I know it makes you sad and even blows you're confidence at times, but I know deep down you won't give up - because you have a passion for beautiful things.

Just keep trucking babes, good times are ahead

[jenmonkey]

How long before I say Uncle? That's simple - Never. It's like true love... No matter how many times you just wanna throw in the towel, you always give it one more shot.

If I find that I'm killing a plant, I stand back and take a look at all the factors involved and try to find creative solutions. Rotting parts? I learn new "surgical" techniques and try a different fungicide. (for example, my Sharry Baby that I posted about recently) If there are environmental considerations, I start thinking about how to engineer the perfect environment. Water quality concerns? Turns out, they make portable, inexpensive RO systems that are perfect for a plants-only water need.

Right now I'm working on an LCD lighting setup for my high-light plants, so hopefully between that, a new humidifier, and the S/H system that's on its way, I will revive a few babies.

In short, for me, never say die!!

[UKCat]

I was at a show on Saturday and I had to force myself not to buy plants that I know won't grow in my cold conditions, I would kill to grow a Catt but not without the heat I can't.
I stand forlornly on the side lines at mid summer shows wondering where all the Cyms are that should be on sale as they are not in flower, but the don't sell well when there is no flower to show everyone so they get left behind.
I look longingly at the frilly Catts and other warm growers that I can't have
I too learnt the hard way and have lost a few plants but I have adapted and now grow mostly Cyms with the odd cool growing plant thrown in for a change.

My only gripe is that most of my plants flower in the spring and I'm left with a mound of green leaves for the rest of the year

[dounoharm]

over the last 40 years of orchiding around, i have killed pllenty....in one and twos and by the droves, lol...but i keep coming back and trying harder, and my sucesses far outnumber the failures just now.....so many i have loved and lost! keep at it tho, they will one day love you back!

[Junebug]

I hate to hear your having problems. Maybe you were just a little too enthusiastic about purchasing so many varieties in so little time. I seem to remember that just a few months ago you mentioned being a newbie orchid enthusiast. Then you began making a lot of beautiful purchases in a wide range of selections with different growing habits and requirements. I was actually impressed, because all your plants looked so healthy. I thought to myself one of two things... either this guy knows more about orchids than he's letting on, or he truely is a newbie who's in for a rude awakening somewhere down the line.

I've gotta hand it to you, you've got guts. As a beginning grower, I would have been petrified to care for so many chids in such a brief time frame. My first bold purchase was an expensive, gorgeous, show quality nobile dendrobium which I almost killed because I lacked the knowledge of it's special growing requirements. That scared me enough that my next purchases were limited to inexpensive baggy plants or discounted noids in various stages of ill health. My mission was to learn about orchids by successfully growing them or nursing them back to health. By the way, this is how Junebug came by all those boring noids she posts photos of all the time. I've learned to take things slowly. It wasn't until the last year or two that I began adding a few named hybrids and species to my collection, but only after researching their environmental needs and cultivation requirements beforehand. Eventually you'll learn to distinguish which plants you can successfully grow from the unsuitable beauties you must admire from a distance. Then, when your plants are thriving and growing out of their pots you'll be stressing over how to safely divide them and how to expand your green house.

My heart goes out to you. As you've discovered, we orchid growers tend to bond with our plants. They have the potential to give us years of joy and we fuss over their care like they're our children or pets. We panic when they show signs of illness or bug infestation, rejoice when they grow and bloom, and grieve over losses.

What's done is done. Now it's time to accept your losses, dry those tears, and move forward. Successful orchid cultivation requires knowledge, time, patience, and proper growing conditions. We're all going to experience problems now and then, but we gain knowledge from our mistakes, failures and success stories.