An Orchid Buyer's Guide for Beginners

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I forgot…

Do not automatically assume that the sellers have the orchids you buy growing in the correct potting media.

Sometimes they:

1) Don't know any better.

2) Only flip plants to make a quick profit.

3) Don't have the same kinds of resources, nor the time.

4) Don't have the same growing conditions as you.

This piece of advice is often one of the most difficult ones to believe, but it is true.

[lotis146]

Awesome thread, thank you!

Paul I want to second your advice on asking about details such as what size the plant is and the estimated time until blooming. As a beginner it is all too easy to overlook that "near blooming size" means the plant won't be blooming for probably more than a year. Orchid growing takes patience. Are you ready to wait a year or years to even see a flower? Do you understand that your plant may only flower once a year, so if something happens and the flowers die you have to be patient?? Or what about the fact that many orchids only bloom off of new growths, that the old ones won't flower again?

And too Paul I want to come back to size especially as you focus on minis. I've learned the hard way, with happy results that some minis are WHOA super tiny and compact does not mean mini.

Thank you KoOG & Paul & others for sharing all of this with us and taking the time to do so.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Regarding some potting media issues. As was mentioned, it is highly recommended to inspect for the quality of the potting media as well as inspect for the health of the plant.

The following will discuss certain commonly used potting materials and describe what to look for in fresh potting media versus decomposed/decomposing potting materials that need to be changed out to ensure proper orchid health.

Bark:

There are really two kinds of bark that appears in the orchid hobby.

1) Fir bark. (aka orchid bark)

This is the most commonly used bark for orchid growing. It is a versatile potting media for use for epiphytic and terrestrial orchids.

As we all know, fir bark does degrade.

Paul had mentioned what some of the characteristics of degradation are. As I described briefly in the first post here in this thread, another characteristic of decomposed fir bark that needs to be replaced is if the pieces are black and they start to produce fine silt-like particles. This is extremely bad for many epiphytic orchids because it can suffocate the roots, and it is highly unsanitary for epiphytic orchids. At this point, it should really be thrown out and never re-used again.

2) Cypress bark.

I have personally never used Cypress bark for growing epiphytic orchids, but have found them to work just fine as part of a mix or as a top dressing for terrestrial orchids. I don't really know how to proceed with advising on the use of Cypress bark with epiphytic orchids, so I will describe how Cypress bark looks when it has started to decompose.

Fresh Cypress bark is light beige in color, and smells sharp, (I don't know how to describe it).

Cypress bark can decay. When it starts to break down, it will get darker and darker in color. The wood also gets softer and softer. The characteristic odor it has has faded out.

[Optimist]

This is really why I now only buy orchids that I can personally inspect. It makes for fewer orchid purchases. I have been shocked, and surprised by the purchases I have made online, so I no longer do that. And it all comes down to not having a final say over the actual plant which is sent to me. As far as rescues, most I have purchased at $7.00 median price are still alive, and have taught me a good deal of knowledge. These days, people seem to become interested in orchids due to a gift of a BBS Phalenopsis. It is like anything else. When I see a plea for help from a new orchid lover that their favorite Phal is at deaths door,
I think of all the phals I have lost, and that Phals are not the right plant for me or many folks. But you simply do not say the secret to having great orchids is living in the right house, but it is.

[orchidsarefun]

I suppose another moral of the story is that impulse buying is fine, provided you do due diligence. Fortunately I now have a basement set-up for cooler growers and other set-ups for warmer growers. I have my bases covered as I was tending to purchase orchids that I saw for the first time and really liked, without close regard to cultural requirements. It should go without saying that if you can't replicate the plant's requirements, any healthy plant will soon fade. Masdies are apparently notoriously fickle. I have had people tell me that they are infamous for dropping all foliage - overnight - in the wrong conditions.

[Leafmite]

If you know a vendor's specialty or what he/she has grown from seed/divided, those are usually the orchids that are the most worth buying. Because orchids are rather 'expensive' to flask and grow to blooming size, many vendors do order from other vendors. To give their customers a variety, they order plants that are not in their specialty and they have no real interest in growing. Yeah, those aren't going to be your best deals unless you can buy them soon after the vendor has received them.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

If you know a vendor's specialty or what he/she has grown from seed/divided, those are usually the orchids that are the most worth buying. Because orchids are rather 'expensive' to flask and grow to blooming size, many vendors do order from other vendors. To give their customers a variety, they order plants that are not in their specialty and they have no real interest in growing. Yeah, those aren't going to be your best deals unless you can buy them soon after the vendor has received them.

Good point, you're right, many vendors do specialize.

I didn't even think of this, because I kind of take it for granted, but it is true.

It is something to think about as well.

[Corsetière]

One "mistake" I made at a show when I was newer to orchid growing was buying a particular Catasetum. This specific plant had crazy root growth over and out of the pot and I thought at the time that this was an encouraging thing. Well, when I got home and took it out of the pot, the smell of decay assaulted me and it was so root bound around the decaying sphag that it took me forever to repot it. I had to cut so many dead roots. The plant took a major hit in health and is actually still in recovery.

I learned 2 lessons in plant shopping from this -

1) Sometimes if the roots are growing out of the pot, it is because they are trying to escape the environment of the pot.

2) Don't get overly excited if you find that rare orchid you have been looking for at a show. Keep your head and critically evaluate the plant.

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by Corsetière

One "mistake" I made at a show when I was newer to orchid growing was buying a particular Catasetum. This specific plant had crazy root growth over and out of the pot and I thought at the time that this was an encouraging thing. Well, when I got home and took it out of the pot, the smell of decay assaulted me and it was so root bound around the decaying sphag that it took me forever to repot it. I had to cut so many dead roots. The plant took a major hit in health and is actually still in recovery.



I learned 2 lessons in plant shopping from this -



1) Sometimes if the roots are growing out of the pot, it is because they are trying to escape the environment of the pot.



2) Don't get overly excited if you find that rare orchid you have been looking for at a show. Keep your head and critically evaluate the plant.

I wish there was a like button in tapatalk!

I made this same mistake myself, found a mealybug instead of rotten roots, but I do wish I had inspected the plant more closely now.

[Corsetière]

Ugh! I hate mealy bugs!