What size orchids do you usually buy?

[dounoharm]

I used to grow a lot of my cattleyas from plug trays, but now I prefer older plants so that hopefully I can see a bloom before I kick the bucket, lol....I did buy a plug tray last fall of one of my fav cattleyas, and the year before a flask of phrags.....but my little gh wont hold any more little ones...

[camille1585]

Hard to give one answer. I'll prefer adult plants or plants 1-2 years from blooming. I'll get younger plants or seedlings only for plants that are either hard to find (and so would rather have a seedling rather than nothing), or plants that are too expensive to buy adult size or near blooming size (like my Phal gigantea). The only thing I don't buy, mainly for lack of space, is flasks.

[Optimist]

I'd rather buy one mature plant to 10 little juvenile plants any day. With a big one, it is well established, and I know what I am getting. I am not interested in having 100's of plants, just a few really good ones.

[dshallpost]

Have only been buying for a relatively short time, but as the array of orchids that I am interested in has exploded, my preferences are developing, and I have developed more rules for myself -- that keeps the buying process somewhat governed -- e.g. no more tiny 2" pots, warm growing preferred, smaller size at maturity, fragrant, morphologically interesting flowers rather than large/bright. Have gotten some good and not so good from eBay and and am tending toward the well know nurseries only (and shows) rather than eBay. As I read more about orchid genetics and propagation I am starting to see how likely it is that what you think you see is not what you will get (or smell).

[Orchidreamer]

I used to buy more seedlings than mature plants but that was many years ago. Now I only buy blooming size or at the most 1-2 years from blooming size plants. I learned that, at least for me, the time and effort needed to raise seedlings to adult size is not worth it for me. But back in the days when I did it, it was definitely a good learning experience for me.

[SouthPark]

I'm thinking that - if time is on our side, and we have plenty of time, then seedlings are ok. Otherwise, if we don't want to wait several years to get a flower..... then definitely go for mature or near-mature.

[Leafmite]

I do have a few cases where I really prefer to buy the smaller plants: Angraecums and the current Psychopsis. I think these adjust better from being potted in red lava rock when they are younger.

Most of my orchids are younger right now but, lately, I have been buying the mature ones when possible.