good source for buying - Orchid Board

derick242 · #1 02-27-2010, 03:36 AM

does anybody know of a good, cheap source for cypripediums? everywhere on the google search seems extremely expensive. i am mostly looking for bulbs because i suspect them to be cheaper than actual plants about to bloom or at least a year away from, i am a college student and do not have alot of money.
also if i were to buy a buld and start it in the next few months indoors before May, will it bloom for me before the frost in late september/ october? or do they take more than one cycle to bloom? by the way i live in spokane WA, i think it is either zone 6 or 7. i will eventually place the plants outside near my pond in late spring.

Zoi2 · #2 02-27-2010, 06:03 AM

I don't know what type of cypripediums you are looking for but if you like the natives, here is a pretty good site. I don't live in your state, but sometimes the county extension agent will sell plants pretty cheap.
Native Orchids of Washington-Genus Cypripediums
Joann

Royal · #3 02-27-2010, 08:57 AM

Hey Derick,

Cyps are just really expensive. Check out Spangle Creek labs, Vermont Ladyslipper Co., and Gardens at Post Hill.

BikerDoc5968 · #4 02-27-2010, 09:05 AM

Try Roger at: Raising Rarities Raising Rarities - Mail Order Your Cypripedium Lady Slipper/Hybrid Orchids Here. I wanted to get some also because they are just way too cool and the deer and other visitors don't eat them as they have devoured everything else in my yard. I haven't looked at these other vendors so I don't know if he is more or less costly.

Carl Austin · #5 02-27-2010, 01:37 PM

All Cyps bloom once a year (at most) in the spring. I recommend you do some research before you make your purchase - Cyps arre expensive plants.

Carl

slipperfreak · #6 02-28-2010, 01:25 PM

Cyps are very expensive - they are among the most expensive orchids. You will not find mature plants for under $45 at most nurseries and usually they are $60 +.

Cyps are not "bulbs" as they are rhizomatous. You can buy them dormant (usually shipped bare root) but they will not be any cheaper than plants that are in growth. Cyps are priced by age; i.e. a 4 year old plant costs more than a 2 year old plant. Most Cyps must be at least 5 years old to flower, and even at that age flowers are not guaranteed. I do not recommend that you buy seedlings to start off with as they are extremely sensitive. Buying a seedling, killing it and then buying another one will not save you any money - you're better off just going for a mature plant (or at least a nfs one).

Carl's recommendation for doing research is a good one. Cyps vary widely in their cultivation requirements, and most are very difficult to grow, especially if you don't have any prior experience with terrestrial orchids. The best ones to start with are the hybrids like Gisela, and the species parviflorum and reginae. These plants are pretty easy to grow. Cyp. parviflorum is my best recommendation as a first plant. It's the cheapest and most readily available Cyp, and is arguably the easiest one to grow.

Cyps flower (if they are big enough) about a month or so after the shoots emerge, so yes if you started one now it would bloom well before frost. Dealers will probably not start shipping dormant plants for another couple weeks though. Around here the Cyps will not start waking up for another couple months, but they are probably a bit earlier in your neck of the woods.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #7 02-28-2010, 02:09 PM

The Vermont Lady Slipper Company is selling Cyp. parviflorum and Cyp. reginae for a relatively inexpensive price for a limited time only on ebay.

And yeah, Cyps don't have bulbs.

By rhizomatous, slipperfreak really means...

A scraggly mass of thin roots and a few "sticks" which are the new growths. So if you're careless in damaging the roots or accidentally snap off quite a few of the new growths, that's not a good thing.

slipperfreak · #8 02-28-2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

A scraggly mass of thin roots and a few "sticks" which are the new growths. So if you're careless in damaging the roots or accidentally snap off quite a few of the new growths, that's not a good thing.

Especially since Cyp roots don't regenerate and they absorb most water and nutrients from their tips, so even if just their tips are cut off, you have a weakened plant. A healthy Cyp rhizome will have most, preferably all, of the roots completely intact. If you have a single-growth plant (which is usually what is sold unless you pay premium prices for a multigrowth plant), and you snap off the shoot bud, you probably have a dead plant.