"Bag babies", when, where, and what? - Orchid Board

Orchid Whisperer · #1 02-09-2014, 01:38 PM

I stopped by my local Lowes yesterday & found that the first Better Gro "Bag Babies" of the year had just arrived. These were mostly Cattleya alliance hybrids, but they also had a species Dendrobium (D. spectabilis?) and Encyclia cordigera. I bought an Encyclia cordigera with the most recent pseudobulb that is a fat, shiny green and the size of a large lemon. Also picked up an Epilaeliocattleya Golden Sunburst that has two sheaths on it (I don't see any buds through those sheaths yet, but even if they don't bloom this time, I know the plant is at blooming size). What a deal for $15 each! I passed on the D. spectabilis, also on an Epilaeliocattleya Charlie Brown, though I thought about those a lot before deciding against.

So, I was wondering when everyone starts to see bag babies in your area (and where is that?) What kind of plants are you seeing offered? Any interesting species? Are they all Better Gro brand, or are you seeing other brands as well? What is the most unexpected plant (species or hybrid) that you have seen as a bag baby?

Joseia · #2 02-09-2014, 06:24 PM

I have never seen a species orchid at my nearest Lowes, but that could just be that others beat me to it. Mine sells smaller sized plants for $7 and bigger ones, some with flower sheathsor in bloom for $15. The bigger plants at mine have all been noids, but I did once find. B Nodosa Little Stars once. When I first saw the bag babies, I was deliriously happy and bought 8 of them. But I think I am done with the bag babies - some of them are in really bad shape and it is hard to see their condition inside the mesh bag. The price sure is good, but I have found a local vendor that sells his post-bloom orchids at bag baby prices and the plants are in great shape and blooming size.

IncurablePlantHead · #3 02-09-2014, 07:50 PM

Those are the cultivar and species orchids that I typically see in the stores too. I got the Den spectible and a couple of the Catts you mentioned as well. They were all fresh to the store in very good condition and wanting to be set free badly. They grew like crazy when potted up and the Catts are showing signs of blooming in only 6 months since I got them. The Den is growing very well too.

Orchid Whisperer · #4 02-09-2014, 07:59 PM

Hi Joseia

What I have found is those bag baby plants arrive to the store in good shape. But, they decline after being on the shelves a while. After a month without watering, they can look pretty sad (though a few years ago I even bought one of the sad ones and they do recover).

The ones I bought yesterday were in great shape; they have been in that store no more than a week, and maybe much less.

All of the ones I've bought over the years have had tags; no NOIDs.

My suspicion (which I am sort of trying to confirm through this thread) is that bag baby season starts when we begin to see temperatures start to creep up. Our first days in the 60s F were last weekend, and while Lowes and Better Gro may not (or may?) be watching the temperature regionally, they sure know when to expect the warming trend to start.

Start checking your local HD, Lowes, etc. weekly from here forward; our Lowes got a huge shipment of blooming Phals just a week or 2 before the bag babies arrived. FWIW, I see some species plants in with every shipment, sometimes more, sometimes less.

Joseia · #5 02-12-2014, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IncurablePlantHead

Those are the cultivar and species orchids that I typically see in the stores too. I got the Den spectible and a couple of the Catts you mentioned as well. They were all fresh to the store in very good condition and wanting to be set free badly. They grew like crazy when potted up and the Catts are showing signs of blooming in only 6 months since I got them. The Den is growing very well too.

Yes, timing is the key. If you can get them right after arrival in the store they can be great plants to get. To be fair, all of mine have survived and are now doing very well, though it did take a long time and care to get them to this point. The satisfaction when they finally bloom should be tremendous, and I have learned alot from them. So in the end, a good deal for me.

---------- Post added at 08:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:50 PM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

My suspicion (which I am sort of trying to confirm through this thread) is that bag baby season starts when we begin to see temperatures start to creep up.

Start checking your local HD, Lowes, etc. weekly from here forward; our Lowes got a huge shipment of blooming Phals just a week or 2 before the bag babies arrived. FWIW, I see some species plants in with every shipment, sometimes more, sometimes less.

I've also been wondering when the new plants arrive at my local Lowe's. During this past summer, I was there just about weekly, and over a two month period, absolutely no new plants arrived. So then I figured they just re-stocked when all the plants had been sold. New plants finally appeared in September, but they were standard sized cattleyas and oncidiums, way too big for my indoor space. I haven't checked since then, but I pass by the store every Sunday, so I will start to check more frequently as the weather warms. I have asked store employees about delivery cycles, but none of them really had any idea. It would be good to compare notes, I sure would not mind getting a freshly-delivered, healthy species plant for $7.

nikkik · #6 02-12-2014, 10:16 PM

I lucked out and picked up several bag babies for 2.50 at the end of the summer. They were all full sized and healthy catts.

I ended up chatting with the woman who ran the plant section at that Lowes; I asked her about the shipments of bag babies. She told me that up here they receive them around Easter (when the weather warms) and start clearing them out at the end of September.

I had only seen a few species plants, last year, but not every store had a variety. Many only had catt hybrids, while others had many different types of plants.

Subrosa · #7 02-13-2014, 09:36 AM

I've gotten my Brassavola nodosa and two Encyclias, a cordigera and a ceratistes along with a rescue $5 Dendrobium aggregatum as bag babies from Lowes. I would be willing to bet that a little chat with the right person at the right time could make some very neat plants appear at any Lowes.......

Joseia · #8 02-13-2014, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikkik

I lucked out and picked up several bag babies for 2.50 at the end of the summer. They were all full sized and healthy catts.

I ended up chatting with the woman who ran the plant section at that Lowes; I asked her about the shipments of bag babies. She told me that up here they receive them around Easter (when the weather warms) and start clearing them out at the end of September.

I had only seen a few species plants, last year, but not every store had a variety. Many only had catt hybrids, while others had many different types of plants.

The variety among stores is surprising to me. This summer, at the height of my orchid addiction buying frenzy, we went on a weekend drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains and hit all the Lowe's we passed nearby, 8 or 9 in total I think.

My wife has to put up with alot lol. I am a bit of a Civil War buff too, and the main purpose of the drive was to see a few battlefields and cemetery/memorial sites off of VA Route 11. For anyone looking for a nice day trip in Virginia, a drive along Route 11 is beautiful. The road runs through the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, nestled in between the mountains of the Blue Ridge, repeatedly crosses the Shenandoah River and passes through many picturesque towns and farm land loaded with US Civil War history. Particularly good for Stonewall Jackson fans.

Anyways, each store had a completely different set of plants. Some had more recent arrivals, but most had plants that had been there a while and did not look good. I wasn't looking for the bag babies this past Spring, so I have no idea what the selection was like around Easter, but I will check this year.

Orchid Whisperer · #9 02-14-2014, 04:14 PM

I decided to go back & purchase the Dendrobium spectabile. It was in good shape, & the weird & wonderful blooms are a good change of pace from other plants I'm growing. Besides, I need to branch out & try some genera I am not currently growing!

Orchid Whisperer · #10 03-02-2014, 12:40 AM

Well, the Encyclia cordigera bag baby that I bought on February 8 has started to produce a spike! Have a look, the spike is peeking out from the top of that beautiful apple-green pseudobulb:

IMG_20140301_114246_597.jpg

I was not expecting this to bloom until maybe next year, but isn't that a nice bonus?