Let's Talk Plants - Orchid Board

JScott · #1 04-26-2020, 11:29 PM

Let's Talk Plants recently had some little mini Catts on sale for 15 bucks each. They were all seedlings of new crosses. I bought three. They arrived and they are in good health and I am very happy with them. They look a little weathered, like maybe they were grown outside, but that's okay. They have good roots and healthy leaves and pbulbs and all of them have new growths starting.

He has an online store now but he also sells on eBay, and I've bought a couple things from him before there and have been satisfied. His eBay feedback rating isn't fantastic, but I read a lot of the negative comments, and it seems like most of them are from people who didn't understand what they were buying. I've never had a problem with him, and I feel like I can trust him to give me good value for my money, and at 15 bucks each, I feel like I got a good deal on some nice plants. The back of the tags say SVO, so I guess they originally came from Sunset Valley Orchids.

He sent a fourth plant too, it is not pictured. I guess maybe it was a free gift. It isn't in the picture, and it's pretty rough looking, but I think it will make it.

If you don't mind plants that have a little weather wear on them, I recommend Let's Talk Plants.

Afid · #2 04-26-2020, 11:33 PM

I got a Neobenthamia gracilis and Ponerorchis graminifolia from him, both arrived in good condition and were large, healthy plants. I would also recommend!!

JScott · #3 04-27-2020, 12:16 AM

He also sometimes has Odontiodas in the winter when they are in spike, which is something I just don't see often. I can't keep them cool enough in Texas for them to grow well, but on one occasion, I went ahead and bought one from him against my better judgement. The flowers were so beautiful, and I decided it was worth it to me to buy it, even just to enjoy the flowers for a few weeks. When it arrived, it was a robust plant with a nice spike with lots of buds. The flowers lasted about a month. From there, the plant languished on for a couple years, slowly declining until it finally died, which is what I expected it to do, but I really enjoyed the blooms while they lasted, and i think it was worth it. I think it was about 30 dollars, and I feel like I got 30 dollars worth of enjoyment out of it.

DirtyCoconuts · #4 04-27-2020, 02:43 AM

I’ll throw a big plus one on this thread

I have bought here and there from LTP and it is always a great transaction

Very fast shipping. Will do combined shipping. I once had to pay for a shipping cost bc it was a Buy It Now and he refunded the extra shipping when he realized it was the same buyer.

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JScott · #5 04-27-2020, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

I’ll throw a big plus one on this thread

I have bought here and there from LTP and it is always a great transaction

Very fast shipping. Will do combined shipping. I once had to pay for a shipping cost bc it was a Buy It Now and he refunded the extra shipping when he realized it was the same buyer.

Recommended

It's good to hear from you, Coconuts. Life has been crazy and I have been traveling back and forth between Texas and Oklahoma a couple times a week for the last two or three weeks, so I haven't had much time to check the board. Hope you're doing well.

hypostatic · #6 04-27-2020, 12:13 PM

I've ordered 3 catasetums from them this year. 2 were in very good condition, and shipped very well. The last one was in pretty "ehhhh" condition when it arrived to me.

DirtyCoconuts · #7 04-27-2020, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JScott

It's good to hear from you, Coconuts. Life has been crazy and I have been traveling back and forth between Texas and Oklahoma a couple times a week for the last two or three weeks, so I haven't had much time to check the board. Hope you're doing well.

you too, Jeff! stay safe out there

---------- Post added at 12:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 PM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypostatic

I've ordered 3 catasetums from them this year. 2 were in very good condition, and shipped very well. The last one was in pretty "ehhhh" condition when it arrived to me.

that's a bummer...I usually only buy the ones where i know which of the plants in the picture i am getting as they seem to be willing to tell you which one is left and ear mark it for you.

did you reach out to express your feelings? I am not trying to probe, just curious about how LTP handled the feedback

JScott · #8 04-27-2020, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypostatic

I've ordered 3 catasetums from them this year. 2 were in very good condition, and shipped very well. The last one was in pretty "ehhhh" condition when it arrived to me.

The man behind Let's Talk Plants is Tony Wells, and I've talked to him a few times and he's super friendly. I like him. His email address is pleurothallis1@gmail.com and I bet if you contacted him and told him about your concerns, he'd find a way to make it right. I don't know that for sure, because I've never had a problem with him, but just based on what I know from talking to him and how nice and accommodating he is, I bet he would want you to be happy.

Ray · #9 04-27-2020, 12:53 PM

His partner is Chris Mende, operating The Tiny Jungle.

Also thumbs up.

hypostatic · #10 04-28-2020, 01:32 PM

I'll reach out to him by email. The two first times I ordered everything was fine.

IDK why the stark contrast on the 3rd time. The plant wasn't packaged with enough packing, and the leaves were fairly crumpled. The media that they were were in broke apart during shipping, and the particulates caused abrasion to the leaves. It was a catasetum, so the new growth is heavily dependent on the previous bulb, which was severely dried out and shriveled. This last part is the most worrisome, indicating that it wasn't well-taken care of prior to shipping...