orchids

Anyone here an orchid collector/grower/aficionado? (not Orchids of Hawaii, but real life orchids).

If so ... let me know either by posting here or my PMing me! I have some questions and need some advice for Orchid fans!

Thanks all!

Hanford

Hanford,

A few years back we stayed in a hotel in Mallorca (off the coast of Spain) where the owner was utterly obsessed with orchids. Photos of orchids everywhere in the hotel, orchids planted throughout the grounds - And he spent his days looking for any that may be destroyed by new developments. A lovely chap who would probably answer all your questions with authority, and enjoy himself while doing so.

I can't remember the name of the hotel off the top of my head, but if it's any help to you, let me know and I'll dig through my papers.

Trader Woody

Hey Hanford-

Whadda coincidence. There is an Orchid Show going on right now here in Gotham. Ufortunately it ends tomorrow, and I was hoping to bring my mom there. You can check out a link here

http://www.newyorkled.com/index001_Special.htm

they also have a link to the Orchid Society of Greater New York there at http://www.gnyos.org/

Aloha :drink:

[ Edited by: donhonyc on 2004-04-17 20:08 ]

Hanford, I would love to be an expert orchid grower but I suffer from a curse: that any living plant that comes under my care will, no matter how hard I try to avert it, suffer and eventually die. It's always been that way. I got the orchid bug after reading "The Orchid Thief" and I went out bought a few plants. They're still alive but not doing all that great. I swore that I will not get any more orchids until at least one of the ones that I have goes into bloom. Doesn't look to promising.

I bought a bamboo orchid cutting in Waikiki at an ABC store. They sell them in little plastic bags. It sat around a little while in it's bag until I noticed that it sprouted a shoot. The little guy was actually thriving in the bag! I took it out and planted it in some bark material and followed the directions of care faithfully. It died fairly quickly. That is my effect on plants.

I met an expert orchid fancier (this was when I was still optimistic about being an orchid grower) from Central America and he told me that to grow orchids is very simple. In nature, they grow attached to trees and get there nutrients from the air, rainwater and tree bark. He said to keep them outside often, in the shade and pour water over them about once a week. Try to mimic the conditions of their natural environment: above the ground in the shade of a large tree. And bring them inside if the temperature drops below 55F.

Having said all of that, it didn't actually work for me. But then again, I am cursed.

Hanford, I tried to grow orchids after someone gave me one but for me it's one of the few things I had trouble growing with success. The one I received as a gift was called dancing dolls. When it flowered, lo and behold, it looked just like dancing dolls by golly. Unbelievably beautiful. There isn't too many flowers that can beat orchids.
Just over the Altamont pass you'll come down into Livermore on the 580 and there is about 3 or 4 greenhouses all lined up in a row that specialize in growing orchids. If you're ever up this way it's worth a look.

Yes yes yes! I was an orchid growing fiend up in Seattle for a while, until I started my own company, and then the time that took meant death the to the >$1000 worth of orchids I had. :( At any rate, I'm probably a bit rusty now, and I'm full of sh!t at least 1/3 of the time on any given topic, but I'd be happy to attempt to help where I can.

My grandfather was a State Fair Champion Orchid Grower for over 40 years. With all the blue ribbons to prove it. I can probably answer some questions with my mother's help. Let me know.

I used to try being a good Orchid Mom, fertilizing them and doing the annual repotting, but that usually killed them.

I now have a few phalenopsis (sp?) that I keep in my bathroom and mostly neglect, but they still manage to bloom for several months every year.