The Orchid Garden

??orchids??

Question:

Hi Folks. Could someone explain to me why some orchids are so darn expensive.

Orchids are intrinsically expensive because they are very slow growing plants which are hard to propogate. It takes five to seven years to get an orchid to flowering size. Further, orchid seed is dust-fine and must be sown in flasks of sterile medium under laboratory conditions. (The other common process for propogating orchids, mericloning, is even more invovled.) Mature plants can be propogated vegetatively, but the rate of increase is slow. Further, many orchid varieties are the result of extensive hybridizing programs. The newer kinds are often very high priced because of that. I would l to try mu hand at raising some so I don’t have much knowledge yet. Some of the prices I saw scared the heck out of me, and I can’t get it off mu mind.

Keep in mind that not all orchids are expensive (comparatively). There are a number of beautiful varieties that can be had for less than $10 a plant, (including my favorite beginner’s orchid, Brassavola nodosa) and for less than $20 a plant you can put together a collection of outstanding varieties. While I do think they are absolutly beautiful why the huge differences in price ???

The differences between the various kinds of orchids usually reflect the cost of hybridizing for the newer varieties and sometimes the rarity and difficulty of propogation. For more information, join the ‘orchid’ newsgroup. There are plenty of people there who can help you. –RC

Response:

Hi Folks. Could someone explain to me why some orchids are so darn expensive. I would l to try mu hand at raising some so I don’t have much knowledge yet. Some of the prices I saw scared the heck out of me, and I can’t get it off mu mind. While I do think they are absolutly beautiful why the huge differences in price ??? If anyone out there knows why, I sure would like to hear from you,

Response:

says… Hi Folks. Could someone explain to me why some orchids are so darn expensive. I would l to try mu hand at raising some so I don’t have much knowledge yet. Some of the prices I saw scared the heck out of me, and I can’t get it off mu mind. While I do think they are absolutly beautiful why the huge differences in price ??? If anyone out there knows why, I sure would like to hear from you,

There are nemerous reasons: First, the orchid always held somekind of mystique around it, although its just a bedazzled monocot. Second, all orchid are on CITES (Convention ffor the International Trade os Endangered Species, the worst and best thing that happened to organisms around the world) and thus, that means no plants of any plant classified under Orchidacae can leave the bounds of any country, even if that country isn’t the orchids nativ habitat. In other words, you can take one out, or bring one into any country.  That means in order to sell you an orchid the company had to propagate it themselves, no going to a Hong Kong Lab to grow thousands at pennies apiece. Third, Orchids are relativily slow to grow viable propagules (possible cuttings, divisions or anything that could make another plant) this means a spare orchid is hard to come by and with a demand so great, of course prices go up and UP. To avoid this, orchids have been "cloned" or tissue cultered to produce many at a time (hundreds, perhaps thousands depending on the skill of the propagator and scale of his/her operation) and this is an expensive process in itself (believe me).  But it does one thing, it meets the demand. My suggestion is to perhaps set up a trade with someone, make a deal, tell them you give them another typre of plant for an easy orchid like a dendrobium or something.  Another thing to avoid if your cost concious are the blue ribbon winners, these are orchids that have been awarded ribbons for their beauty, this means demand is up, and so goes the prices. All in all dont let that fool you into thinking they are hard to grow.

Response:

Second, all orchid are on CITES (Convention ffor the International Trade os Endangered Species, the worst and best thing that happened to organisms around the world) and thus, that means no plants of any plant classified under Orchidacae can leave the bounds of any country, even if that country isn’t the orchids nativ habitat. In other words, you can take one out, or bring one into any country.  That means in order to sell you an orchid the company had to propagate it themselves, no going to a Hong Kong Lab to grow thousands at pennies apiece.

        That is actually untrue.  While CITES is a joke, it does not prohibit orchid trade across international lines.  It does prohibit selling of wild collected species orchids (you may be able to get a permit with the right amount of "lubrication").  If a grower can demonstrate that his plants were "artifically" propagated (grown in captivity rather than wild collected) then it is possible to get an export permit upon inspection of the plants.  Orchid plants growing in flasks (orchid seeds need to be germinated in sterile flasks), are generally exempt from CITES since it is obvious they have been artificially propagated.           It is possible to import orchids grown in Taiwan or Thailand for literally pennies apiece.  This is why you can buy orchids at your local Home Depot or other megastore for 5 – 10 dollars.  You don’t get the worlds best stuff this way, and it often is either mislabelled, unlabelled, or near death.  It is possible to get cheap orchids though. Third, Orchids are relativily slow to grow viable propagules (possible cuttings, divisions or anything that could make another plant) this means a spare orchid is hard to come by and with a demand so great, of course prices go up and UP. To avoid this, orchids have been "cloned" or tissue cultered to produce many at a time (hundreds, perhaps thousands depending on the skill of the propagator and scale of his/her operation) and this is an expensive process in itself (believe me).  But it does one thing, it meets the demand.

        That is partially untrue, at least in the sense of there never being any spare orchids.  One of the drawbacks (or benefits) of making hybrid orchids is that orchids set literally millions if not tens of millions of seeds.  Not all of these germinate, and not all of the ones that do are grown to adult plants (imagine that!).  In order to tell if a plant has any value, one must bloom it out first.  You have to bloom hundreds or thousands of plants to find one that is worthy of using in future breeding efforts.  The remainder (perfectly good orchids that don’t have what the breeder is looking for), are usually offered for sale.  There are millions and millions of orchids out there, it is just a matter of finding them.  I have seen dumpsters full of orchids that were discarded because nobody purchased them, and not because they were unattractive flowers, those get discarded before they even reach the sale table.  Have to be in the right place at the right time.           I myself have discarded perfectly good orchids just to make room for some other orchids.  Any hobby grower will eventually have more orchids than they have space for.  Find such a grower and ask them about orchids.  We are usually rabid enough orchid fans that we will just give you a plant if you sound interested.  It is an addiction, and all growers are pushers.  Gives us more people to share our tales of the amazing flower that got away, the evil bug that ate our Phalaenopsis, or the unfeeling electric company that keeps charging us money to run our plant lights that would be better spent on more plants.  *grin*   And they are NOT hard to grow, just as the previous poster said. Rob  Rob’s rules to live by:                            |  Send me seeds!    (1) There is always room for one more orchid.    |    (2) There is always room for two more orchids.   |    (3) There is no rule 3.                          |  Will Flask for Food     (3a) When one has insufficient credit to buy    |              more orchids, obtain more credit.          |

Response:

Filed under: Dendrobium Orchid

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