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| This is an interesting article from the Philadelphia paper:
http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20091030_Good_old_orchids. html |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by beachbarbie z9a NC (My Page) on Wed, Dec 23, 09 at 20:29
| Too cool AND...I'm not surprised. They are tough little suckers! Barb |
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| Very nice article! I think the one thing I didn't see mentioned was the virus problems with the imported orchids. Alot of folks lose plants thinking they are not growing them properly when in fact their plants are dying of illness. Many die-hard orchid growers will only buy American produced plants for that reason. |
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| Um, hello? A lot of so-called "American produced orchids" are actually imported from Chinese and Thai producers, usually as spiking seedlings. The cost of propagating orchids and raising them from seed is astronomically high, while consumers now expect to pay the $10 they can get at the grocery store, Walmart or Lowes. Most orchids you purchase often have SOMETHING, or another. Stress, like that caused from a new environment or improper care, can bring them about. It's like having a sore throat and going out in shorts during the winter. Sorry for the rant, but the last post upset me a little. And die-hard orchidists like big fulsome blooms at a low price - how do you think orchids got to the number 2 spot? Back on topic, the article is indeed very interesting. Guess with that many million years under their belt, it's no wonder orchids have adapted to become the wide variety of plants we adore. Julie |
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| Julie, i agree, the old its OK for us to sell you lots of stuff but we only want to buy American thing has surfaced. If you buy from a reputable nursery they will do some of the filtering out of poor quality plants for you. If i was over there, i would save up and buy in bulk from the large reputable nurseries such as H&R. |
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| When I say 'buy American' I didn't reference purchasing only from United States of America. America which is made up of South AMERICA and North AMERICA and Central AMERICA - my mistake for not clarifying. Some virus' are not native to the Americas (all of them) and makes purchases from other parts of the America's a nice market. But back to the original thought I posted. Yes, we are seeing Asian stock that is clean. H&R (not an Asian grower) lists their plants as 'virus free'...silly of them to mention that isn't it??? So many USA companies go out of their way to test their stock for virus and breed virus free. They want to give their best to an industry that relies on frequent purchasers. And yes, it may cost a little more. Market habits have changed. As the article pointed out, purchasing that blooming orchid for $10 or $20 or so $ and enjoying months of display and then tossing it out is an excellent niche in consumer goods. There are a number of 'American' companies who provide nice clean stock for the $10 market. Its great to know that. But it is great for folks who truly want to grow orchids to know up front that the lack of success they have may not be their fault. Don't YOU? Thus allowing them to continue to try growing something that they truly should have success with. Don't you? jamcm, you have a couple of great orchid growers in your area (in the Americas) - I just love Clouds! |
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