The Krogers Floral Department has potted Orchids for 14.99, it said they
were like 20.00 off, is this a good deal?


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The Krogers Floral Department has potted Orchids for 14.99, it said they
were like 20.00 off, is this a good deal?

It depends entirely on two factors.
1. Are they properly labeled, with either a complete grex (registered cross)
name, a species name, or the parents? Run, do not walk, from anything just
labeled Phalaenopsis, Cattleya orchid, etc.

2. Are they in reasonably good health? Department store orchids may be
stressed, but with proper care they can recover. Look for fat white roots with
green (or reddish in a pigmented plant) tips, at least on the front of the
plant.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

When the ancient war dogs did battle on 17 Apr 2003 14:24:05 GMT,
(Iris Cohen) did speak the following bit of wisdom:

The Krogers Floral Department has potted Orchids for 14.99, it said they
were like 20.00 off, is this a good deal?

It depends entirely on two factors.
1. Are they properly labeled, with either a complete grex (registered cross)
name, a species name, or the parents? Run, do not walk, from anything just
labeled Phalaenopsis, Cattleya orchid, etc.

Why Iris? I'm not trying to be contrary here... I'm just wondering why
you'd say something like that. Everyone who keeps orchids probably has
at least one NOID plant around their place that does beautifully. I
myself have several NOID Phals I rescued from here or there. They grow
like crazy, bloom like clockwork and are really bulletproof house
plants, custom-made for the newbie to orchids.

* * * * *
Karen C.
Southern CT / USDA Zone 6
Spammers be damned! I can't be emailed from this account...

"Gardeners know all the best dirt!"

On Thu, 17 Apr 2003 16:34:12 -0400, onewaits wrote:

When the ancient war dogs did battle on 17 Apr 2003 14:24:05 GMT,
(Iris Cohen) did speak the following bit of wisdom:

The Krogers Floral Department has potted Orchids for 14.99, it said
they were like 20.00 off, is this a good deal?

It depends entirely on two factors.
1. Are they properly labeled, with either a complete grex (registered
cross) name, a species name, or the parents? Run, do not walk, from
anything just labeled Phalaenopsis, Cattleya orchid, etc.

Why Iris? I'm not trying to be contrary here... I'm just wondering why
you'd say something like that. Everyone who keeps orchids probably has at
least one NOID plant around their place that does beautifully. I myself
have several NOID Phals I rescued from here or there. They grow like
crazy, bloom like clockwork and are really bulletproof house plants,
custom-made for the newbie to orchids.

* * * * *
Karen C.


I too have several NOid phals and they do great. Just because they're
not labled doesn't mean they are crap. I'd rather buy a labeled orchid but
if it's unlabled and I really like the flowers I'll buy it anyway. Who
really cares what the names are, it's the beauty of them that is why we
have and keep them anyway.

There is nothing worng with buying an unlabled orchid, as long as you know
the TYPE so you can find out how to care for it that's all that matters.

So is 14.99 a good deal for an unlabeled plant? What's the going price?

On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 12:38:56 -0400, BiG Orange wrote:

So is 14.99 a good deal for an unlabeled plant? What's the going price?


How big is the pot? 5-7 inches? I'd say yes.

Run, do not walk, from anything just labeled Phalaenopsis, Cattleya orchid,
etc.
Why Iris?

It's the difference between a purebred, registered dog and a mutt from the
SPCA. They both have value, but if you are going to put the time, effort, &
growing space into growing an orchid, why not have one you can breed with & put
in a show if you choose to in the future? Also, if the plant is labeled
properly, you have a much better indication of how big it will grow and what
conditions it needs. If you buy an unlabeled plant that is not in bloom, you
have no idea what the flowers will look like.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

When the ancient war dogs did battle on Fri, 18 Apr 2003 12:38:56
-0400, "BiG Orange" @ did speak the following bit of wisdom:

So is 14.99 a good deal for an unlabeled plant? What's the going price?

It's not a bad price for a healthy orchid of any type. But you can
often do better, especially if you specifically look for "out of
bloom" plants. Develop a relationship with your local nursery or home
center. Then talk to the store managers about doing a bit of a deal.
Garden centers will often lower the price dramatically just to get
these plants out the door so they don't have to care for them. As an
example, today I bought 2 named oncidiums (Sharry Baby) at my favorite
garden center. They were marked down to half price ($9.99 apiece). A
bit of a chat and some small talk with one of the owners and he took
another dollar off each of them for my trouble since they are badly in
need of repotting. Nothing at all wrong with them except they are out
of bloom and probably considered rather ugly to the average plant
buyer. A very good day for me! Yipeeeeeee.....

* * * * *
Karen C.
Southern CT / USDA Zone 6
Spammers be damned! I can't be emailed from this account...

"Gardeners know all the best dirt!"

wrote in message
...
When the ancient war dogs did battle on Fri, 18 Apr 2003 12:38:56
-0400, "BiG Orange" @ did speak the following bit of wisdom:

They have one blooming that is purple and white, I am tempted to buy it.
Unlike a registered dog, you cannot breed these, so I've read. (LOL)

When the ancient war dogs did battle on 19 Apr 2003 02:34:30 GMT,
(Iris Cohen) did speak the following bit of wisdom:

Run, do not walk, from anything just labeled Phalaenopsis, Cattleya
orchid, etc.

Why Iris?

It's the difference between a purebred, registered dog and a mutt from the
SPCA. They both have value, but if you are going to put the time, effort, &
growing space into growing an orchid, why not have one you can breed with & put
in a show if you choose to in the future? Also, if the plant is labeled
properly, you have a much better indication of how big it will grow and what
conditions it needs. If you buy an unlabeled plant that is not in bloom, you
have no idea what the flowers will look like.

Oh... Okay... Fair enough. I can't agree with the dog analogy (and
that's off-topic anyway), but your point is well taken...

* * * * *
Karen C.
Southern CT / USDA Zone 6
Spammers be damned! I can't be emailed from this account...

"Gardeners know all the best dirt!"