Be careful branching to other genera until you're really comfortable growing
what you've got and can easily rebloom them.

Buying a wide variety of stuff you like the looks of, without knowing enough
about their needs is a typical beginners trap. I know I fell for it!

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"Shell" wrote in message
news
Well I haven't gotten any Vandas yet, though there are several I wouldn't
mind having. I have been thinking of selling or trading two of the Dend
Caesar Jacque orchids since I would rather have one of each type I like.
At
least right now who knows I could also change my mind I've been
doing
a lot of looking on the web and have started a nice long wish list.

Shell


"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Shell, Ray gave you very good info. To add-on from a different climate:

This could well be the case with tessellata or hybrids thereof, they
bloom
early and often. And maybe some Ascocendas like Princess Mikasa [close
race, I think]. But not with most large-flowered standard vanda
hybrids
which have lots of sanderiana or coerulea in the ancestry. [I am a
Florida
grower, and like to think I'm good G].

One can reasonably safely estimate that a vanda will need to be much
larger
and older than a phal to bloom, but I'd bet that a good grower in
Florida
can raise a vandaceous plant to grow faster than a phal in my window
(they
get very little light, so I have a greenhouse...), making it possible
that
the vanda could bloom first. OK, maybe that's pushing the point a
bit,
but
you see where I was going, especially considering that some places are
getting phals or even paphs to bloom 18 months after flasking!

I also sometime get seedlings from H&R. In the case of most
large-flowered
catts, it will take me a year or more to bloom them [even in Florida].
Certain types will go much faster, for us mostly the intergeneric
mini-catts
involving Broughtonia, and some of the Dens.

As far as judging the ability of grower/vendors to predict when a plant
is
blooming-size, you might find the OGRES rating site of interest. If
you
don't already have it bookmarked, you can find a link on our Home Page.

Good growing,
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com

As another example, I occasionally buy seedlings from H&R in Hawaii.
For
them, a plant in a 2" pot may very well be "NBS" and may bloom in a
matter
of months, while for me in Pennsylvania, it could be a year or more
out
for
the same seedling.