On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 10:36:11 -0400, Rob Halgren
wrote:

wrote:

When I tried talking to vendors, I'd tell them "I'm new to this but I
like that plant. What conditions does it need?" Then they would
proceed to tell me that I had the wrong facing window, or the wrong
room conditions. They also told me the plant wouldn't likely bloom for
me, or wouldn't bloom for two, three, four, etc. years.
Hmm.. Well, that shouldn't happen. I don't know many vendors (around
here, at least) who would have done that. There is a bit of a problem
at shows, especially when the sales area is very busy, we don't always
have time to give a detailed answer. That might be what happened to
you. That is why I put my website on my tags, I usually tell people
with more questions than I have time to answer to drop me an e-mail.

I found most of the vendors willing to talk and to answer my
questions, so I don't think it was a time issue. Most just weren't
very encouraging. As soon as I said "rookie with a north facing
window" I think most of them just decided I wasn't worth the trouble.
I can understand them not wanting to sell a plant that isn't going to
survive. That has the potential to harm their reputation or possible
future sales.

I've just taken a quick look at your site. Your descriptions seem nice
and helpful.


The few vendors who tried to convince me to buy plants tried way too
hard. They really believed in the hard sell and basically told me
that it would grow no matter what There seemed to be no middle ground
-- especially since a vendor selling an identical plant a couple
spaces over would tell me point blank that I'd just likely kill it. So
even though I was almost ready to buy another plant, I walked away
empty handed (except for a small bag of fertilizer). Actually even
buying that was frustrating because every vendor told me I needed a
different strength/type/numbers (10-30-10, 20-20-20 etc.) of
fertilizer or that I needed two or three different types (one for
general growth, one for blooming, one for something else, etc.).

I don't buy from hard sell type vendors either. I just don't believe
in that. Somebody who is selling a plant, especially to somebody who is
a professed beginner, should make a point of finding something that will
work for you. If they don't have a suitable plant (many vendors
specialize in things that might only grow in a cloud forest, for
example), they should just tell you that and perhaps point you to
another vendor who has a bunch of what would work for you.


Even following the discussions on this group is off-putting. I just
have a normal apartment. I don't have grow lights or plant-specific
humidifiers or hydroponic trays. My room temperature stays pretty
constant -- I don't have 10 or 15 degree differences between day and
night temperatures. As far as I can tell my plant shouldn't be growing
at all, especially since I only have one north facing window that
isn't shaded by a balcony or doesn't have a window unit
heater/airconditioner blowing under it. Added to those limitations, I
constantly read about people who have had plants for years that
haven't bloomed or rebloomed for them, and it all gets a bit
discouraging.


I'll tell you a little known secret... There isn't any one way to grow
an orchid. There, I've broken the code. I would give my grandmother
(who had a bright green thumb) an orchid a few times a year, and she
would grow them in absolutely the opposite way I would suggest. Dark
corners, sitting in saucers of water, no food... They grew like weeds.

Actually that's the approach I'm trying to take. I'm trying to trust
my instincts. I look for advice when I think I need it, but since a
lot of it is conflicting, I try to do what I think will work.

I think the whole obligation to learn about orchids can be
overwhelming. I hate looking at a plant and feeling stupid. That has
never happened with anything else I've ever tried to grow.

Even though I've tried to pick up some hints and tips from the
newsgroup, I don't want to have to devote all my spare time studying
about orchids, but part of me feels that unless I learn all the
terminology and the history and the naming conventions, and everything
else, I'm never going to feel like I could confidently grow these
things, and that's a lot more than I was looking for when I bought a
simple, pretty houseplant.


You have a very difficult set of conditions, but not an insurmountable
one. Find a good seller of plants that has a good selection of
different plants. Preferrably one in your town or near to it. Make an
appointment to visit them, so they have plenty of time to work with you.
Make sure you buy a few plants, to make it worth their while, but I
promise it will be a better experience than you had at the show.


I might try that one of these days. It's a good suggestion. Although I
might have to visit a few greenhouses first during their general
opening hours, just to get a feeling about the place and the grower
and to decide if I really want to take that next step.
Rob


--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit