K Barrett wrote:
Just saying let's all be friends doesn't raise the awareness of the issues
for the newbies, now does it?

It's a bummer. I read the thread "Is there money in orchids" and made
no comment. As I see it, here are some of the issues.

1. Utility costs have quadrupled in the last 2 years.
2. Taxes have doubled.
3. Water quality. Most areas the water is treated before application
to the orchids, some areas it is tested and treated again before being
allowed to be removed
4. Chemicals. Insecticides, fungicides, fertilizer, hormones, and
supplements
5. Lighting. Natural, supplemented, or artificially supplied. There
is the cost of the fixture, replacement bulbs, expense of operation,
type, spectrum, and meters to test all of the above.
6. Hardgoods. Pots, mounts, medium, clips, stakes, blades, hangers,
etc the list is endless and it all adds to the cost or price.
7 Space and equipment. I've allowed about 1 square foot for a mature
catlleya, I can go vertical, but have to protect against overspray and
drips.
8. Time. Inspection, watering, transplanting/dividing. That's just
time spent with the orchids. If I hire locally there is training.
9. Environment. I like miltonias, but have left them alone, have
mostly intermediate to warm growing, low altitude orchids.
10. Breeding. Eventually want to make my own cross, but then there is
time and uncertainty. However we all recognize the Krull-Smith,
Hauserman, Orchidview, Mendenhall/Oconee, Carmela, and Baldan to name a
few. Those are some of the "big guns", it doesn't mean there aren't
others trying it on their scale that haven't been recognized yet.
There is a bit of "Walter Mitty" in all of us.
11. Promotion, exhibition, control. I saw an online ad for a
"recently awarded" orchid for sale, $30,000. They weren't selling
divisions, they were selling rights to mass produce, before a leaf,
root, or stem got hijacked.
12. Marketability. Obscure species are interesting. Most sales
however aren't for orchids that you need to have magnification to see
or smell like road kill.

I know, I've left out a bunch of stuff. But it is a start. What are
some of the other issues?

Nancy

I know that some things have been left out of this lift.