I don't have any because I just have a brown thumb with those, but Home Depot has a lot of really cheap orchids in their indoor gardening section. :o) Hope you can find some. They are gorgeous!

I do have extras but getting them locally will probably be better than shipping, since mine are not in some kind of dormant state (without leaves or flower stems) that will be easy to send.

You can sometimes find some decent ones on clearance at Lowes. I would make a round of my local Lowes every 1-2 weeks to see what they have on clearance. In this way, you can sometimes get the plants just as they are going on clearance, and they are still in pretty good shape.

The best place to buy orchids is on the web as you can find nurseries close by that sell what is best to grow in your area and get info on what you buy. Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc. orchids are not necessarily what is best for your area and may not bloom again. Checking with your local Orchid Club is a good way to get any info on where to buy and how to grow. But if you join, beware. When I joined my club about 11/2 year ago I had 10 orchids now I have over 200 and loving all of them. Sorry no extras at this point.

Thanks for the responses, I was asking for extras because I don't want store bought ones since most store plants are sprayed with pesticides and fertilizers. I really am looking for an "organically" grown orchid and the really weird ones such as Monkey Face Orchids (Dracula Simia), Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis), Naked Man Orchid (Orchis Italica), Laughing Bumble Bee Orchid (Ophrys bomybliflora), Flying Duck Orchid (Caleana Major), Angel Orchid (Habenaria Grandifloriformis), Dove Orchid Or Holy Ghost Orchid (Peristeria Elata), White Egret Orchid (Habenaria Radiata).
I want all of these but I know they are all really rare!!

Hi Harrison,
Looks like you have done some research.
Interesting list you provided, it will help other newcomers like myself to have a starting list.
Where do you live?
You might want to first find out what varieties grow in your area.
Where I live, for newcomers, it was recommended to start with phals and dendrobiums that were locally grown.
If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, I read on this forum that is a good place to find an occasional unusual one. Although most will be the more common varieties for your area because they are easy to grow and the blooms last.

If you don't want to buy from a local store, an advantage of a mail order store is that they have the professional packing needed so that when your orchid arrives, it will likely survive. It will also be a younger plant, and likely to bloom.

Good luck,
Joanne

This post was edited by fortyseven on Thu, Jun 5, 14 at 17:13

Some on that list are very difficult to obtain and are hard to grow. Cross off Caleana major. Restricted by Cites and noted in Native Orchids of Autralia by David L Jones as ''difficult to maintain in cultivation, the usual response being either to linger or to slowly fade away."
Start off with something "easy" i.e. a Phalaenopsis
Caleana major. Photographed in situ. I have never seen one at an orchid meeting or show.
{{gwi:176598}}

This post was edited by arthurm on Thu, Jun 5, 14 at 18:56

Hi Harrison -

I see you have quite a list there. Many of those orchids are very difficult to cultivate, and not easy at all to find, let alone for free. :-) I suggest for free, or almost free orchids, join your local orchid society. They usually have a raffle table for extra divisions members have, and for the cost of a dollar you have your choice. You will meet people that will be happy to share divisions of their plants, too.

All orchids you are likely to come across have been sprayed with pesticides and have been fertilized. That's part of growing a healthy orchid. I don't know anyone that is pesticide free, and I'm not sure I'd want their plants if they were! Serious pests such as mealybugs and scale can spread through an entire collection.

I also suggest you start with a moth orchid - phalaenopsis. They have them at Trader Joe's, Ikea, and lots of garden stores. You should also have no trouble growing Asian slipper orchids, Paphiopedilums, some of which are pretty easy for most growing situations. Once you figure out your temperature range, humidity, air movement, and lighting, you can move on to other orchids that fit your conditions. That's how to be successful with orchids - select plants that will thrive in your conditions. Good luck!

As others have said, the reason some plants are rare is because they are very difficult to grow. I also don't know anyone that doesn't use fertilizer and I bet most of us use pesticides.

Take a look at the Oakhill Gardens web site. They offer a seedling special, 10 plants for $30. They will be small and take a few years to flower but it is a cheap way to get a feel for what will grow in your conditions. You will also get more interesting and healthier plants than you would find at the grocery store.

Your wish list is totally unrealistic. Difficult to get, difficult to grow is an understatement. You need to cut your teeth and pay your dues like every other newbie. Start with HD Phaelies and other easy plants like Oncidium alliance types and join a local orchid society. The rest will happen in due time.

Organically grown needs to be forgotten. Vit C is ascorbidc acid whether obtained by squeezing rose hips between the cheeks of Tibetian monks or manufactured in a Du Pont chemical factory from Napalm rests. Healthy orchids are pest free, this is made possible by using pesticides. Organically frown orchids are full of mother nature's little beasties, not good.

Nick

I had a 'green' member of my society visit my cold greenhouse where I grow Dracula, Pleuros, Masdies etc. He was appalled by the amount of electricity and water used to make this happen.

I told him the story about Joan Rivers who was once asked what she really wanted to be if every thing was possible. "I want to be the Pope" was her answer "but that is difficult for a Jewish girl from New York, unless you know someone".

There is no 'green' way to grow cool, Cloud Forrest plants in bone dry, hot Southern California unless you apply a massive amount of machinery, special water and fertilizer and generally do handstands to make it all work. A high electricity and water usage is the by-product. If you want to be 'green' and 'natural' in SOCAL you grow cactus and succulents.

Nick

If the keiki on my Dendrobium kingianum were larger, I could send some in a padded envelope. These are pretty hard to kill for an orchid and you can neglect them for weeks to a couple of months, they will suffer but wont actually die.

Den kingianum are also pretty cheap on EBAY too. If you wait till later in the season you can score nice size plants for under $10 and free shipping.

I have some Dend kingianum and Delicatum keikis I could send you. It did not occur to me to offer them as they are light years away from your wish list. Let me know if you want them.

Nick

I listed my "wish list" as being a wish list because I know many of those are hard to find and very hard for even the best people to grow, it just makes me wish I lived somewhere where they grew wildly!!!! I know I certainly have to pay my dues as a newbie and when I said extra orchids, I didn't mean the crazy ones I posted (I have a funny feeling it would be hard to get even if I wanted to spend a lot of money getting them) but rather any orchids that people wish to share with me. I didn't know there was an Orchid Society (sorry I'm new to all of this) but I will definitely check them out and possibly attend some meetings or shows!! I'm just so awe struck on how a plant can have so many different colors, shapes, and sizes!!! I have a tough time with using fertilizers and pesticides, I'm stubborn in the fact that I would try 10 "natural" or organic methods to get rid of pests before using a pesticide or fertilizer. My sister did have have a small mealy bug infestation on her jade and I found that a 50/50 of rubbing alcohol and water sprayed on the plant and then rinsed off for a couple of days worked, I would venture to guess that it would't work for a more delicate plant like an orchid. Hmm, I would have to look more into growing orchids healthy a little more organic, but I will give in when I must...maybe organic fertilizer? hahaha. Well I certainly have a lot to learn and I thank everyone for their responses, I am learning a lot on here and I'm ready to learn more and plant as much as I can!! Orchidnick I sent you an email!

Don't be discouraged. Although few orchid growers practice growing them organically, It's very much possible to grow orchids this way and have them pest free. All of my orchids are thriving organically. Many bloom several times a year. My suggestion to you for free or cheap orchids is to ask at small florists. They often throw out plants past bloom or reduce them to a few bucks. That's how I started with orchids. I was passing by a florist and noticed some past bloom phals outside. I asked how much the florist wanted for them. She replied " what, this?!!" " you can have them" ...and so the story goes, I went home with several plants to experiment with at no cost.

Okay, Jostus, please let us know how you grow your orchids pest free without insecticides and fertilizer. I'm curious how this is accomplished. Of course, it's possible with a very small collection, but I sincerely doubt that it's possible with a large collection.

No email received. Don't use Gardenweb, email directly.

Nick

Jostus I would be very interested in the "organic" ways to take care of orchids as that's what I am hoping to be able to do! I try my best to keep all of my plants as organically grown as possible! Again thank you to everyone for replying to this thread! By all means if you guys wants to take a look at my trade list and let me know if there is anything you guys want to trade. (I know I have mostly seeds, but my plants should be up soon to trade as well)!

Hi Harrison,

Sorry for not being able to get back to you sooner.

When growing orchids organically,
I find the inoculation or encouragement of beneficial microbes (mainly good bacteria and mycelium) Into the growing medium to be of most importantance.
They supply all the necessary nutrients to the plants through their life processes which include dieing and being eaten!
The aim would be to establish large enough colonies to sustain the plants and protect them from disease.
You can do this largely by watering correctly for the type of orchid you have with reverse osmosis water or rain water and avoiding the chemicals that prevent beneficials from establishing themselves.
You can also add probiotics to the water. If you do a google search you can find probiotic products made specifically for orchids.
Beneficial microbes feed off exudates excreated by the orchid roots.
They also eat each other, many pests and any organic material in the medium, effectively locking up excess amounts.
In exchange they supply the orchid with nutrients and hormones.
Usually when I acquire a new orchid its first new lead (growth) will become smaller because I take it that the plant goes into a bit of a shock after being taken off chemicals and also because there just aren't enough established microbes in the medium ( it takes time).
The fact that there are chemical residues in the medium that slow or prevent their establishment also doesn't help , but in time, as long as you avoid adding additional toxins and you water correctly, the good guys do establish.
I find the orchids next growth after that to become very large.
Whenever my orchids begin to show signs of new growth, I like to water with a weak aerated tea made from an organic fertilizer just to increase microbial activity.
Always keep in mind that orchid roots require a lot of oxygen around their roots so don't over do it with anything or you will very well smother their roots.
Its really all about finding the right balance and developing an "instinct" or at the least learning to read your plants correctly.
Hope this helps with your experimenting! Its a lot of fun actually :)