Orchid trading

16 years ago

Last week, orchidnick and I completed a great orchid trade. I went through his list and got him to tell me some of his preferences, and we settled on several plants for the transaction. It doesn't always have to be a 1:1 trade, depending on the plants. Of course, no orchid trade is complete without, as Nick calls them, 'hitchhikers.' No, not the buggy kind, just bits and pieces which don't merit a full trade by themselves -- an odd backbulb, a small division, a cool-growing plant you think at the last minute would do better in someone else's conditions (at least until California's heatwave yesterday, lol). We talked each other into a few favorites as well, boxed them up and then put them into the custody of the US Govt, priority mail. Anyone who has ever rummaged through a freshly arrived box of orchids, both expected and surprises, knows that the excitement is hard to beat -- and all it cost was postage.

Thank you for talking me into the Dockrillia hybrid, Nick. I am amazed how it has grown on me (figuratively, not literally) in just the past week. I wouldn't have expected it to become a favorite so quickly. Now to get it to bloom ...

Anyone thinking of trades, now is the time to do it. The weather is cooling off and perfect for orchid travel. Soon, the cold winter will be here and will create problems in shipping. As you bring your plants in and find you may have overestimated the carrying capacity of your windowsill or GH to fit them in or hadn't really thought about providing optimum conditions of light, humidity, what have you, it's a good time to pass them along now and let somebody else worry about fitting them into their windowsill or into their GH, etc.

Okay, everybody, let's trade!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

sambac
16 years ago
Agree CJ, trading can be a lot of fun, esp with Nick!! Have not had major problems with trading in this forum, except for one recently mounted bare root lockhartia.(Nick that was not from you). I am just too lazy to put stuff up for trade, but can always find some thing to trade back.
orchidnick
16 years ago
Thank you for your kind words, I love trading and my definition of a sucesasful trade is when both parties are happy. This forum had a very active trading group a number of years ago and I wrote about it in the thread I just bumped up.

The first 3 or 4 postings on that thread actually should have been one but the computer did not allow it for some reason. Basically what it describes is my FIRST contact with a trader from another orchid forum. Before we knew it 60 plants changed hands, approx 30 each way. Neither of us gave up anything as they were all divisions with the parent plants staying safely behind. Cost is minimal, only postage, I paid $16 for 30 species I did not have,

But as Carol pointed out, it's more than that, feels like Xmas to unwrap a box full of plants, some expected, some surprises. It's not like going to Andy's site, picking out exactly what you want, take a big hit on your credit card and then get what you paid for. It truly is more like Xmas as I basically will take any plant I don't have (with some obvious exceptions) and the surprise is what the other person has to offer.

Some of my best plants were aquired by trading years ago.

Nick
Related Professionals
Crestview Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Greenfield Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Oshkosh Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Beaumont Landscape Contractors · Scranton Landscape Contractors · Santa Rosa Landscape Contractors · Las Vegas Landscape Contractors · Cape Coral General Contractors · Valdosta General Contractors · Longview General Contractors · Escanaba General Contractors · Minneapolis General Contractors · Syracuse General Contractors · Rutland General Contractors · Hilo General Contractors
Sheila
16 years ago
Nick, the Maxillaris variablis v. purpurata is blooming! Very nice! The yellow variety was a DIMP. The Ascofinitea Cherry Blossom has grown and I keep looking for spikes. The other plants are growing well.

I have so few plants, but love trading when I have something that can make a trade happen. Great fun!
cjwatson
Original Author
16 years ago
Sheila, my two Cherry Blossom varieties always bloom in the spring: March, April. They're are wonderful plants.

Yes, a 'Nick-trade' is a fun thing.
orchidnick
16 years ago
Just finished another fun trade. Send a fellow from the 'Orchid Board' 4 Pleuros and a few hitchhikers and unpacked his box this morning. 2 of the Pleuros were significant, Pleuro teagui and Pleuro marthae.

Got from him the following:

Ansellia gigantea v nilotica
Bulbo Melting Point ( Doris Dukes 'Bill's Best' AM/AOS x longissimum 'Windy Hills')
***Dendrobium aggregatum
Dendrobium forbessii
***Dendrobium peganum
Oberonii ensiformis
Pleurothallis johnsonii
***Pleurothallis species (johnsonii like)
***NOID Dend looks like a med sized species

*** means surprises, not negotiated for.

These trades are fun (Xmas all year long) and also a very inexpensive way to score new plants. The above group cost me $8.00. In addition to that you end up with plants you never knew existed and would have never bought under ordinary circumstances. The Dend peguanum (http://www.orchidspecies.com/orphotdir/dendpeguanum.jpg) which he sent as a surprise is a good example. A weird and interesting plant which I would have never bought as it never was on my radar screen.

Nick
cjwatson
Original Author
16 years ago
Hey, Nick!
I'll take the Oberonia and the Den peganum!

Many orchid growers also grow other types of plants: uncommon ferns, ant plants, cactus, gingers, bug eaters, etc; stuff you mostly don't find in Home Depot. No one said an orchid trade had to be orchids in both directions.
irish_rose_grower
16 years ago
I love to trade, but have just started collecting orchids. This just reminded me, i have someone who wants to trade orchids to me for my daylilys...i have to go respond before i forget.

I just got a shipment from Kawamato,and realize that some of the catts might be larger than what I really wanted....i should probably stick with mini's....oh well
orchidnick
16 years ago
Gold Country Orchids in California is one of the best places for mini-catts.

Nick
gardenbear1
16 years ago
I'm glad to see that orchid growers are willing to trade for other types of plant, I'm still very new at growing orchids and would love to trade in time when I have some thing that another grower would like to have, I grow epie and would enjoy growing orchids too.

Bear