TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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Hey, I saw some orchids on the clearance table at Lowes. I was wondering if you guys think it is a good idea to get one that way or if they are already dead? They seemed to vary in condition. Some looked like they just weren't blooming, while others had blackened leaves.
Blackened leaves would worry me.
I saw at a garden center around here that sells there orchids for $39.99. When they are done flowering they mark them down to $9.99. I decided to get another one and went back, but they were all gone. It's better that way....I do not have room for it anyway.
A big problem with buying markdown plants is that the massive growers who sell to Lowes, HD, etc. seem to ship the plants when it's time to repot. That way they avoid extra labor costs. Lowes or whoever display the plants in bloom and then moves them off to a corner to be sold as a markdown. So plants can spend a lot of time in broken down potting mix before that 1/2 price sticker appears.
Making a bad thing worse is that those nurseries typically use cheap potting mixes that require very careful watering. And careful watering isn't what the plants tend to get at Lowes or HD. Orchids are remarkable plants and can look great with little or no root system. But the problem catches up with them eventually and they can go into a rapid decline.
Before buying a markdown, probe around a little to see some living roots. Repot it as soon as you can and, with modest effort and lots of patience, you'll turn a $9.99 plant back into a $19.99 plant. Or, better still, you can buy a well cared for plant from the interesting selection at this website or from others that specialize in orchids. You'll know what you're buying is healthy and properly labeled.
)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I'm really just holding off till I can find a white Phal with Pink veins in the flowers.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Have you tried finding one at the orchid nurseries? Candystripes should be easy to come by. I've always had good luck with Hausermann's. Or you can seach thru the Orchid Mall for other Phal growers.
I bought a candystripe for my coworker a few months back (there's a post of it somewhere because I was trying to identify it). It's pretty common at my local Home Depot, but it does go pretty quick.
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