Greetings everyone, I'm new to this forum, but not new to orchids. I, unfortunately, had to leave all mine with a family member when I moved up to Washington and am now looking to replenish my stock. I currently have one orchid, though I'm not sure what species it is yet. I do have a few questions - Where can I find organic orchid fertilizer online and what is the best watering method? I'm partial to spraying the leaves lightly to kind of mimic high humidity in nature, but I'm not sure if this is best for the plant or not. What is a good source of orchids online? I don't want flasks or seedlings or orchids that will take 2 years to bloom, but "near blooming" is fine. I need an online store based in the U.S. that won't cost an arm and a leg to ship to Washington state. If I wanted to experiment with mounting an orchid, what is the best species to try out? Lastly, I've heard so much about the ghost orchid and find it beautiful, but realize it only grows in a protected national park area. I've seen them on eBay, but I'm not sure they're safe to buy because I don't know if the people who propagate them have gleaned the seeds illegally or not. Does anyone have any information about this? Thank you for your replies!
Hi Cascadia, For orchid sources in the USA I'd start with www.orchidmall.com there is a large listing of vendors available. Be sure to identify that you want blooming sized plants (in spike or flower are harder to ship but are more rewarding). As for ghost orchids I'm not sure about illegal seed collection but I'd stick to reputable vendors (the same is true of any orchid purchases). I think many Ebay offerings (especially Polyradicon lindenii syn. Polyrhyzza lindenii) are resellers from larger vendors like Andy's Orchids. I should also note that while a beautiful orchid the Ghost will require special care (I've seen a few threads on other forums with photos of successful flowerings). Good Luck, Shaun
Arcticshaun, Thanks for your reply. I'll check out the link you provided and I agree, you have to be very careful buying orchids on eBay. There is only one vendor I've used in the past and continue to use because I know he grows his from seed himself and the orchids I've received have always been in good shape. I'm aware of the ghost orchid's special needs and while it's not something I'm looking to buy right this moment, I've dabbled with the idea many times. It's something I know I'll need to research before buying one, but it's one of those things where if I know it's illegal to buy them on eBay or if there is anything questionable about doing so, I'll put the idea out of my head completely and look for it from a larger vendor. I'm not well versed on rare orchids, but I'm sure there are orchid "brokers" out there who deal with that type of thing and I'd rather get one I know wasn't stolen from the national park even if it means paying more.
