purchasing

To buy an orchid

If you have planned to buy an orchid it's an important fact to know: Do you want it just as a decoration on your windowsill as a single plant or do you want to start with a collection as a hobby. There are several ways to buy orchids. One can find them in super stores quite cheap, in garden centers , at orchid breeder farms, and online . This can be expensive when you order them abroad. This can costs you a lot of money. You must expect high shipping costs and the costs for the CITES Papers. If you want one just for decoration, you can buy them at inexpensive shops . For collections I suggest to go to a breeder. You get there the best informations and tips. You also might be lucky and get a division or a Keiki from a friend to start . Don't start with an orchid which is difficult to cultivate. It's too bad when it dies because of your inexperience.

Which orchid

The best thing is to think about where to place them, and what conditions are there. Tell this to the specialist and he will suggest which kind of orchids will grow well there. It depends if you keep them in the house or in a green house. To start with I suggest the Phalaenopsis hybrid or a Cattleya hybrid. As you gain some experience, you can expand your collection for more demanding orchids. If you buy a plant, check the leaves. They should be nicely green. A little brown spot is ok but if the whole plant looks a bit ill, don't buy it. Also check the substrate. It should be fresh, that means not looking rotten. If you have some experiences, you can check the orchid for pests or viruses. It's handy to have the correct label with the orchids name on. It makes it easier to read about the orchid in a book or the internet. In case you can't find out the proper name, an orchid forum might will help you to identify the orchid.

Transport to your home

It's good when they wrap the plant carefully at the shop for the transport. They should wrap a soft paper around the buds and fix the long spikes. Keep the plant safe in your car in case of an abrupt stop. Don't leave the plant for very long in extreme weather conditions like heat or cold.

Back at home, let the plant rest. The transport to a new place is stressful for it. The plants normally are watered at the shop, don't water them immediately. See more about watering under my topic: watering. My personal tip: after a couple of days, I repot the new orchid. The new orchid is potted in the same substrate as I use for all my orchids. The other thing is, I can have a look at the conditions of the roots and check if there are any pests around.

Here some addresses from breeders where I buy fairly often orchids and I have good experiences with.

W. und Th. Feustle

im Kläffler

8370 Sirnach / Tel.071/966 19 80

Schweiz

http://www.orchideen-zentrum.ch/

Jakob Isler

Obermoos

8332 Russikon/ 01/954 08 25

Schweiz

Jumbo

Dietlikon

Schweiz

Zulauf

Gartencenter

Schinznach Dorf

Schweiz

Lägernstübli

Gartencenter

Wettingen

Schweiz

Roland Amsler

Grossackerstrasse 20

9542 Münchwilen Tel. 071/ 960 02 92

Schweiz

www.orchideench.homestead.com/OrchideenCH.html

Nardotto e Capello

Azienda Agricola

C. so Repubblica 266

18033 Camporosso (IM)

Italy

http://www.nardottoecapello.it/azienda.asp

Gärtnerei Jenny

Adligenswielerstrasse 113

6030 Ebikon Tel. 041/375 60 70

Schweiz

www.jenny-gaertnerei.ch/gaertnerei/menu/allgemein.html

Currlin

Welbhausen 30

97215 Uffenheim/Deutschland

http://www.currlin.com/index.html

L & R Orchids

178 Dominion Road

Tuakay / New Zealand

http://www.lrorchids.co.nz/

Kopf

Hindenburgstrasse 15

99469 Deggendorf/Deutschland

http://www.orchideen-kopf.de

Sendai Orchids

Miyagi/Japan

Te. (022) 288-06 00

Marczika

Ungarn

Tel. 06 23 375-094

http://www.marcika.hu

erst im Aufbau

Orchids&More

Robert Koch Alle 31

82131 Gauting /Deutschland

http://www.orchideen.com

Akerne

Laarsenbeedkdreef 4

2900 Schoten /Belgium

http:www.akerne-orchids.com/index.htm

Of course there are much more breeders all over the world with wonderful orchids to sell. I only have listed those ones, where I quite often buy some. This is just a random order, it has nothing to do who is the best or not :-) Would you like to know more about a breeder , please contact me by email.

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