ordering etiquette

Do most orchid breeders hold their plants that are in spike to see the outcome before selling them or do they send in spike plants out if they have one available and it is ordered? Specifically, I am thinking about placing my first order with Orchid Inn and really want a couple delenatii (amongst a ton of other things) and am wondering if it would be improper to say "I am interested in crosses x, y, and z, please send one in spike if available." Or is that something that would be frowned upon?

I'm not the most patient person and most of the plants I'm planning on getting will take years to bloom, so it would really be exciting to get one of the plants with a flower on the way and just wanted to get some feedback before emailing.

I'm also curious about this situation with most vendors in general that just have plant lists that are only updated a couple times a year...

A plant in spike or bloom is generally worth more money in the retail sales.
So the nicest thing for you to do is tell them you would like plants in spike if available and would be happy to pay a little extra for them.(even if that does not make you happy).

you can certainly ask for in-spike if available. Orchid Inn generally sells unbloomed seedlings unless it is stated that they have bloomed before. at shows they have stuff in spike/flower but the online catalogue is mostly for unbloomed seedlings. get BS if you want something that won't take as long--but generally to grow Paphs you need a lot of patience

Justin said:

you can certainly ask for in-spike if available. Orchid Inn generally sells unbloomed seedlings unless it is stated that they have bloomed before. at shows they have stuff in spike/flower but the online catalogue is mostly for unbloomed seedlings. get BS if you want something that won't take as long--but generally to grow Paphs you need a lot of patience

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It makes it easier to be patient when an order comes with a flower on the way. I'll be getting a few BS plants but some of the ones I really want are not available at that size.

You can always ask if they have any in spike but you may have to pay more.

I would send him an e-mail about the BS plants you are looking for. They don't have everything listed on the website. Sam is very nice and easy to deal with. I got some flask from him that he did not have listed just because I e-mailed him about specific ones I was looking for.

our plants (at Orchids Limited) are the same price In-Spike or Not in-spike (so we don't charge extra for plants that are in-spike). Often (if it is one of our own crosses), we will red-tag the first 3 to 5 plants that will be in-spike, but after that we don't wait for them to flower to decide if we want to keep them or not, so sometimes it is the luck of the draw, and a customer can purchase a plant in-spike that we have not seen bloom yet, that ends up being the best plant out of the bunch. We do probably red tag the largest plants in advance, and those will probably be the ones that bloom the first. In this way we are selecting for the most vigorous plants, and hopefully these plants will pass on this trait to the next generation.

But to answer your question, check us out on orchidweb.com and if we have plants like Paph. delenatii "in-spike" they will be on the "in-spike" list and it will be listed that way when you order them.

Robert

Denver, it all depends on who you talk to, some growers will not sell in spike plants, because they want them others will, talk to the seller/breeder get a feel for them, phelps orchids is good, parkside is good, windy hill is good, these growers I know sell good plants in spike, there are other growers as well

Never hurts to ask. They can only say yes or no, advice already given to offer more for such is good

Certainly ask if he has any in bud. Orchid Inn has offered me the option to purchase in-bud plants at a very reasonable added price when available.

I think others have nailed it. If Sam has anything in bud that he is willing to sell he usually puts a small premium on it.

Do as your mother told you long ago, ask nicely. I'm too
old to wait a long time for seedlings and I specifically ask
for multiple growth plants. It's an extra cost, but at least
I have a chance of seeing a more mature plant bloom. Very often the plant(s) I want are not available, but most
Paph./Phrag. vendors will remember your request and do
their best to get what you want. Wonderfully nice people
most of the time.

Can't go wrong with orchid inn, Sam is a great guy who goes out of the way to please his customers. Everybody here has given great advice, I've had the privilege of going there twice now to select plants. I'm like a kid in a candy store there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

and here is what I got from Sam:
http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37175

BTW plants that are in spike, budding, or in bloom may blast as a result of growing from one environment to the next. Most vendors will state they cannot guarantee bloom longevity.