mainly aimed at UK growers :) but for anyone.

[tom499]

I've kinda got the hang of growing orchids now, i have a few phals, paphs and a few others, all flowering size. But i want to start growing plants from a younger and smaller size. I would also hope they would be cheaper so i could buy more and try other ways of growing them.

the problem is i cant find many places that sell baby orchids, or seeds. i would prefer baby orchids i could grow up to flowering myself, but i fancy trying seeds too.

If anyone knows any good sites or places to go, my local area doesnt have anything obvious in the way of orchid specialists, so i can confined to garden centres.

many thanks in advance, tom

[Ak_Orchid]

I would suggest buying flasks of orchids next. Usually you get anywhere from 15-35 orchids per flask depending on the species and size of the flask. They can be grown in community pots or planted individually in trays. I've grown hundreds of orchids from flask, and enjoy watching them grow from seedlings to mature plants. Often orchids in flasks are from seed and can produce a wide range of different looking orchids.

[tom499]

These are the plants in jam jars? you must excuse my newbie behaviour hehe. I think i read a few posts on them, but they seemed quite complicated. are they expensive? where would be the best place to get them? it sounds like the challenge i want for your

[Ak_Orchid]

They can come in a variety of glass beakers, jam jars or other similar type containers. With many of them, you actually have to break the glass in order to get the orchids out without harming them. Most of the flasks I've purchased were ordered over the internet from a variety of places with the average price of $1 per plant, plus shipping. They do require that you keep a close eye on them for a while after you remove them from the flask. You don't want them to totally dry out for a while as they're used to high humidity levels. A lot of places charge more for their flasks, but if you shop around most of them can be purchased for a resonable price.

[tom499]

i've had a look on the net, phals seem popular. i plan to grow phals, paphs and a few vandas, i would guess that phals are the best to start with?

[BillC]

Hi Tom, Go to the forum ' Orchid Flasking and Seed Germination '. Read the thread started by Dave with the title ' Flasks '. You will find all the information that you will need on growing from a flask. Read particularly the post by Joseph Stanley. See also ' orchidflasks.co.uk ' for supplies. Bill

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I thnk 2" pot plants would be next, not flasks. That is too big a jump to try flasks. Even I haven't been successful with flasks yet. Check out your local ebay for seedlings, if you can't find a mail order orchid company in the UK.

[tom499]

i'm not 18 so legally i cant have an ebay account
are there other places i can buy "baby orchids"? or seeds.

[jerrymeola]

I agree with Cynthia that you should next go to pots rather than flasks.

Actually the cost will not be very different.

At $1 per plant for flasks, you can double or triple that for the expense of growing them to 1 inch pots and double again for growing to 2 inches. These are commercial numbers for nurseries like myself upon which we make financial decisions.

So a $1/plant flask is about $4-6 at two years old. You should be able to buy many 2" pots at retail (US Market) for $7-10. Also what are you going to do with 5-10 (after losses) similar plants if you do get them up to blooming size.

The big advantage with flasks is that they can be imported without health issues in that they are in sterile solution. Only cities documents are required. If you were interested in an Asian hybrid this is the only way to get them before they become generally available. It is not an issue in your situation.

The big disadvantage is that flasks are hard to grow if you o not have a controlled environment. I can not raise plants from flasks, and it is not cheap enough for me to try. The majority of my plants I buy at 1-2 inches

One inch plugs if available in your area are cheaper and about 2-3 years from blooming. Two inch pots depending on species can bloom within one year and almost always (I am referring to common hybrids) within two years.

[tom499]

ok so buying flasks is cheaper per plant, but i need all the extra kit.

buying small plants sounds good, but im having trouble finding places to get them. most commerical places only offering flowering or "flowering size" plants.
i found a few hybrid paph like "ho chi minh" but its still £7 and im not even sure how big or small it will be.
i've done a search for my area on net and yellow pages etc and dont seem to be any local orchid nurseries, rather frustrating.