Orchid Prices

[anna1029]

How much should orchids cost? The cheapest I've seen were at home depot for $25.00 for Phals. Is this reasonable or are there places where I can buy good orchids cheaper????? By the way, I'm in New York area.

Thank you for any help and advice.

[fred]

gee I think this could be a intresting thread.

The prices of orchids vary a fair bit.
some masdevallias start at 9 dollars up to 100
same with Cymbidiums top plants cost top money.
Phals start at 30 dollars and up.
Catts can cost anywhere from 20 dollars up into the 100,s

most orchid growers charge alot lees than the retail prices you see in stores.

so it pays to get to know your local orchid growers or go to some orchid shows and see the trade tables.

[armando81603]

On weekends there is a farmeres market where I work. I can find common plants like phals, brassia, odontglossum,millitonia for 10-15 dollars. Once and a while they have some more exotic plants.

[Vivienne]

I've paid $5 for a masdevallia, paph and phal (each). The Masd. was still in bloom, they wanted to make shelve space. The Paph and Phal were not in bloom. The most I've paid was $40 for my most recent Paph which is in bud with 3 buds. I like to stick with the $20-25 range but I'll spend more for something high on my wish list.

[kmarch]

There are so many variables.

• Are we talking large specimen size, blooming size, near blooming size, or seedlings?
• Are we talking pot plants we grow just for the enjoyment of it or those with award potential?
• Are we talking popular, common hybrids or the latest most innovative hybrids?
• Are we talking plants with pedigrees or noids?
• Are we buying from the clearance table at Lowe's, a reputable orchid nursery, or the corner florist?
• Are we talking healthy well-grown plants or a sad something in need of rescuing?
• Are we talking Phals, Paphs, mini-Catts, Disas, rare Nepanthes, Aussie native Dendrobiums, etc., etc., etc.?
• Oh...and how deep are our pockets?

It's a little like buying a house in miniature. There are a whole set of considerations that make a seller put a certain price on an orchid and another wholeset of considerations that make us decide if we're willing to pay that price.

Ok, so here are some general guidelines I use when determining what i think is reasonable. These are just my personal opinions and others may disagree, even doubt my sanity if they wish.

1) The more mature the plant the more I'll expect to pay. - I'm willing to pay more for a blooming plant than a seedling and more for a multiple growth plant than a single growth plant
2) The higher the flower quality the more I'll expect to pay. - If it is in bloom and I can see the flower is of a high quality, suitable for showing or judging I'm willing to pay more. Or if I simply really like the colour I might be willing to pay alittle more.
3) I find i get the best value buying from orchid nurseries. I used to pay about USD$28 for a nice Phal at the orchid nursery I used to shop at most, which was $8-10 more than I'd pay at a DIY store but I would get a much bigger, much healthier plant with more and better quality flowers, so, a much better value. I avoid florists. Florists typically charge outrageous prices. $50-60 for a Phal I could get at a nursery for half that price.
4) For me, being a noid kills the value of a plant. I buy them, but I won’t pay very much for them. I think the most I have ever paid for a noid was about AUD$18 for a Cymbidium in bloom.
5) I’m not into rescuing plants. If a plant is not healthy, I’ll pass on it even if it is really cheap. I used to rescue plants but now space is so tight for me, every inch needs to be occupied by a plant that is going to produce for me. I recently went to a huge plant auction. There were one or 2 Paph hybrids I really, REALLY wanted bad but I passed on them because the plants weren’t in good health.

New York is a big state and you should be able to find lots of quality orchid nurseries. Look up your nearest orchid society, look in the yellow pages or online for orchid nurseries, or if you have a botanical gardens nearby ask them about orchid nurseries in your area.

In my humble opinion, $25 for a Phal at HD is at the top of what I think is reasonable. If it is a noid….take $10 off. If it has branched or multiple spikes then $25 sounds more reasonable.

I hope there is at least something in this long blah, blah, blah that is helpful. I would really be interested in hearing what others think is too much or is reasonable.

[Sharyn]

Home Depot has a lot of nerve charging $25 for their abused orchids. I have bought some from them, usually $10-$17. If you're lucky and get to the store the same day or near the same day of the orchid delivery, you'll probably get a nice plant. Otherwise, beware, the home improvement stores are not making their money by selling orchids. Their plants are ususally water logged, broken, and quite abused.

E-bay is another one that I wouldn't bother with. Purchased one orchid from e-bay and I was lucky to receive a nice plant, but that's not always the case.
Too often you will receive much smaller orchids than expected and some hefty shipping charges. My e-bay order cost me almost $35 for the plant and shipping. It was a tiny little orchid in a 2.5 inch pot, and certainly not any rare orchid. I won't do it again.

I usually order from a reliable grower. At least you know that your orchid is coming from someone whose livelihood depends on growing and providing good orchids, instead of someone selling tools & lumber. Normally, I stick to $10-$30 range, and have often found great buys of very nice sized plants for less - depends on what you want. I also like instant gratification and buy mature size plants. I don't mind waiting for an orchid to bloom - sometimes over a year - but I don't want to spend several years waiting.

And Kevin is right. It's not worth the time trying to rescue plants for a discounted price. I've tried this too and ended up with rot or plants that quickly went downhill. Sometimes I think these plants end up in home improvement stores because they're already overdue for repotting and the grower has to clear out the stock - therefore, you buy your first orchids not even aware that they need fresh media and very quickly kill them. Well, that's my 2 cents, for whatever it's worth!

[PhalPal]

I agree with absolutely everything kmarch stated above. I buy virtually ALL of my orchids from shows that are abundant here in the Spring. Prices are at least half of what I can get online (even before shipping) and I like picking out the plant myself. The most I have ever paid for a Phal was $40 US - a newer variety/color, just gorgeous, healthy leaves and 2 spikes. That is my absolute top range. Average for a good, blooming Phal is about $15-20. I once bought a very full, mini-cym cascading type with 5 spikes - $45. I'm with kmarch - I won't buy a plant with even slightly soft or ailing leaves, no matter how cheap! If going to shows is just not an option, on-line from a reputable grower is probably your best bet.

[kmarch]

A note on buying orchids on eBay:

I believe buying orchids on eBay is the same as buying anywhere else. I often both buy and sell orchids on eBay and when buying, employ the same aproach there as anywhere. I look for pics of the plant so I can see how big/healthy it is, I look for excellent seller feedback, I ask questions, I consider the cost of postage, I look for return policies, etc., etc. I've bought probably 50-60 plants on eBay and have only ever been really dissapointed once.

[Anton]

There is a Regal Interflora Florist shop just down the street from where I work, they sell Phals for $25 and they are good quality, because they grow orchids themselves and told me they keep what doesn't sell, and that's why they buy good stock, hoping no-one buys them .

That is where I bought the 2 Dens I have on the May Photo Comp, so judge for your self the quality.

The only downside is, they can't supply names. But they ARE healthy plants which is a big plus. They also have a large Epi and Onc which they have a price tag of $35 on, but having seen the flowers, I consider it a good price.

A commercial orchid grower I am going to visit when on holidays in 2 weeks told me he is importing 6 Vandas from Thailand and they should arrive just before I visit him, he is selling them at $300 PER PLANT for 2 collectors here in Adelaide. They must be some plants !

[palito]

I was today, looking at Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowes. ( I'm in texas)

Walmart, had several Mtdmium and Brassia-like orchids, 5 inch pots for $12, huge plants. Phals were $14 big and small.
Home depot had $25 phals and $35 dendrobiums, too expensive.
Lowes had a bunch of phals for $14 and $20. they also had big nice cattleyas hybrids in 4 inch pots for $12.

Prices vary of course, but seeing the range, i would never pay for the typical big box orchid more than $14 in my area.

Ordering online is very expensive. I think it only makes sense when you're obsessed with certain plants and you can buy them all at the same time from the same vendor since the shipping charges are too high. I also try to buy the larges plant, mature size, in spike or after flowering, (usually at a discount price)

re: ebay
yes I agree. most plants sold on ebay are seedlings that you can purchase directly from most vendors online or mail order. for the size of the plants, it's not worth the cost of shipping, might as well place a large order with the original vendor.

[mayres]

A lot of excellent comments on what to expect to pay - by Kevin and others! As noted - a lot depends on exactly what you are looking for. A lot depends on the area where you live and what is available in your area. It would be interesting for someone to post a picture of a particular plant and ask the group what would each person be willing to pay for it?
In our area you can get really nice small phals, paphs, catts, etc. at Trader Joes for $7.99. Large plants for $12.98 - most of them have name tags. Walmart sometimes (usually only a couple times a year) has cheap dends and phals for $9-12. Grocery Stores have lots of both nice and not so nice phals and other orchids (majority are phals) for anywhere from $15-30. Often they take a $15 plant and put in a ceramic pot and double the price! We had some great phals at HD for $13-15 a month ago - some with name tags. As noted by others in this and other threads - get them early in most areas as they are most likely to be overwatered and otherwise abused - plants with rotted roots from well meaning store clerks who water nearly every day will take years to recover. Your best bet is to purchase plants from orchid shows from the growers, at orchid society meetings (from growers and members) - as they are most likely to be healthy and often growing in your environment.

[kmarch]

Palito,

Are the plants you're talking about at the DIY stores noids? $30 for a nice Dendrobium doesn't sound outrageous to me if it is tagged, in flower, and has nice quality flowers.

[brookn]

Hi,

I just wanted to weigh in also. Getting plants from a garden center is a crapshoot. I got my phal. from one and I got lucky, I just happened to walk in the day they had arrived and got myself a little gem that is still blooming her heart out for me. I did have to unpot and remove some of the sphag and carefully put her back in the pot ( I also plan on repotting after she is done blooming). I paid 12.88 and decided it was fair. I would not pay much more from a garden center. Be sure that the plant is healthy, my phal was the only one of the plants that arrived unscathed to the store. If it had been damaged I would not have bought it cause I also have a limit to my space right now. I passed up a phal just yesterday because it looked sickly, I wanted it, but it was just not worth that much time and effort. I still feel bad for the poor little thing, though.

I live in the sticks, so I don't have shows that come very close or very often. When I want a specific plant, I go online. It also costs me more in gas to drive somewhere to look at plants than I would pay for shipping. I bought cattleytonias from a man on ebay, and they came bareroot, dried out, like a little bundle of fake leaves. I followed his instructions, and they are doing wonderfully, the only thing I did different was to use a different potting medium than he suggested. I was supposed to get 2 for 1 and ended getting 3 for 1. I like them so much that I just purchased 3 more plants from him for myself for Mother's Day. I just suggest that you do your homework, and check the seller. The 3 I bought at first was just a test run so to speak, I paid less than 9 dollars, and I figured why not, it is not a lot of money. Once I decided that the seller was good, I went back. You don't have to pay a ton for what you want.

Oh, and I saw a cattleya the other day from a seller, it was gorgeous, awarded...the grower was asking $1500 for a clone. I was absolutely floored. It was a seriously beautiful plant though, I am not sure it was $1500 beautiful, but really cool.

[palito]

kmarch. the dendrobiums come potted in spagh, no tags and in bloom. They are consistently the most expensive orchids in this area. Honestly I don't know why they are worth that much premium over phals in these types of stores. Maybe supply is lower?

[tom499]

i can get a limited range from my garden centre, usually phals. But they have started to selling paphs so i am waiting for those to go out of flower in the shop

They discount them the moment a flower starts to fall only 2 days ago i bought 2 for £14, both very healthy and still with flowers.

only issue is they are noids, which is ok atm but when i become more experienced i wanna know my orchids.

Only other place for me is online, but its often £10 postage for anything, which immediately makes me weary of ordering anything unless i really think its worth it. masd. are £15, so thats £25 for a hybrid in a small pot vandas are closer to £30.

As good a site it is, it still sells orchids to people who give them as gifts for a friends windowsill, who then throw it away after its flowered.

I cant find seedlings for sale except on ebay and i have to be 18 to order from there.

My collection will have "stunted" growth until i can leave home for borneo

[tom499]

I've just been thinking...

Those of you on here with 200+ orchids, are you paying $20 average a plant then?

because thats a scary thought if you are

thats like a $4000 hobby

I used to think once you had so many orchids, you buy them in bulk for cheap then grow them yourselves.

or am i totally get confused and you do buy them in bulk etc, or do you grow your own from seeds from your own orchids?

im confused...

[kmarch]

Hmmm...yeah $30 for a noid Dendrobium, even if it is in bloom seems like way to much in my opinion.

Originally Posted by palito

kmarch. the dendrobiums come potted in spagh, no tags and in bloom. They are consistently the most expensive orchids in this area. Honestly I don't know why they are worth that much premium over phals in these types of stores. Maybe supply is lower?