Advice requested

[Orchidity]

Hi,

I just received a few new orchids, one of which is a Cochleanthes amazonica that appears to have been heavily stressed due to underwatering, as many of the leaves are very wrinkled (see pic - yay! I can post pics now!).

My question is, should I request of the vendor that they replace the plant, or just be happy with what I have? It appears healthy, its just very unsightly.

Thanks in advance.

[sandra]

Keep it! Enjoy it! It grows fast, have seen this a lot on the Cochleanthes amazonica and marginata. I have both these orchids and this is common. Keep the plant moist and out of direct bright light. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do.

P.S. The leaves will relax and unfold somewhat with time.

[kmarch]

The question to ask yourself Orchidity is: Did you get what you wanted or what you thought you were going to get? If not, I'd contact the seller about returning the plant. Another way of looking at it is to ask yourself if this orchid in this condition is one you would have chosen if you had been picking out your own plants. If you placed your order expecting to receive a healthy plant then it's probably fair tosay you did not receive what you purchased. Maybe if you knew the plant was stressed or got a hefty discount..... Most good vendors are easy to work with and will replace plants you're not happy with.

While a stressed plant may recover, it may not bloom for you for some time. Leaf pleating caused form dehydration may straighten out somewhat if it is caught and corrected early on, but it won't ever go away entirely.

My feeling is if you order a healthy plant you should receive a healthy plant.

[BunnytheOrchid]

Sounds like it's all up to personal preference, assuming you're not out lots of money. I'm still pretty new with orchids, so I try to find relatively healthy plants because they're a little easier for me than ones you have to bring back from the dead If you like the plant, then I would keep it. Personally, if it's still alive, I wouldn't want to give up on it just yet It can still make it!

[kmarch]

Yes, the plant may still survive but that's not really the point. The point is whether Orchidity received what was paid for. Even though I have hundreds of orchids if I purchase one I would expect it to arrive healthy and in good condition, not stressed and with pleated leaves form dehydration. So....

[PhalPal]

I agree with you Kevin. Orchids and shipping costs are not cheap and I would want a healthy, beautiful orchid, no questions asked. I am generally not in the habit or paying premium prices for rescues.

[BunnytheOrchid]

This is true, it is your money. Again, its all personal preference on what you want to do with the orchid

[PhalPal]

It's possible they will tell you to keep the one you have and they will send you another. Most reputable growers would.

Last year I spent way too much money from Orchid Web on a Phal Mini Mark and a miltonia. The Milt was dry as a bone, out of it's pot and rolling around in the box. Needless to say all the buds blasted. The Phal was sopping wet and rolling around in the box and both have been struggling ever since.

Every time I look at these two orchids I am mad at myself for not calling them on it. Their shipping practices were ridiculous and I paid a premium price for poor quality plants. I'll never make that mistake again.

[BunnytheOrchid]

By the way, As someone who has never bought an orchid online, I'm curious how often people have experienced what phalpal and orchidity are talking about. Is it a toss up, or do people often have better luck than is being talked about here?

[kmarch]

I have, in about 9 years of buying through the post, probably close to 100 orders, I've had only 2 bad experiences.

[Dan_Davis]

I bought From Hawaii last month, I'm in Florida....I wasn't figuring on the freezing weather at all. I thought warm climate to warm climate. But when they sent it to me and I got the tracking thing and I saw it was going to calif. to Kentucky then to Florida. Kentucky had
O degree temps. I thought, thats that. But when I finally received them they looked stressed. Had buds as well. It was chilly here too. But things turned out ok, didn't loose one bud

[articuno75]

I have bought all but 2 of my plants online. Nothing is going to come by shipping a "show winner", unless of course it's brought by a personal courier. All plants are going go have some sort of issue during transport. It's just how extreme and stressful to the plant, and whether the plant can handle it.

Now as Kevin explained, know and expect what you are buying, and upon receiving it, is that what you ordered. I've received plants that had snails, a broken leaf or two, fell out of the pot, etc. Sometimes it hurt the plant badly, others it was no big deal.

I just went through an issue with a vendor and received two plants from them. Both were to be BS Miltassias. Well one was "perfect" with fat juicy psbulbs and looks to bloom this spring. The other, well you seen it on the other thread. It wasn't even one plant. It was many "nubs" stuck in a pot to look like one plant that looked horrible. Not was what I was expecting at all.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by BunnytheOrchid

Is it a toss up, or do people often have better luck than is being talked about here?

I've ordered a lot of orchids over the internet and have never had a problem. Some orchids were definitely not in the best of conditions but to be brief, I haven't always known what to expect, being fairly new to orchids. It's in hindsight that it's been determined. (Ignorance is bliss, sometimes?) The orchid that started this thread originally had a picture posted, a couple of the leaves were accordian-ed which was probably/possibly caused during shipping, from being too dry. I say this because when I received my Cochleanthes, it looked similar and at that time, not knowing exactly what to expect, I assumed it was the natural order of things...in appearance. The leaves, very quickly relaxed and all's been well.

[Orchidity]

Hi,

Thanks for all the responses and advice. I finally looked at the bill, and there was a note that said "wrinkled leaves will grow out-they stayed a bit too dry this past month!", and they threw in a free Pescatoria lehmanii at no charge. Very nice of them I thought. However, although relatively new to orchid growing, it looks like it was a bit too dry the past several months.

Anyway, they were kind enough to point it out, and to provide a freebie, so I will be content with what I received.

My limited experience in buying online (4 vendors so far) has been good, with the exception of this minor wrinkle (pardon the pun). I'm still stymied about the 'substitute size' option offered by vendors, and their explanation of such, but I suppose that is due to my inexperience.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by BunnytheOrchid

I'm curious how often people have experienced what phalpal and orchidity are talking about. Is it a toss up, or do people often have better luck than is being talked about here?

I tend to sing the praises of my favorite nurseries. I've lavished praise on Oak Hill and Krull Smith and other vendors in various places online. The 2 vendors I had problems with, one was an eBay hobbiest seller whom I have not seen selling for more than 5 years now, the other was a vendor here in Australia (also a hobbiest selling off extra plants). So if I do the math I find that I have never had a problem with larger professional nurseries. Here's a short list of the nurseries I've ordered from, at least the ones I can remember off the top of my head spur of the moment, all in the US:

Oak Hill
Piping Rock
Parkside Orchids
Krull-Smith Orchids
Hoosier Orchids
Andy's Orchids
Hawaiian Orchid Farm (not sure I got this name right)

[PhalPal]

I have ordered a lot of orchids (and heaven knows everything else) online and only had the one problem and that was from OrchidWeb. I wouldn't hesitate to order another for one second, different vendor of course.

Oak Hill Gardens is my favorite and their prices are great. I think the vendor that shipped your wrinkled orchid was fair in what they did for you, and besides the wrinkles your new orchid looks very healthy.

[BunnytheOrchid]

Oh my I just noticed the picture. Maybe it didn't load the last time I posted. That does look pretty dramatic. I understand your concern about returning it to the vendor now a lot better! I would be really really concerned too!

[articuno75]

Wow, that plant looks like a prune! BUT It still looks healthy overall. Give it time and the plant will relax. Not all of the pleats will disappear (Sorry), but they will look better. Right now the poor thing is screaming "Water!"

[Orchidity]

Its since been repotted, and I've been giving it encouraging conversation, as well as the care it deserves. It seemed to perk up once learning that while its wrinkles would go away, mine are starting to be a little more permanent.