orchids
Elegant and beautifully exotic, Orchids are one of nature's most beloved treasures.
Delicate flowers with vivid colours and intricate detail capture our imagination and invoke the curiosity of escaping to ancient worlds and far away places.
Latin name and family
Phalaenopsis | Orchidaceae
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Particularities
Many flowers, blooms year-round, unique varieties, colorful.
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About
There are over sixty species of Phalaenopsis, including many natural hybrids. We produce several varieties of Phalaenopsis in 2.5" pots ranging in colour from white to yellow to purple. Retail chain stores, garden centers and florists will benefit by our wide range of upgrades.
Our Orchids are monitored and tested for genetic and growth characteristics including colour, size, shape of the leaves and flowers, disease resistance, and shelf life.
Sizes & Pack
2.5": 15, 24, 28, 32 units/pack
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Available in: almost unlimited color varieties.
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Stages
Various stages are available including plugs, pre-finished, semi-finished, and finished.
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Upgrades
Choose from many stylish and retail designer upgrades such as decorative pots, ceramic pots, self-watering pots.
LIGHT
WATER
TEMPERATURE
FERTILIZER
Orchids need bright indirect light. A North-west or South-east facing window is ideal. Direct sunlight may scorch the leaves and lead to premature bud drop.
Bottom watering is preferred, by leaving the plant in water for about 15 minutes. Then, drain thoroughly until all excess water has dripped out.
Orchids will grow well in daily temperatures between 59 and 77 °F. They must be protected from any hot or cold drafts.
Twice a month, from March to October only. Use a balanced fertilizer with a 12-12-12 ratio. Don't feed in spring and summer.
If the plant is not getting enough light, leaves will droop and turn very dark green. If the plant has been exposed to too much light, leaves may bleach yellow.
Only water when the roots are white or grey in colour. After giving water, the roots should take on a greenish colour.
Orchids thrive in high-humidity environments.
Use a 10-30-20 formula to promote blooming.
AVAILABILITY
2.5″
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Named after the Greek "phalaena" (moth) and "opsis" (looks like), Phalaenopsis is often called the "Moth Orchid" for its resemblance to a moth in flight. One of the most popular orchids, Phalaenopsis is native to regions throughout Southeast Asia, from the Himalayan Mountains to the Philippines and areas in northern Australia. The first Phalaenopsis species was described in 1753, but it wasn’t until the early 1800s that naturalists started shipping orchids to Europe. However, no one could figure out how to create more of them. Demand for these tropical orchids kept rising, but no one in Europe could reliably produce them. Orchid fever ran so hot that the wealthiest orchid lovers hired professional collectors to travel to faraway jungles and send plants back home, but they often dried up on the journey back. It took around 400 years of trying and countless experiments taken by professors and scientist for anyone to understand what makes an orchid seed grow into a plant. Then, in the 1970s, Dutch growers finally started mass-producing Phalaenopsis by using a cloning technique discovered by Donald Wimber, a cell biologist. Growers in the Netherlands started raising plants for the American market too. Then, in the early 1980s, a research geneticist in a USDA lab wanted to create an ideal houseplant for the general consumer: attractive, colorful, fragrant, and with long-lasting flowers. He started working on a commercial variety of Phalaenopsis, which was still rare and expensive at that time. Then Taiwan got involved, with a new cloning technique that created even more plants in a shorter period of time. By the 1990s, it finally became possible to buy orchids in many colors and patterns, for less than ever before. Once exotic, rare, and delicate, these orchids have been transformed into a commodity—inexpensive, widely available, and completely familiar.
the journey of a gem: from exotic rarety to low-cost plant
Many thanks to Atlas Obscura for the story.
