How to avoid being scammed when buying orchids? Keep these precautions in mind
In recent years, on the one hand, people's material living standards have gradually improved, and their spiritual level has also risen along with the improvement in quality of life; on the other hand, orchids have gradually moved from a formerly niche circle toward the mainstream, and have been accepted and recognized by the general public. Coupled with the rapid development of the internet, all kinds of orchid knowledge, appreciation knowledge and cultivation knowledge are spread efficiently and conveniently, making it easier and cheaper for orchid enthusiasts to obtain such knowledge. This has led to more and more orchid enthusiasts and growing demand for orchids, which in turn has produced numerous merchants who make their living and build their business on orchids. Because of the particular nature of orchids, it is impossible to accurately judge whether an orchid variety is genuine without seeing the flower, and this has given some unscrupulous merchants an opening to recklessly peddle fake and inferior goods, harming the vast number of orchid enthusiasts. Therefore, when choosing and buying orchids we should look more and buy less, check more information, observe more to find good merchants, and buy from good merchants. There is one more point that must be noted: do not covet bargains, because cheap goods are surely no good, and you will be cheated without any argument. When shopping online, never believe shop reputation and reviews, because all of these can be faked. Only fame and the person can serve as important reference points. If a seller is unknown and has high reputation, it is one hundred percent fake goods, or a mix of real and fake. If you do not believe it, go take a look on Taobao! Below are some practical methods for everyone's reference!
First, orchid plants that are small seedlings or weak seedlings must not be bought. When buying orchids, do not choose a single small or weak seedling; there is no problem if a large seedling accompanies it. Do not covet cheap prices. Unscrupulous merchants know this well, because low prices can effectively raise the conversion rate of transactions. Spring Orchid old variety Song Mei at 9.9 per seedling, Huilan Da Yipin at 9.9 per seedling, Huilan Cheng Mei at 19.9 per seedling - these prices look frightening, yet a large number of people still get scammed. The reason cannot really be said to be that they are seeking cheap prices; rather, they do not understand. But if those of us who do understand still buy such things, then that is wanting to gain a small advantage. Compare more merchants, and never buy the cheapest. Remember that the buyer can never outcalculate the merchant, and merchants need to account for costs; they will absolutely never do something below cost. In addition, small and weak seedlings recover strength slowly during cultivation, are hard to bring into flower, are difficult to cultivate, and are not easy to keep alive. Orchid lovers must firmly remember this point: when buying, absolutely do not buy a single small seedling, unless your skills are exceptional.
Second, orchids whose pseudobulbs are smaller than those of the same variety and have problems must not be bought. Orchids do not have true stems, only pseudobulbs. The pseudobulb is the "warehouse" where the orchid stores water and nutrients. The quality and size of the pseudobulb play a key role in the orchid's growth, health, rooting, sprouting and flowering, so this point must be noted. Huilan pseudobulbs are especially small, Spring Orchid and Lianban are also relatively small, while other orchids are larger. You must judge whether they are normal and healthy according to the size of the original orchid type, and make comparisons. You cannot say that because Huilan pseudobulbs are small they are unacceptable; that is incorrect. You must always compare within the same variety.
Third, orchid plants with poor roots must not be bought. Orchid roots serve to anchor the plant and transport water and nutrients to it. The quality of the roots is extremely important for the orchid's growth, sprouting and flowering. As the saying goes: "White roots are strong, yellow roots are diseased, black roots are dead." Therefore, no matter how good the variety of orchid, as long as the roots are short, broken, rotten, black or yellow, they must absolutely not be taken. But you also need a certain ability to distinguish. Orchid roots in a greenhouse are white and tender - can you say they are good? Roots grown in the open air are uneven and even yellow - can you say they are bad? If the entire root is black, it definitely must not be taken.
Fourth, orchid plants whose leaf count does not reach the required number are best not bought. There is a saying when buying orchid plants: "3 in spring, 4 in summer," meaning that a Spring Orchid counts as one seedling only when it has 4 leaves, and a Spring Orchid with 3 leaves or a summer Huilan with 4 leaves does not count as a seedling or counts as half a seedling. According to the characteristics of each orchid variety, one should choose Spring Orchid with 4 leaves, Huilan with 7 leaves, Lianban Orchid with 6 leaves, Chunjian with 5 leaves, Jianlan with 3 leaves, Molan with 4 leaves, and Hanlan with 4 leaves as one seedling when buying.
Fifth, those whose flowers have not been seen are best not bought. No matter which type of Chinese orchid variety, if you want to obtain a superior orchid with good flower presentation and good petal shape, and avoid being scammed, it is best to stick to the principle of buying orchids only after seeing the flowers. Otherwise it is very difficult to obtain satisfactory orchids. This is especially true for Huilan: if you do not see the flower, it is even harder to obtain a good variety. That said, being able to produce a good flower presentation is a test of the orchid grower's skill and is also what orchid growers pursue. Everyone wants their flowers to produce the most ideal presentation. Flower presentation will differ due to environment, region and cultivation level, but the major morphological characteristics will not change.
Sixth, orchids whose flowers are not fragrant when blooming are best not bought. Orchid growers all know that orchids are honored as the "ancestor of fragrance," "national fragrance," "king's fragrance" and "the finest fragrance under heaven." If the orchid plant you buy has flowers that are not fragrant, has poor petal shape, and has no leaf variegation, you should return it to nature to grow. Although not fragrant, Douban Orchid and Spring Orchid with especially good color and petal shape are also pursued by Japanese and Korean people, so you may also consider growing them for their color and petals.
Seventh, orchids with few plants must not be bought. When choosing and buying orchids, it is best to choose one with 3 plants or more. Because few plants mean weak disease resistance, it is not easy to keep alive, and some merchants will even ship a single plant. Stay away from such merchants; they are too irresponsible. Properly, they should inform you that 1 plant is too weak and cannot be sold, because when a beginner takes 1 plant home it will basically die, with no suspense at all!
Eighth, orchids with pests or diseases must not be bought. When buying orchids, be sure to carefully check the surface of every leaf to see whether there are disease spots that are not easy to notice, such as Baylas disease. Pay even more attention to checking whether there are pests such as scale insects and whiteflies inside the leaf tips.
As long as we can choose and buy orchids according to the above points, even if the price is a bit higher, the survival rate is high, the seedling production rate is high, and the reblooming rate is high, which can greatly reduce your risk of being scammed. Identify unscrupulous merchants, and when you find one, block them directly, draw a clear line, never go to them again, and stay away from them. When you meet a good merchant, cherish them, because good merchants are truly rare! Author: Lan Fei. I publish orchid knowledge and pictures every day, taking you to understand orchids in depth and teaching you to grow orchids easily. If there is anything you do not understand about orchids, you can ask me at any time or leave a message below. If you like it, you can click the bookmark in the upper right corner or forward it to help others!