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United States Department of Agriculture
Regulations:
In accordance with the regulations of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, orchids exported to the United States
must be shipped either bareroot or growing on coconut husk. Orchidom's orchid culture is designed to
meet these requirements while delivering plants to customers that will suffer little or no
set-back. Our growing procedures, coupled with a shipping program that is able to get
Orchidom plants from our shipping dock to our customers' greenhouses within two
or three days, minimize the stress caused by processing, packing and shipping.
The company uses three different growing media and cultural regimes to accommodate
the export process: First, New Zealand sphagnum, second, construction-size
gravel, and third, chunks of coconut husk.
The first two are easily removed without damaging the roots, while the third is
shipped with the rootball intact.
Phalaenopsis:
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We grow our Phalaenopsis in fairly loosely-packed
New Zealand
sphagnum moss. Plants are watered thoroughly before being removed from their
pots. The wet sphagnum can then be removed very easily and with very minimal
disturbance of the roots. The plants are then dipped in a fungicide/bactericide
solution and allowed to dry thoroughly before being packed for shipment.
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Our experience has shown that if Phals processed for shipment in
this fashion are,
upon arriving at the customer's greenhouse, re-potted into sphagnum moss, the plant will scarcely
notice that it has been re-potted.
Other water-retentive media can produce the same benefits as
sphagnum, but we believe that the use of dry media such as bark may lead to less
favorable results.
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Phalaenopsis with spikes at a height of 6" to 12", and higher,
are successfully shipped to customers year-round.
Dendrobiums:
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We grow our Dendrobiums in 4" and 4 1/2" pots with three or four
chunks of coconut husk. For export, the pots are simply removed and the plant is
processed for shipment with the rootball intact. Upon receiving the plants, the
customer simply drops the plant into a 5" or 6" pot with as much additional
medium as is required to fill the pot. We recommend course gravel or other
non-water retentive medium, but prefer gravel because it adds stability for the
plant.
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Shipping Dendrobiums growing on coconut husks without disturbing
the roots accommodates the shipping of plants in-spike, and most of our
customers experience no problem with spike damage or bud blast.
Cattleyas and Oncidiums:
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We grow our Cattleyas and Oncidiums in both construction gravel
and on chunks of coconut husk, enabling shipping either bareroot or with an
intact rootball.
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Customers report success with both, but in-bud or in-spike plants
generally can only be successfully exported with an intact coconut husk rootball.
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Plants received from Orchidom growing on chunks
of coconut husks should simply be dropped into the next size pot with whatever
extra medium may be necessary to fill the pot. We recommend gravel or other
relatively dry medium because the intact coconut rootball was accustomed to
rapid drying after each watering, and any significant amount of water-retentive
medium around the rootball can lead to root rot.
We prefer gravel because its weight adds stability for the plant.
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We recommend
that customers receiving barerooted plants re-pot into an open mix, or large turface or lava rock. With the rootball wet, simply
shake a little of the medium into the root mass, then place it lightly in the
pot and pour the medium around the rootball to the appropriate level. This
treatment should ensure that any set-back suffered by the plant will be minimal.
We welcome any questions you may have about the continuing culture of Orchidom
plants and welcome your telephone calls or your e-mail messages.
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