just wondering

[jtrmd]

I'm still young compared to most the growers I know.I have been at it for 10yrs,but who's to say I am going to put another 30yrs into the hobby.I don't have any plans of trying to make a profit off of it.Lately I have been wondering how one makes an exit.Do you just go out mid winter and turn the heat off to the GH and let nature take its course,maybe give them all away?Has anyone else thought about it?

 

[ehanes7612]

I'm still young compared to most the growers I know.I have been at it for 10yrs,but who's to say I am going to put another 30yrs into the hobby.I don't have any plans of trying to make a profit off of it.Lately I have been wondering how one makes an exit.Do you just go out mid winter and turn the heat off to the GH and let nature take its course,maybe give them all away?Has anyone else thought about it?

i have stopped growing twice..each time before i had 40 square feet of plants ...each time i slowly sold off my collection over a two month period...you can sell online, orchid society and just give away the stuff you cant sell

 

[tim]

donate interesting stuff to a botanic garden for a tax-writeoff...

 

[jtrmd]

ehanes,
I only stopped once about 8yrs ago.It was when during a power outage I cooked just about my whole collection in a little hobby GH I summered everything outdoors in.I was suprised how much stuff survived the mishap.I guess I took a few months off before starting back up.I had too many Catts anyway!


Tim,
How was the Paph forum?I remember you said you wanted to stop by and see the GH,are you still in Baltimore?

 

[Shiva]

I stopped growing orchids between 1987 and 2001 for a variety of reasons. Sold or gave my collection away and left the rest to my cats to munch away. I didn't expect to come back but then an old friend had me kept her small collection while she went on holidays, and I got hooked again. One very fragrant Zygopetalum was mostly responsible.

 

[Clark]

When the time comes, I will make three attempts to get rid of them.
Whatever is left over after 14 days, compost.

 

[Ray]

I started killing - er, I mean GROWING - orchids in 1973. The only time I have stopped was when my entire collection was wiped out by a heater and alarm failure on a 7°F night in January of 1994. I bought a cymbidium at the Philly Flower Show that March, and have never looked back.

I figure this is more likely to be my wife's problem when I die.

 

[Ross]

I have also thought about what happens to my collection when I die. Julie could keep things going for a while, but ultimately wouldn't want to continue the business. I've toyed with the idea of somehow selling whatever Julie did not want, and creating an endowment for the two Minnesota orchid societies for the purpose of paying to bring in speakers on slipper orchids. It's kind of a grandiose idea, but maybe one that could be made to work.

 

[NYEric]

I have never thought about stopping. Why would I do that? If you need to get rid of stuff you do know a group w/ similar interests! oke:

 

[nikv]

The SlipperTalk Auction is just around the corner . . . . .

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

I've only been growing orchids for 5 years, but I have noticed that if I don't "cull" my collection often I get frustrated/bored/neglectful/resentful of them. Orchids can take a significant amount of time to care for properly and I find its best not to waste my time, energy, & resources on plants that aren't performing or I don't like.
I'll take them to the society raffle table or throw them out (depending on whats wrong with them). I've had to learn to be less invested in plants that don't interest me.

 

[Marc]

I'm relatively young in the hobby as well. Allthough I'm only involved for two years now and I'm only 31 myself I've seen and heard a lot because of my parents. As most of you know they are to blame for my hobby.

I've heard of collections needed to be picked up after someone has passed away.
I've witnissed a collection being partially sold of and partially left to die during the winter because of health issues the grower had.
And I've heard of a collection being sold of because the owner was coming of age and he took a year to get rid of all / most of his collection. That way he was able to get at least a reasonable price for some of his plants and he was sure that most of the would live on.

 

[SlipperKing]

I've been actively implementing my plan for the last couple of years now and will continue to do so until my last breath! Anything I consider to be special, whether it's awarded, one of a kind, rare,a species or high award potential. I will divide, sell or trade or even give-a-way to folks I think can grow it on. Who knows, maybe someday in the distant future people will be saying "Oh, I got this from so-n-so who tells me it came from that old-timer way down in south Texas back in the early 2000's"!!!! Of course all that talk will be happening while people are buzzing a round in their spaceships!LOL
Hell, look we still have a bunch of bulldog Paphs from merry ole England, Maudiae 'Los Osos', St Swithins 'Penn Valley', roth 'CE'....it could happen!

 

[Shiva]

That would be cool, Rick. I can think of a nice catt in flower stuck on the spaceship dashboard. Make it so Number One!

 

[jtrmd]

I've been actively implementing my plan for the last couple of years now and will continue to do so until my last breath! Anything I consider to be special, whether it's awarded, one of a kind, rare,a species or high award potential. I will divide, sell or trade or even give-a-way to folks I think can grow it on. Who knows, maybe someday in the distant future people will be saying "Oh, I got this from so-n-so who tells me it came from that old-timer way down in south Texas back in the early 2000's"!!!! Of course all that talk will be happening while people are buzzing a round in their spaceships!LOL
Hell, look we still have a bunch of bulldog Paphs from merry ole England, Maudiae 'Los Osos', St Swithins 'Penn Valley', roth 'CE'....it could happen!

I kind of like this idea.I already have few people who will probably clear out all the good stuff in the GH before my body is even cold.Whoever gets them better bloom that cooksonii,because I put a lot of time into it over the years.

 

[Marc]

I kind of like this idea.I already have few people who will probably clear out all the good stuff in the GH before my body is even cold.Whoever gets them better bloom that cooksonii,because I put a lot of time into it over the years.

It sounds a bit harsh but that is the best. I've allready seen plants being rescued from a greenhouse after the owner has passed away. Of course the relatives tried to take of the house untill it was cleared out. But a few weeks of less ideal care makes itself noticeable very fast in a collection. Espescially when it's summer.

 

[SlipperFan]

Several times in the last few years, my society has been asked to rescue orchids from either ill or deceased orchidists. It's really sad, because by the time we are asked, the orchids have been neglected for months and are either mostly dead or have such bad insect infestations that they are mostly not worth rescuing. I hope I can disperse my collection before that happens to mine.

 

[Orchidnut57]

I have never thought about stopping. Why would I do that? If you need to get rid of stuff you do know a group w/ similar interests! oke:

Exactly...why would you give up something that is fun and legal.
Challenging at times but your mind will never sleep(nor will you)

 

[paphioboy]

I don't like to think of this but perhaps one could donate/auction off the plants to your local society or donate to a botanic garden/conservatory of some sort..

 

[Ruth]

We had one of our members shut down his greenhouse, he had about 60 plants. I contacted our our society that his plants were available, and they all found new homes with in 2 days.