Orchids 'shopping' - A few tips...

       I began my collection by focusing mainly on species orchids at first, though I have a few hybrids here and there. But since I've been entering orchid shows and competitions. My collection began to expand towards both hybrids and species. I've learned a lot by joining local orchids societies. Getting to know a lot of people with the same interest, educate you more about orchids in an informal way. Because of this I began to be more selective. Obtaining selected hybrids and species are sometimes as a matter of luck and you got to have quite a persuasive power to get the orchid you wanted especially from the orchid vendors or individual who reluctant to sell their plant. Well..sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don't..no sweat..at least you've tried..

       Here is a few tips that you should remember if you want to find a good quality orchid plants.

- The flower must have a good colouration, striking, with a good contrast between light and dark.  

 Warna bunga orkid itu hendaklah terang dan mempunyai kontras yang jelas di antara warna gelap dan cerah. Bunga kelihatan 'bersih' walaupun mempunyai bintik atau garis-garis atau ton warna

- The arrangement of the flowers ( if they are in long spike) are not too crammed or too loose..and they are uniform and elegantly arranged.  

Susunan bunga jangan terlalu rapat atau terlalu renggang. Seragam dan tersusun.

- The shape of the individual flower- generally full rounded flowers are preferred ( this depend on the genera).  
Secara amnya bentuk bunga yang bulat lebih menjadi pilihan. (Ini bergantung kepada jenis orkid)

- The texture of the petals must be thick and overall look 'heavy' and solid.

Kelopak bunga seboleh-bolehnya kelihatan tebal dan bunga nampak 'berat'.

- All the flowers must be uniformly perfect with no deformity or less flower than the plants normally have.  

Semua bunga pada satu tangkai hendaklah sempurna, tidak cacat walaupun sekuntum dan mempunyai jumlah bunga yang sepatutnya ada pada jenis pokok tersebut.

- If the flowers are in long spray look for the one that open at the end or in the middle of the spray first cause they tend to last longer.( this especially good for Rhyncostylis, Liparis, Dendrochilum, Coelogyne or Eria)  

Jika kuntuman bunga di dalam satu tangkai yang panjang, cari yang bunganya kembang di bahagian tengah atau hujung terlebih dahulu kerana keseluruhan tangkai bunga akan lebih tahan lama.( Contoh: Rhyncostylis, Liparis, Dendrochilum, Coelogyne atau Eria)

- Try as you can, look for the plant that is healthy, leaves should be free of blemishes or rusty spots and streaks. Grow vigorously with the newest lead are bigger than the previous ones with a good root system.  

Cuba cari pokok yang  sihat, daun-daunnya bebas dari tompok-tompok, bintik hitam/kuning atau coklat. Tumbuh segar dengan cabang yang terbaru lebih besar dari yang sebelumnya dan mempunyai pertumbuhan akar yang sihat.

- If you buy a small plant grown from seedling or clones, this is a bit of a gamble actually cause sometimes they are not the plants that has been shown..( not that the vendors try to trick you but seedlings looks quite samey that even they got confused). And seedlings can produce a slightly different flowers than the mother plants sometimes less, sometimes even better.

Jika hendak membeli anak orkid dari biji benih atau klon, sedikit sebanyak ia bergantung kepada nasib kerana ada kalanya pokok yang ditunjukkan tidak betul. ( bukan kerana penjual orkid hendak menipu tetapi kadang-kadang mereka juga tersilap atau keliru kerana kebanyakan anak orkid kelihatan sama). Adalah lebih baik membeli pokok yang sudah berbunga kerana kita tidak tersilap kerana bila berbunga orkid itu akan sedikit berbeza daripada pokok induknya, sama ada kurang baik, sama, atau lebih cantik.

       So..basically these are a few characteristics that you should think and be familiar with, before buying or trying to identify a good plant. In order to have a good eye on selecting orchids for your collection you have to look at a lot of orchid pictures, so you can judge it by yourself..plus it could save you from frustrations later on..more tips coming soon..

Ini adalah sedikit panduan kepada mereka yang baru hendak berjinak-jinak dengan orkid. Banyak-banyakkan melihat gambar untuk melatih mata kita, membaca buku berkenaan orkid dan bertanya mereka yang lebih arif. Perkara-perkara di atas perlu kita ingat sebelum hendak membeli pokok orkid yang diidamkan supaya kita tidak kecewa kelak..Lebih banyak panduan akan saya berikan nanti..

"Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, 

drawing them from their homes."
-  Clare Ansberry, The Women of Troy Hill