I used to like species but as my hobby matures, I prefer hybrids because they are just hardier and more vigorous. Hybrids are like domesticated orchids that are bred to suit our lifestyle.
This video 🙌🏾 I don’t even have words. If you weren’t my favorite before, you definitely are now! I love this! You have to be respectful in any hobby and consider what we are doing isn’t natural so we have to respect the environment, I absolutely love how you word this! Amazing video and message ☀️
I recently purchased my very first phalaenopsis from a grocery store and I am fascinated! I always thought orchids were difficult to keep alive and expensive. However, my sis had hers rebloom this spring and I figured if she could do it so could I. I found your channel a few days ago and I have to say it has provided me with a wealth of information. I’m hooked!!! I’ve repotted, fed and found the perfect spot in my home to display her. Thank you so much for your videos. ❤
Here in Southwest Florida, we have an amazing botanical garden, Selby’s, which has a spectacular program to refurbish the Everglades with native orchids which have been poached over the years. For several years I volunteered on the project and learned an awful lot about orchids in their natural habitat. In Naples, Florida, there is a nature park which hosts 1 Ghost orchid visible to the visitors. You can only see it with binoculars as it is very high on a tree and quite far from the trail. Last year, on a scorching, mosquito infested July day, I went to see it and fell madly in love. Probably due to a combination of its beauty and rarity 😍. Additionally, I understand that Ghost orchids are very difficult to grow as they have some very specific requirements. So, even if you can find a reputable grower and can afford a seedling (they are very expensive) beware that your chances for success are very small😱
Thank you for using your platform to bring attention to this topic - it's great that as a community we can be aware and share knowledge of how and why to prevent poaching ❤ one thing I will say, is that the flip side to the 'dont buy species' coin is that without people cultivating and careing about these plants they may be just as likely to become extinct via lack of respect for natural habitat and nobody fighting for their right to exist, because nobody would know about them or care to the same level. I think a balanced approach is needed, and holding sellers accountable to where they are sourcing from! It shocks me that people can say they care about plants and then actively do harm to their natural habitat-there are more important things than money and for me, plants remind me of that life rythem so I hope we can all find meaningful ways to end abuse of the natural world 😊
Exactly this is why it's great to have public arboretums & whatnot... It's good to have a SMALL number of these unusual species on public display in order to raise awareness about their importance in the natural environment instead of a bunch of private collectors hording them.
Love this video. I know you’ve talked about it in the past in other videos, but I think it’s so important to remind people of these things periodically, since a lot of new followers won’t go back and watch older content
Great video👍🏻👍🏻!I'm glad you touched upon this issue of toxicity in the orchid/houseplant community...Unfortunately nowadays there's plenty of toxic people that essentially use rare plants like a ultra expensive designer handbag,they're not actually passionate about the plants themselves they're only interested in using it as a mere status symbol.These people tend to be pretty narcissistic & I stay very far away from them,they're a hazard to BOTH plants & people 🤢!I don't care what any "plant snob" may say...I'll always love my humble phalenopsis hybrids that I've gotten from supermarkets😉🌱.
There are plenty of ghost orchids out there that are grown from flask and are in nurseries. They are finicky even for the best and I couldn't imagine one surviving taken from the wild. Also there are places that are developing and many species are endangered because of our expansion in this case I would rather orchids be collected and conserved than completely destroyed from someone flame clearing property for, vineyards etc. Without species we do not have hybrids. That is why species are important. There are some plants that can not be remade at all or will take generations or years of work.
Hi Dani, another awesome and important video. Ty for making this one. The issue of saving our remaining wild habitats needs to be brought up more. The last of our biodiversity needs to be protected. Thank you again for making this video. Hope you and everyone has a great day.
I love species because they are so different and unique compare to the highly available hybrids. But hybrids are more vigorous, easier to grow with bigger flowers ❤ a bit of both and to remember where those hybrids come from. Thank you for another great video 🌿
Been following many many years. Thank you for all your work into such an expansive collection of incredibly helpful videos! Congrats on half a million subscribers! 🎉🎉🎉
I've started seeing this type of trend collection in jewel orchids. People are wild poaching tons of stuff and posting about it. It's a bit disturbing.
Poaching is a really complex and divisive issue. In countries with native orchids, the population declines rapidly because of habitat destruction for infrastructure, agriculture, legal/illegal logging, and Orchid hunting/poaching since the Victorian era. Many hybrids exist today are actually the product of those activities. While a small seller today may sells small amounts of plants for small money (as in many cases in South East Asia and South America) because of economic/poverty issue, many big nurseries/collectors in Victorian era collected thousand amounts of plants and the competition to get an exclusive and new species also led the hunters to destroy the remaining native populations in the forest. Many nurseries today are still actively involved in poaching to get the parent plants for hybridization or to replenish the genetic diversity of their species collection. Since many species are recrossed to their siblings for decades (especially Paphiopedilum species because they cannot be propagated by tissue culture), genetic pools can be reduced greatly, hence the need for different genetic pools of the same species. However, many experts in botany are not strictly against selling species if there's strong reasons for that. For example, the native habitats of the orchids are going to be destroyed anyway because of the reason above, and local people and botanists' voices are not the strong voices against the project; then the only way to save the orchids is to sell them, and hoping at least they'll survive in cultivation. So, a homegrower can actually help species to survive in this case. A responsible nursery like Ecuagenera actually exists for that reason. Many species are losing their habitat rapidly, and growing native orchids species gives economic incentive to local people as long as they're trained to cultivate, propagate, and conserve the remaining population no matter how small it's left. And many genera such as Maxillaria and Paraphalaenopsis are more common in cultivation as a species anyway. So, for a responsible grower, it's really important to research more about the orchids that they get.
Very well said Danni! I agree we should be making sure we are getting our orchids from a sustainable source that isn't poaching these plants. It's a huge issue right now with succulents/cacti too 😔
Hello Danny, so happy that you chose this subject, I just listened to Summer Rayne's Bad Seeds podcast and WOW, who knew the costs that some go to in order to sell or acquire some plants. I personally have only had 2 species of orchids and found them to be more of a challenge than hybrids to grow and bloom, but even with that. I could never obtain any plant that some plant poached. Its a very sad situation and hopefully YT like you and Summer Rayne shedding light on this subject will help slow it down and stop it.
I only have hybrids & very happy with them. If people want to see others go into the area they grow ... with respect for the area don't destroy it. So agree with you Danny.😍
Thank you for posting this! I look for color, shape, pattern and/or fragrance in my orchid babies. Some could be species but if they don't handle south Florida weather then i have another lesson that i have learned to not repurchase. I love my vigorous hybrids. Free blooming orchids make me sooo happy!
I really enjoyed your video on hybrids so thank you. I feel very much the way you do about preferring them for the seemingly limitless colour combinations & shapes. They truly are the most wondrous of plant species. Best wishes 👍👍
Danny you are totally right. Maybe if we where living in the 19 century, during the Victorian era where orchids collecting was an hobbyist for the rich. They would travel to some exotic tropical rainforest to bring home some rare and exotic orchids to added to their collection. Now days it’s all about money. Finding a rare orchid can bring you a lot of money. That is why I only purchased hybrids only. Save the rare orchid for the next generation and if you want to hunt for rare orchids in the tropic do it with a camera and leave the orchid undisturbed in its environment. (Oh, don’t forget to bring a lot of mosquito repellent.) 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thanks so much for the friendly reminder about the conservation issues behind our hobby. There's a lot to learn about this, and so much more caring and work to be done. Also your videography of the hybrids elevated them to star status. Great work!
If you are buying plants in Europe, its mandatory for them to have a "Plant passport" either as a sticker or as a label or printed directly in the pot. And part of the info there indicates its origin and how to trace the plant. It's difficult if you buy particular to particular to get it, but I ended up deciding that the preservation of wild orchids is more important to me than getting that weird specie, so now I dont buy a plant without passport to trace it's origin.
Thank You Danny for this video. We all need a reminder in the plant community of this and to be mindful.. I will keep spreading the word in all the plant communities I'm in as well. I will also when visiting growers / plant shops ask questions and educate.
Hi Danny, great video, thanks for sharing your knowledge and your platform to inform people of the seriousness of pouching from the wild. You showed so many beautiful hybrids that makes everyone to fall in love with the hybrids. Thanks for the lovely video and happy growing. By the way the phal Bonnie vasques is gorgeous, what is the fragrance like?
Many hybrids probably arent actual hybrids. So the definition of a species is “a population that can effectively breed between generations” aka their offspring are not sterile. Most hybrids are fertile, so they can effectively breed, which means orchid species aren’t actually distinct species but subspecies populations within the same species. That being said; orchids and flowering plants have polyploidy, multiple chromosome replication, which confer more genetic material and a wider range of genetic expressions possible per plant (eg the expression of a protein or trait). Considering this and the common knowledge that heterozygous traits allow individuals to be more adaptable; a lot of orchid species are just highly specialized; “relatively inbred” populations, so it’s no wonder many orchid hybrids are way more vigorous since they are not only fertile and not technically hybrids (in the technical sense) but also have way more genetic variance that helps them adapt to different conditions.
I received Phal. ARK's Kaiulani this week. Looks so similar to your Bonni Vasquez that my heart did a little jump when I saw it on your table. Looking forward to the fragrance coming in. Hybrids rock!
Love this video (and Summer’s new series as well). I don’t really understand the trend of paying crazy amounts of money to have something just because it is insanely expensive and other people can’t have it. Maybe I’m just stubborn and don’t like others telling me what I should like or think. The herd mentality really annoys me. I much prefer to do my research, find the tried and true, as well as make sure I’m not harming anyone or the environment. I would only have a plant that is endangered if I knew I was capable and competent enough to contribute to the conservation effort. DEFINITELY NOT there with orchids yet. 😂 Thank you for using your platform for educating the public and contributing to the greater good.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know that there was a possibility of some orchid species going extinct but it makes sense... I am glad I only have hybrids! 😊
I so agree with this video! Talking about trend, I think you might have created a trend with phal mini mark. I saw your video about mini mark years ago and I kept looking for it in all the nurseries here in the states. No one had it then suddenly I started to see it year or 2 ago. Even my nursery in Chicago had it, very expensive but I was thrilled to get it!!!
I agree it's important topic, I like my hybrids, but at the same time I adore my maxillaria tenuifolia (which is also easy to propagate so I hope it's not from wild and I do not think it would be profitable with such easy to propagate plants..), my ceratostylis retisquama is my favorite and there really isn't other option? Let me know if there is alternative to ceratostylis retisquama. And also paraphalaenopsis and some bulbophyllums which are species are just stunning, although the great advantage of hybrid bulbophyllum is the fact they many times do not smell as bad as species.. however bulb. medusae is also species I really hope I'll get my hand on some day. I thunk if we are deemed to see orchid species only in botanical gardens then... who will really care for their extinction? It's true people care more for things they are personally attached to and I thunk people would care more about extinction of some species they have at home then some plant they once have seen in botanical garden. Therefore I think it's the nurseries and sellers who should be held accountable and where regulation must take place in future. It is not in our power as customers to review every seller and after all sellers cam lie, if somebody pouch orchid from wild illegaly, then do you expect them to have any sort of moral obligation to tell you truth?
I want a mexipedilum, and found some professors that are trying to reproduce them to save the species, they are quite expensive tho and they even teach you and have a class that teaches you to keep them alive
Fantastic video. I love my (62+) common houseplants, I'm new to Orchids so I was curious to learn more about the market on them. I'm a frugal person for houseplants, I don't really know much about the rare plant industry but I'm always shocked by the off putting prices. I recently got an adorable mini hybrid orchid, from a grocery store, that has beautiful colorful blooms. I have some Jewel Orchid's, the pretty lightning one and a couple of the discolor variations but only got them when they were cheap $12-19. I've had my eye on the Pink Princess Philodendron for a few years now, but the prices are not yet low enough for me to want to get one, and that plant isn't even a high end one anymore, so I'm hoping this year or next year it will be at an acceptable price level for me.
Hey! I really enjoy watching your videos and learning more about orchids. I have a short question: is it possible to fertilize orchids with an fertilizer for carnivorous plants? Sadly on the bottle I don't have a list of ingredients..
There is some orchids I want that are both rare hybrids (plants are hard to take when crossing) and species that are technically endangered and protected now, however I want to work more into conservation and awareness. There is a non orchid species that I want called the Wollemi Pine that's Critically Endangered and they use sales of the responsibly harvest seedlings as an conservation effort.
"Nearly extinct" plant are protecting via CITES covention. At the begining 2000, Vanda coerulea was "nearly extinct" and it was at the CITES list 2. About 2006, it was removed from list.It is not endangered since then. At that point I able to buy Vanda coerulea seeds from Orchid Seeds Bank Project -Arizona- USA (unfortunately, it was shut down when Covid19 beginning).
I have wild orchids in my garden, I have two and a half acres of land including a creek with rainforest including native orchids. Have you advice on how I can help them ? they seem fine and give very nice flowers but are in the trees and seem to have no growing medium at all. Does this matter?
Thank you so much for this question. I am a beginner with orchids and I have no clue what the difference is between "species" and "hybrids" especially just looking at them. I'm really hoping she sees this question, response and/or does a video (if she hasn't already) on the meaning/education on both. ❤❤
Hello Danny, I was gifted a beautiful Orchid after my husband's passing. Short story I use to love to garden and collect beautiful house plants,Until his passing. Anyways I'm wanting to keep his memory ALIVE with Plants I saw something about putting 5 tablespoons of rice in 500 MLS of water and then strain the water and soak your Orchid in it. This is suppose to help make it Bloom and help it to grow. I was wondering if that's true or not. And another video I saw someone put 1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice in 5 cups of water not sure what that was used for but was hoping u would know ? I just came across one of ur videos and felt that this was a sign for me to pick up my hobby and start enjoying plants again 😊 thank you for ur videos it Re inspired me again.
Hi, oh dear the food recipes :P they are a very popular way of getting views and destroying orchids, so just stay away from anything having to do with food scraps. An orchid fertiliser is more than suitable, use it according to instructions and just offer the basic orchid care you can read about or watch about on reputable sources on the internet, such as American Orchid Society, or my beginner videos :) ua-cam.com/video/lK2wz8aab1Q/v-deo.html good luck!
I love my orchid collection and I live in the land where the ghost orchid is spoken about constantly. I would never have one they're not very pretty get a brassVola nadosa something exquisite like that ,..my theory though. Good discussion.
Does anyone know why there are very few hybrids of latouria Dendrobiums available? Even the species can be hard to find for sale. I know dendrobiums are less popular than phalaenopsis (don't understand why). But there are quite a few dendrobium phalanopsis and nobile type hybrids around. Some of the latouria types are so beautiful and special and don't seem that hard to keep (I might be wrong as I have yet to get one).
"There is no 'one orchid to rule them all'..." ...I don't know. For me, that is Dendrobium victoria reginae. You're points are well made, and I agree that the average orchid keeper is probably better off with hybrids, environmentally, ethically, and for how satisfied they will be with the plant. But for me there are two things: I collect plants because I want a piece of nature that represents what nature actually does, not because I need to have the most beautiful plant. But I would also add another thing that I learned from a different hobby; in the aquarium trade there are fish which no longer exist in the natural environment. Sadly, much of this is because of collection for the pet trade, but much of it is due to overfishing, invasive species, and bad natural resource management in third world countries. While these fish could be reintroduced, they are no longer pure species, and there really aren't any conservatories for fish that haven't even been identified scientifically. It just seems to me that a serious collector could easily be part of a reservoir of genetics for reintroduction (be it African cichlids or orchids). This is already the case with some endangered parrot species, where the present danger is less from poaching (parrot breeders can easily produce enough for the hobby) and more from habitat destruction.
I personally never really understood the "plant fashion trends". It's cool when some plant (orchids or others) gets the spotlight for a while, especially if it's something we haven't seen before, but I will still wait before making a decision. The price will go down, and also people will kill a bunch of those and get experience, and write articles and make videos on what can go wrong and how to fix it. And then, once all that has happened, and the "trend" is over - then I will decide if I want the plant in my house. Take Miltoniopsis, for example. Do I love them to bits? Absolutely. Did they suddenly invade my feed at some point? Yes, of course. Will they melt in my very bright, very hot SW living room? Very likely. But seriously, if there is a Miltoniopsis hybrid that can stand possibly 40*C summers, PLEASE let me know. I doubt it, but still.
Danny I would like to send you some pics of my vanda. The leaves are turning yellow and I don't know if it's too much sun, sun burned, a natural cycle of the plant or something that I did. How can I send you the pics?
Can you give me some advice where to buy tolumnias or their seed? I had a look in German Shops but can't find them really or if then only very limited variation. Do you have a website where I can check if they ship to Germany?
Danny, thank you so much once again for such a beautiful video! Do you guys know something about international traveling or sending orchids responsibly? I am in Uruguay and got some beautiful orchids but I am afraid I won’t be able to bring them with me to Europe.
Hi 👋 Dani I took my orchids out of the pots n cut the bad roots off n cleaned them up saved what I could but I put them in just water to see if they would survive but I checked them today n what’s left of the crown is molding so what should I do now ??? I need your help badly or you to come all the way here to save the day please thank you 😊 😢😮
Idk if I have flower shops here in Vacaville California bc I’ve only been to Lowe’s n Home Depot so far n I’ve bought one of my orchids from a grocery store
I think ultimately all hybrids are bred from species that at one point in their ancestry, were in the wild, but if a poacher is impatient enough to steal a rare orchid species from the wild to sell it, instead of caring for and cultivating their own, i dont think they would have the patience to cultivate a hybrid to sell, especially with orchids where hybridization requires a special environment and has very variable success rates. I dont think buying a species from a reputable source is a bad thing, i just think one would have to do a lot more research to be sure it wasn't poached, so if you can't or don't want to do all that research, hybrids are just safer, and then you are ultimately lowering the demand for species, which ultimately lowers the "need" for poaching.
@@anniketaljaard2280This is very true to an extent but the poachers are not making most of their money selling species to people paying $20-$50 for a plant at a flower shop. Most people getting poached species are spending thousands and often times it’s botanical gardens and serious plant collectors that are driving this demand.
I had just placed an order for for specie orchids a little over 2 hours before coming across your video. Minutes into watching it, I contacted the vendor to cancel my order and intend to purchase hybrids instead.
@@FirstNameLastName-zu9so not quite an hour. Say twenty minutes. There is no limit to how many times you can soak your orchid. Do it as many times as is need for the plant to be healthy.
Poaching breaks my heart because it has so many downstream effects on animals, plants, and ecosystems. Poaching rare plants is no different from poaching a pangolin, snow leopard, or rhinoceros. Collectors who support poaching or shown off their endangered species plants like they're status symbols are suss. We need to start asking them, publicly: What have you done to preserve this plant in the wild?
I have a total different approach on this. Just today I bought species orchid seedlings. 21,- € for about 12 plants!! So hybrids are not cheaper, but it is that they just are adult and in bloom immediately when you buy them. Okay, give it a 1:1 For me, collecting orchids is about nature and the natural charm and character of natural orchids. These supermarket hybrids look usually like plastic to me. 2:1 for species. Fragrance? Many species are fragrant! Hybrids usually are not. Miltoniopsis or the Phal. Liodoro, yes. Vanda species do. Vanda hybrids usually not. So for fragrance the next point goes to species: 3:1 Grow speed? Hey, these supermarket phals . . . they look like Schwarzenegger and grow like weed! Who wants that? I dont! 4:1 Pests: I usually got faster and easier pests on these hybrids than on species. 5:1 My species are usually endangered in the wild. Not because of poaching. But because of making ricefields, palmoil plantages, streets, houses or hybrid orchid growing factories ;-) In fact my love for species is a kind of conservatory for these species! 6:1 for species. The species I bought today, are grown from somebody here in the region out from seeds, which are from plants also from somebody here in the region (eastern Austria / Europe). End result: species 6 : 1 hybrids 😁
🤔I'm not saying this to sound rude or confrontational but this sounds like the toxicity that Danny is discussing because you're essentially completely 💩 on hybrids while going on about how great it is to keep endangered plants...Even if other folks are intentionally or unintentionally destroying these plants habitats,it isn't a good justification to take them from natural habitats that may or may not actually be in the process of being destroyed.Just because a orchid for example is commonly available at a supermarket...It doesn't mean that it's inherently lowly & that people can't appreciate it.Again I'm not saying any of this to say how great I am & how horrible you are...But it's just the way you worded it made it sound kinda like a person that uses plants for a status symbol rather than something that's a passion.Species can be lovely in their own right & some are available in a more ethical manner but it's definitely kinda a dicey issue these days unfortunately.Best wishes for you & your plant collection🌱.
I used to like species but as my hobby matures, I prefer hybrids because they are just hardier and more vigorous. Hybrids are like domesticated orchids that are bred to suit our lifestyle.
This video 🙌🏾 I don’t even have words. If you weren’t my favorite before, you definitely are now! I love this! You have to be respectful in any hobby and consider what we are doing isn’t natural so we have to respect the environment, I absolutely love how you word this! Amazing video and message ☀️
I recently purchased my very first phalaenopsis from a grocery store and I am fascinated! I always thought orchids were difficult to keep alive and expensive. However, my sis had hers rebloom this spring and I figured if she could do it so could I. I found your channel a few days ago and I have to say it has provided me with a wealth of information. I’m hooked!!! I’ve repotted, fed and found the perfect spot in my home to display her. Thank you so much for your videos. ❤
Here in Southwest Florida, we have an amazing botanical garden, Selby’s, which has a spectacular program to refurbish the Everglades with native orchids which have been poached over the years. For several years I volunteered on the project and learned an awful lot about orchids in their natural habitat. In Naples, Florida, there is a nature park which hosts 1 Ghost orchid visible to the visitors. You can only see it with binoculars as it is very high on a tree and quite far from the trail. Last year, on a scorching, mosquito infested July day, I went to see it and fell madly in love. Probably due to a combination of its beauty and rarity 😍. Additionally, I understand that Ghost orchids are very difficult to grow as they have some very specific requirements. So, even if you can find a reputable grower and can afford a seedling (they are very expensive) beware that your chances for success are very small😱
Thank you for using your platform to bring attention to this topic - it's great that as a community we can be aware and share knowledge of how and why to prevent poaching ❤ one thing I will say, is that the flip side to the 'dont buy species' coin is that without people cultivating and careing about these plants they may be just as likely to become extinct via lack of respect for natural habitat and nobody fighting for their right to exist, because nobody would know about them or care to the same level. I think a balanced approach is needed, and holding sellers accountable to where they are sourcing from! It shocks me that people can say they care about plants and then actively do harm to their natural habitat-there are more important things than money and for me, plants remind me of that life rythem so I hope we can all find meaningful ways to end abuse of the natural world 😊
Exactly this is why it's great to have public arboretums & whatnot... It's good to have a SMALL number of these unusual species on public display in order to raise awareness about their importance in the natural environment instead of a bunch of private collectors hording them.
Love this video. I know you’ve talked about it in the past in other videos, but I think it’s so important to remind people of these things periodically, since a lot of new followers won’t go back and watch older content
Great video👍🏻👍🏻!I'm glad you touched upon this issue of toxicity in the orchid/houseplant community...Unfortunately nowadays there's plenty of toxic people that essentially use rare plants like a ultra expensive designer handbag,they're not actually passionate about the plants themselves they're only interested in using it as a mere status symbol.These people tend to be pretty narcissistic & I stay very far away from them,they're a hazard to BOTH plants & people 🤢!I don't care what any "plant snob" may say...I'll always love my humble phalenopsis hybrids that I've gotten from supermarkets😉🌱.
There are plenty of ghost orchids out there that are grown from flask and are in nurseries. They are finicky even for the best and I couldn't imagine one surviving taken from the wild.
Also there are places that are developing and many species are endangered because of our expansion in this case I would rather orchids be collected and conserved than completely destroyed from someone flame clearing property for, vineyards etc.
Without species we do not have hybrids. That is why species are important. There are some plants that can not be remade at all or will take generations or years of work.
499000 subscribers! So exciting that many people are watching and learning how to care for these beautiful orchids. Well done Danny and Thank you 👏💚🌸
Hi Dani, another awesome and important video. Ty for making this one. The issue of saving our remaining wild habitats needs to be brought up more. The last of our biodiversity needs to be protected. Thank you again for making this video. Hope you and everyone has a great day.
I love species because they are so different and unique compare to the highly available hybrids. But hybrids are more vigorous, easier to grow with bigger flowers ❤ a bit of both and to remember where those hybrids come from. Thank you for another great video 🌿
Been following many many years.
Thank you for all your work into such an expansive collection of incredibly helpful videos!
Congrats on half a million subscribers! 🎉🎉🎉
I've started seeing this type of trend collection in jewel orchids. People are wild poaching tons of stuff and posting about it. It's a bit disturbing.
Poaching is a really complex and divisive issue. In countries with native orchids, the population declines rapidly because of habitat destruction for infrastructure, agriculture, legal/illegal logging, and Orchid hunting/poaching since the Victorian era.
Many hybrids exist today are actually the product of those activities. While a small seller today may sells small amounts of plants for small money (as in many cases in South East Asia and South America) because of economic/poverty issue, many big nurseries/collectors in Victorian era collected thousand amounts of plants and the competition to get an exclusive and new species also led the hunters to destroy the remaining native populations in the forest. Many nurseries today are still actively involved in poaching to get the parent plants for hybridization or to replenish the genetic diversity of their species collection. Since many species are recrossed to their siblings for decades (especially Paphiopedilum species because they cannot be propagated by tissue culture), genetic pools can be reduced greatly, hence the need for different genetic pools of the same species.
However, many experts in botany are not strictly against selling species if there's strong reasons for that. For example, the native habitats of the orchids are going to be destroyed anyway because of the reason above, and local people and botanists' voices are not the strong voices against the project; then the only way to save the orchids is to sell them, and hoping at least they'll survive in cultivation. So, a homegrower can actually help species to survive in this case.
A responsible nursery like Ecuagenera actually exists for that reason. Many species are losing their habitat rapidly, and growing native orchids species gives economic incentive to local people as long as they're trained to cultivate, propagate, and conserve the remaining population no matter how small it's left.
And many genera such as Maxillaria and Paraphalaenopsis are more common in cultivation as a species anyway. So, for a responsible grower, it's really important to research more about the orchids that they get.
I have two orchids. I am learning a lot of information on how to take care of them. I plan on purchasing more. Thanks for your tips.
Agreed with u...many thanks for speaking for wild plants which cannot speak
Very well said Danni! I agree we should be making sure we are getting our orchids from a sustainable source that isn't poaching these plants. It's a huge issue right now with succulents/cacti too 😔
Hello Danny, so happy that you chose this subject, I just listened to Summer Rayne's Bad Seeds podcast and WOW, who knew the costs that some go to in order to sell or acquire some plants. I personally have only had 2 species of orchids and found them to be more of a challenge than hybrids to grow and bloom, but even with that. I could never obtain any plant that some plant poached. Its a very sad situation and hopefully YT like you and Summer Rayne shedding light on this subject will help slow it down and stop it.
I only have hybrids & very happy with them. If people want to see others go into the area they grow ... with respect for the area don't destroy it. So agree with you Danny.😍
Thank you for posting this! I look for color, shape, pattern and/or fragrance in my orchid babies. Some could be species but if they don't handle south Florida weather then i have another lesson that i have learned to not repurchase. I love my vigorous hybrids. Free blooming orchids make me sooo happy!
I really enjoyed your video on hybrids so thank you. I feel very much the way you do about preferring them for the seemingly limitless colour combinations & shapes. They truly are the most wondrous of plant species. Best wishes 👍👍
I just like that hybrids are easier to care for and are generally more hardy. Hybrid vigor!
Danny you are totally right. Maybe if we where living in the 19 century, during the Victorian era where orchids collecting was an hobbyist for the rich. They would travel to some exotic tropical rainforest to bring home some rare and exotic orchids to added to their collection.
Now days it’s all about money. Finding a rare orchid can bring you a lot of money. That is why I only purchased hybrids only.
Save the rare orchid for the next generation and if you want to hunt for rare orchids in the tropic do it with a camera and leave the orchid undisturbed in its environment. (Oh, don’t forget to bring a lot of mosquito repellent.) 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Danny i noticed you changed the channel's profile picture. I'm so happy that you're happy with this new era
Thanks so much for the friendly reminder about the conservation issues behind our hobby. There's a lot to learn about this, and so much more caring and work to be done. Also your videography of the hybrids elevated them to star status. Great work!
If you are buying plants in Europe, its mandatory for them to have a "Plant passport" either as a sticker or as a label or printed directly in the pot. And part of the info there indicates its origin and how to trace the plant.
It's difficult if you buy particular to particular to get it, but I ended up deciding that the preservation of wild orchids is more important to me than getting that weird specie, so now I dont buy a plant without passport to trace it's origin.
Thank you Danni for a very informative video. 🫶🫶🇦🇺🇦🇺
Wow..I thought that being in this hobby, species's the way to go..but what if the nursery sells species from flask is it not good as well?
Thanks for showing pictures of so many hybrids! That inspires me!
Thank You Danny for this video. We all need a reminder in the plant community of this and to be mindful.. I will keep spreading the word in all the plant communities I'm in as well. I will also when visiting growers / plant shops ask questions and educate.
Hi Danny, great video, thanks for sharing your knowledge and your platform to inform people of the seriousness of pouching from the wild. You showed so many beautiful hybrids that makes everyone to fall in love with the hybrids. Thanks for the lovely video and happy growing. By the way the phal Bonnie vasques is gorgeous, what is the fragrance like?
Many hybrids probably arent actual hybrids. So the definition of a species is “a population that can effectively breed between generations” aka their offspring are not sterile. Most hybrids are fertile, so they can effectively breed, which means orchid species aren’t actually distinct species but subspecies populations within the same species. That being said; orchids and flowering plants have polyploidy, multiple chromosome replication, which confer more genetic material and a wider range of genetic expressions possible per plant (eg the expression of a protein or trait). Considering this and the common knowledge that heterozygous traits allow individuals to be more adaptable; a lot of orchid species are just highly specialized; “relatively inbred” populations, so it’s no wonder many orchid hybrids are way more vigorous since they are not only fertile and not technically hybrids (in the technical sense) but also have way more genetic variance that helps them adapt to different conditions.
Well said! Thank you so much for publicising this critical issue, Danny.
Wow your videos are getting better and better! Had no idea about the poaching thank you for the information.
There are so many beautiful hybrids why would you want to risk endanging a species! Thanks for such a informative video! ❤
I received Phal. ARK's Kaiulani this week. Looks so similar to your Bonni Vasquez that my heart did a little jump when I saw it on your table. Looking forward to the fragrance coming in. Hybrids rock!
Love this video (and Summer’s new series as well). I don’t really understand the trend of paying crazy amounts of money to have something just because it is insanely expensive and other people can’t have it. Maybe I’m just stubborn and don’t like others telling me what I should like or think. The herd mentality really annoys me. I much prefer to do my research, find the tried and true, as well as make sure I’m not harming anyone or the environment. I would only have a plant that is endangered if I knew I was capable and competent enough to contribute to the conservation effort. DEFINITELY NOT there with orchids yet. 😂 Thank you for using your platform for educating the public and contributing to the greater good.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know that there was a possibility of some orchid species going extinct but it makes sense... I am glad I only have hybrids! 😊
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you
Great video.. definitely something to think about being a plant collector!
I so agree with this video! Talking about trend, I think you might have created a trend with phal mini mark. I saw your video about mini mark years ago and I kept looking for it in all the nurseries here in the states. No one had it then suddenly I started to see it year or 2 ago. Even my nursery in Chicago had it, very expensive but I was thrilled to get it!!!
Same experience here in Southwest Florida. I am thrilled to have one😍
I agree it's important topic, I like my hybrids, but at the same time I adore my maxillaria tenuifolia (which is also easy to propagate so I hope it's not from wild and I do not think it would be profitable with such easy to propagate plants..), my ceratostylis retisquama is my favorite and there really isn't other option? Let me know if there is alternative to ceratostylis retisquama. And also paraphalaenopsis and some bulbophyllums which are species are just stunning, although the great advantage of hybrid bulbophyllum is the fact they many times do not smell as bad as species.. however bulb. medusae is also species I really hope I'll get my hand on some day. I thunk if we are deemed to see orchid species only in botanical gardens then... who will really care for their extinction? It's true people care more for things they are personally attached to and I thunk people would care more about extinction of some species they have at home then some plant they once have seen in botanical garden. Therefore I think it's the nurseries and sellers who should be held accountable and where regulation must take place in future. It is not in our power as customers to review every seller and after all sellers cam lie, if somebody pouch orchid from wild illegaly, then do you expect them to have any sort of moral obligation to tell you truth?
I want a mexipedilum, and found some professors that are trying to reproduce them to save the species, they are quite expensive tho and they even teach you and have a class that teaches you to keep them alive
I am with No 4! Although I love my species, too
Fantastic video. I love my (62+) common houseplants, I'm new to Orchids so I was curious to learn more about the market on them. I'm a frugal person for houseplants, I don't really know much about the rare plant industry but I'm always shocked by the off putting prices. I recently got an adorable mini hybrid orchid, from a grocery store, that has beautiful colorful blooms. I have some Jewel Orchid's, the pretty lightning one and a couple of the discolor variations but only got them when they were cheap $12-19. I've had my eye on the Pink Princess Philodendron for a few years now, but the prices are not yet low enough for me to want to get one, and that plant isn't even a high end one anymore, so I'm hoping this year or next year it will be at an acceptable price level for me.
Thank you very much for the informed & valuable information.
They are all so gorgeous ❤❤
WOW! Such an interesting and informative video!!! I wish every orchid collector knew about this! Thank you for sharing this important information!!!!
Hey! I really enjoy watching your videos and learning more about orchids. I have a short question: is it possible to fertilize orchids with an fertilizer for carnivorous plants? Sadly on the bottle I don't have a list of ingredients..
There is some orchids I want that are both rare hybrids (plants are hard to take when crossing) and species that are technically endangered and protected now, however I want to work more into conservation and awareness. There is a non orchid species that I want called the Wollemi Pine that's Critically Endangered and they use sales of the responsibly harvest seedlings as an conservation effort.
"Nearly extinct" plant are protecting via CITES covention. At the begining 2000, Vanda coerulea was "nearly extinct" and it was at the CITES list 2. About 2006, it was removed from list.It is not endangered since then. At that point I able to buy Vanda coerulea seeds from Orchid Seeds Bank Project -Arizona- USA (unfortunately, it was shut down when Covid19 beginning).
I have wild orchids in my garden, I have two and a half acres of land including a creek with rainforest including native orchids. Have you advice on how I can help them ? they seem fine and give very nice flowers but are in the trees and seem to have no growing medium at all. Does this matter?
Hi Danny. This was a very good video. I agree with you, hurray for the orchid hybrid. ❤️🥰🤗👏
How can a beginner distinguish between "species" and "hybrids" at a flower shop?
Thank you so much for this question. I am a beginner with orchids and I have no clue what the difference is between "species" and "hybrids" especially just looking at them. I'm really hoping she sees this question, response and/or does a video (if she hasn't already) on the meaning/education on both. ❤❤
In general, flower shops do not source species orchids. Species orchids are generally sold at orchid nurseries or orchid growers.
You'll only find hybrid at flower shops.
Every orchid I purchased off Esty , has never survived . anyone else have that problem ?
Hello Danny,
I was gifted a beautiful Orchid after my husband's passing. Short story I use to love to garden and collect beautiful house plants,Until his passing. Anyways I'm wanting to keep his memory ALIVE with Plants I saw something about putting 5 tablespoons of rice in 500 MLS of water and then strain the water and soak your Orchid in it. This is suppose to help make it Bloom and help it to grow. I was wondering if that's true or not. And another video I saw someone put 1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice in 5 cups of water not sure what that was used for but was hoping u would know ?
I just came across one of ur videos and felt that this was a sign for me to pick up my hobby and start enjoying plants again 😊 thank you for ur videos it Re inspired me again.
Hi, oh dear the food recipes :P they are a very popular way of getting views and destroying orchids, so just stay away from anything having to do with food scraps. An orchid fertiliser is more than suitable, use it according to instructions and just offer the basic orchid care you can read about or watch about on reputable sources on the internet, such as American Orchid Society, or my beginner videos :) ua-cam.com/video/lK2wz8aab1Q/v-deo.html good luck!
I love my orchid collection and I live in the land where the ghost orchid is spoken about constantly. I would never have one they're not very pretty get a brassVola nadosa something exquisite like that ,..my theory though. Good discussion.
Does anyone know why there are very few hybrids of latouria Dendrobiums available? Even the species can be hard to find for sale. I know dendrobiums are less popular than phalaenopsis (don't understand why). But there are quite a few dendrobium phalanopsis and nobile type hybrids around. Some of the latouria types are so beautiful and special and don't seem that hard to keep (I might be wrong as I have yet to get one).
Another great video, i love my hybrids and i have left species out of my view until i can help conserve them
"There is no 'one orchid to rule them all'..." ...I don't know. For me, that is Dendrobium victoria reginae.
You're points are well made, and I agree that the average orchid keeper is probably better off with hybrids, environmentally, ethically, and for how satisfied they will be with the plant. But for me there are two things: I collect plants because I want a piece of nature that represents what nature actually does, not because I need to have the most beautiful plant.
But I would also add another thing that I learned from a different hobby; in the aquarium trade there are fish which no longer exist in the natural environment. Sadly, much of this is because of collection for the pet trade, but much of it is due to overfishing, invasive species, and bad natural resource management in third world countries. While these fish could be reintroduced, they are no longer pure species, and there really aren't any conservatories for fish that haven't even been identified scientifically. It just seems to me that a serious collector could easily be part of a reservoir of genetics for reintroduction (be it African cichlids or orchids). This is already the case with some endangered parrot species, where the present danger is less from poaching (parrot breeders can easily produce enough for the hobby) and more from habitat destruction.
Happy International Orchid Day 🎉
Thanks for this very important video, Danny!
Thanks I love your channel
I personally never really understood the "plant fashion trends". It's cool when some plant (orchids or others) gets the spotlight for a while, especially if it's something we haven't seen before, but I will still wait before making a decision. The price will go down, and also people will kill a bunch of those and get experience, and write articles and make videos on what can go wrong and how to fix it. And then, once all that has happened, and the "trend" is over - then I will decide if I want the plant in my house.
Take Miltoniopsis, for example. Do I love them to bits? Absolutely. Did they suddenly invade my feed at some point? Yes, of course. Will they melt in my very bright, very hot SW living room? Very likely. But seriously, if there is a Miltoniopsis hybrid that can stand possibly 40*C summers, PLEASE let me know. I doubt it, but still.
Danny I would like to send you some pics of my vanda. The leaves are turning yellow and I don't know if it's too much sun, sun burned, a natural cycle of the plant or something that I did. How can I send you the pics?
Dani, what is the orchid in the blue pot to your left? Cheers!
I have a cattleya dolosa albo gorgeous, but it never blooms???? Someone lmk why?
I must be late because when did you start showing your face! Omg you’re so pretty and I just always loved her voice lol
hi, i remenber that you had a Catleya mossiae, how is her?. is my favorite
How do you know if you have a hybrid or get them?
Can you give me some advice where to buy tolumnias or their seed? I had a look in German Shops but can't find them really or if then only very limited variation. Do you have a website where I can check if they ship to Germany?
I sincerely stand by your opinion. all the plants and animals on earth do exist on their own purpose, not for human being.
Danny, thank you so much once again for such a beautiful video!
Do you guys know something about international traveling or sending orchids responsibly? I am in Uruguay and got some beautiful orchids but I am afraid I won’t be able to bring them with me to Europe.
How do oh identify species? Would love a video about that
Hi 👋 Dani I took my orchids out of the pots n cut the bad roots off n cleaned them up saved what I could but I put them in just water to see if they would survive but I checked them today n what’s left of the crown is molding so what should I do now ??? I need your help badly or you to come all the way here to save the day please thank you 😊 😢😮
The Yellow NO ID Cattleya should be called "BANANA PRINCESS!"
Idk if I have flower shops here in Vacaville California bc I’ve only been to Lowe’s n Home Depot so far n I’ve bought one of my orchids from a grocery store
Before invented tissue culture techniques, orchids were the most expensive plants.
What if the seller imports the species? What about hybrids made from wild collected species? And I think species are easier to care for.
I think ultimately all hybrids are bred from species that at one point in their ancestry, were in the wild, but if a poacher is impatient enough to steal a rare orchid species from the wild to sell it, instead of caring for and cultivating their own, i dont think they would have the patience to cultivate a hybrid to sell, especially with orchids where hybridization requires a special environment and has very variable success rates.
I dont think buying a species from a reputable source is a bad thing, i just think one would have to do a lot more research to be sure it wasn't poached, so if you can't or don't want to do all that research, hybrids are just safer, and then you are ultimately lowering the demand for species, which ultimately lowers the "need" for poaching.
@@anniketaljaard2280This is very true to an extent but the poachers are not making most of their money selling species to people paying $20-$50 for a plant at a flower shop. Most people getting poached species are spending thousands and often times it’s botanical gardens and serious plant collectors that are driving this demand.
Good for you, Dani! Poaching of plants is just as bad as poaching animals. DONT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS anyone!
I prefer hybrids because they are mass-produced at times.
This makes them affordable.
I’m trying to find hybrids
I live in Japan, and I often see Japanese species orchids literally taken from the wild and sold in online flea market..
I had just placed an order for for specie orchids a little over 2 hours before coming across your video. Minutes into watching it, I contacted the vendor to cancel my order and intend to purchase hybrids instead.
Congratulations, Danny! Maybe it is your pretty face… revealed at last…
Unrelated question: can you grow phalaenopsis without media and without a mount?
Yes, as long as you keep it hydrated!
@@epicsushi5817 and how do I keep it hydrated? Soaking it for like, an hour a day?
@@FirstNameLastName-zu9so not quite an hour. Say twenty minutes.
There is no limit to how many times you can soak your orchid. Do it as many times as is need for the plant to be healthy.
@@josiahanderson9328Correct! Was going to say that but was late lol.
Wow... I didn’t know this😢
I personally am not interested in buying a species orchid. I love hybrids myself.
🥰🤗
Poaching breaks my heart because it has so many downstream effects on animals, plants, and ecosystems. Poaching rare plants is no different from poaching a pangolin, snow leopard, or rhinoceros. Collectors who support poaching or shown off their endangered species plants like they're status symbols are suss. We need to start asking them, publicly: What have you done to preserve this plant in the wild?
I have a total different approach on this.
Just today I bought species orchid seedlings. 21,- € for about 12 plants!! So hybrids are not cheaper, but it is that they just are adult and in bloom immediately when you buy them. Okay, give it a 1:1
For me, collecting orchids is about nature and the natural charm and character of natural orchids. These supermarket hybrids look usually like plastic to me. 2:1 for species.
Fragrance? Many species are fragrant! Hybrids usually are not. Miltoniopsis or the Phal. Liodoro, yes. Vanda species do. Vanda hybrids usually not. So for fragrance the next point goes to species: 3:1
Grow speed? Hey, these supermarket phals . . . they look like Schwarzenegger and grow like weed! Who wants that? I dont! 4:1
Pests: I usually got faster and easier pests on these hybrids than on species. 5:1
My species are usually endangered in the wild. Not because of poaching. But because of making ricefields, palmoil plantages, streets, houses or hybrid orchid growing factories ;-) In fact my love for species is a kind of conservatory for these species! 6:1 for species.
The species I bought today, are grown from somebody here in the region out from seeds, which are from plants also from somebody here in the region (eastern Austria / Europe).
End result:
species 6 : 1 hybrids 😁
🤔I'm not saying this to sound rude or confrontational but this sounds like the toxicity that Danny is discussing because you're essentially completely 💩 on hybrids while going on about how great it is to keep endangered plants...Even if other folks are intentionally or unintentionally destroying these plants habitats,it isn't a good justification to take them from natural habitats that may or may not actually be in the process of being destroyed.Just because a orchid for example is commonly available at a supermarket...It doesn't mean that it's inherently lowly & that people can't appreciate it.Again I'm not saying any of this to say how great I am & how horrible you are...But it's just the way you worded it made it sound kinda like a person that uses plants for a status symbol rather than something that's a passion.Species can be lovely in their own right & some are available in a more ethical manner but it's definitely kinda a dicey issue these days unfortunately.Best wishes for you & your plant collection🌱.