From birth to maturity

The search for perfection requires patience. Breeders produce thousands of new hybrids every year. The period from the initial selection to the inclusion of an orchid in the range covers some 8 to 10 years. So it takes a while before a particular orchid variety ends up in the living room!

This year we will follow the orchid from selection through to cultivation into a beautiful mature plant. We would like to use video images to show how the orchid is born and grows into a magnificent houseplant.

Phase 2: potting up and selection in the nursery

After around 25 weeks on average, the baby orchid has grown into a sturdy toddler. The shoots which were a few centimetres long have developed considerably at the nursery. It’s high time to ‘pot them up’ so that they can grow further in a more spacious pot.

The woodchips in the pot are referred to as ‘bark’. They’re chunks of tree bark – preferably hardwood, since the potting medium needs to last a long time. First for nearly eighteen months in the greenhouse, and then longer in the customer’s home.

These pieces of bark are carefully inserted into the pot, and are never pressed down, because an airy medium is important.

This film also shows how the plants appear on a monitor. Every plant passes in front of the camera, which not only looks at the size of the plant, but also the amount of foliage. Plants which are not large or green enough yet need to wait another week or two. Only then will they move to the next greenhouse to grow into an adult plant.