My very first experience with a commercial orchid nursery was at a farm that sold both cut flowers and potted plants. Thirty years later, in the year 2001, they are still doing the same, raising mainly dendrobiums for cut flower and pot plant production. They have also expanded many times their original size and occupy two more locations. Why do they do both?

We are noticing in Hawaii that many orchid growers who previously raised cut flowers exclusively are converting much of their space to raising potted orchids. In the 1950's, the question that was often raised about a specific orchid with a lovely flower was "can it be used as a cut flower?" Even Phalaenopsis was sought for cut flower purposes though the flowers barely lasted a day. Today Phalaenopsis ranks as one of the most produced orchid for the commercial pot plant market. As time goes by, trends change and the way in which consumers desire goods and services also change.

Some people prefer cut stems of orchids and some wish to have a living orchid gracing their home with sprays of orchid flowers. What the future holds is probably a continued need for both.

What I noticed in my tour of cut flower operations was that cut flower growers who raised their orchids in large pots had the cleanest operations, and their plants seemed to benefit with the most spikes. As cut-flowers, dendrobium plants tend to reach the peak of their production curve after five years, so these magnificent mature plants could then be sold, and new ones were always on the way. Yes, most dendrobiums you find in the store or garden shop are just pubescent teenagers blooming for the first time. Well maybe today, they are unfortunately, old clones. But if they are hybrids, the future holds much promise and they will tend to have a sizable increase in growth and flowering for the years to come.

Thus if an orchid grower really wanted to sell his potted dendrobium when the magnitude of it's flowering was sensational, he would probably have to wait till it has flowered a number of times. What is he going to do with all those flowers?


Selecting Your Cut Flower Varieties

In the world market of orchids today there seems to be two remarkable cut flower varieties: Den. Sonia and Den. Jaquelyn Thomas. Of the millions of dendrobiums cultivated and the tens of thousands of hybrids made, there still seems to be two that has continued through the decades. Of course there are other significant permutations like Den. Jaq-Hawaii and clones of this and that but none seem so regularly available and with any real presence like Den. Sonia and Den. Jaquelyn Thomas.

So why aren't there a whole lot more? From time to time new varieties come into the market and then disappear. Hopefully there will be more in the future, maybe a productive yellow. What do you think are the odds are of discovering an ideal cut flower yellow?

The question that might be more appropriate is "how do we increase our odds of finding new cut flower varieties?" You need to raise a lot of plants. If you are determined to put your business in a position of having unique and improved cultivars for cut flower production then you may want to get into raising potted plants. The danger of this is that you may discover that you rather be in the potted plant business. Remember, needs for cut orchids and potted orchids change according to trends in decorating so even if today there is a mad rush for potted orchids, the future may hold something different.

Screening for cut flower varieties begins primarily with selecting hybrids specifically created for that purpose or selecting hybrids with a dual pot plant/cut flower potential. As they begin to flower you will find the spikes to be too short. The first flowering generally has shorter spikes and even the flower size and color intensity may be less than its potential. Batches that grow well and uniformly may have a greater number of plants that can be kept for further screening. Spike length, vase life, a long bare lower stem, a stem that snaps easily, color, shape, size, durability for packing can be assessed during it's first three flowerings, and even a little tag with dates of flowering can be added.

People who enjoy potted orchids are not necessarily looking for the same thing. Thus selling plants that do not meet your requirements can turn out to be the greater reward. And since complex hybrids are generally one of a kind, in the right market you can establish your pricing structure.

Perhaps the key to longevity in this orchid business might be a marriage of both cut flower and potted plant production.

Darrell Sugita, Grower and Breeder
Hawaiian Floral Nursery