Читать книгу Orchids For Dummies - The Editors of the National Gardening Association, Steven A. Frowine - Страница 40

Here are some guidelines I use when purchasing orchids online:

 Check out the vendor’s rating. If it’s below the high 90s in satisfaction ratings, check out the vendor’s responses to the complaints to make sure the ratings are reasonable. Sometimes customers can be unrealistic in their demands.

 Examine the picture of the plant being offered. You should see a picture of the exact plant being offered, not a picture of a group of plants. You need to know if this picture isn’t just representational of what you might see when the plant flowers but an exact picture of the flower your plant will display. The offspring of seed-grown orchids vary dramatically so you should be aware of that.

 Look closely at the plant’s foliage. Does it show discolored spots on the leaves or holes in the leaves that may indicate disease or insect damage. Is the foliage floppy and weak, which may show that it’s poorly grown?

 Make sure the vendor accepts returns. Ask the vendor whether they accept a returned plant if the one you receive is in poor condition or if it isn’t the plant you ordered.

 Check out the cost and speed of the shipping method. In general, you don’t want your plants to transit for more than a few days.

 Try to have your plant shipped to you on a Monday. That way you don’t run the risk of the plant being held at the shippers over a weekend if the shipment somehow gets delayed.

 Order when the weather is mild with daytime temperatures above freezing. If that’s not possible, make sure the shipper includes a heat pack with your shipment and guarantees live delivery. Also, avoid extremely hot times.