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I just found out my 'rare' orchid was a fake for two years
I bought a Dendrobium from a plant fair in Austin, thinking it was a special type. It never bloomed right, just weird leaves. Last week, a real expert at the local garden club looked at it and said, 'That's not a Dendrobium, it's a common look-alike they glue flowers onto.' I felt so dumb for not checking the roots sooner. Has anyone else been tricked by a seller like this?
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granthunt3mo ago
Read an article about this being a huge problem with orchids sold at big box stores. They hot glue the flower spike onto a cheap plant so it looks good for sale. The glue damages the stem and the plant can't grow a new one. You have to carefully pick it all off and hope the plant recovers.
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diana_carr663mo ago
Yeah, I saw a piece about that too. They'll even glue decorative moss right over the crown of the plant, which traps moisture and causes rot. Some places stick the whole pot into a ceramic container with glue, so you can't even check the roots. It's all about making it survive just long enough to get out the store door.
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nguyen.angela1mo ago
Same thing happened with a little jade plant I grabbed at Lowe’s last Spring. Whole thing looked perfect until I repotted it and found a fake flower glued to the center of the stem. Had to break out the tweezers and try not to cry.
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