Today we visited “Finca Dracula”, a local Orchid farm named
after the rare Dracula Orchids. The farm was founded in 1969. It sits on 10
acres, 5 of which are greenhouses and gardens. The farm has 2200 different
Orchid species from around the world, 115 of which are the Dracula variety.
Currently the Orchids here are for exhibition only.
We took a 20 minute tour and learned many things about the
plants and how they are grown. I emerged with a much greater appreciation for
the lovely flower. First we learned that the process from pollination to
flowering plant takes 5 years when grown commercially. It takes 15 years in
nature. It takes 12 months to make a mature seed capsule that produces millions
of seeds. In nature, a fungus called Michoriza provides nutrients for the
maturing seed. In the nursery they use Agar as a substitute for the fungus. We
also learned the different techniques each type of flower uses to attract
potential pollinators. Some use smell while others use a visual attractant like
mimicking a female insect. Some of them trap their pollinators causing them to
become agitated and release the pollen inside the plant.
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