Today I continued my Orchid research. I visited Dachi Orchids in Pingtung County. I also got to see a bit of the surrounding nature and culture after my visit to the orchid plantation.

Dachi Orchids is a family business that exists since 1988. They specialize on growing beautiful Phalaenopsis Orchids. When I arrived there, they greeted me very friendly and showed me around the orchid plantation. During our tour they explained the cultivation process to me.

As it is a bit late already, I will only write a short report today and tell more and show more pictures after my return to Germany!

The most important market for Dachi Orchids is Japan. Interestingly, the Japanese taste for Orchids is a bit different then the German one. In Germany I think we also appreciate the beauty of a simple white Orchid, but we like the colorful ones much more. In Japan a white Orchid with long spike and large flowers is appreciated very much for its elegance. So Dachi Orchids is producing many such Orchids for their Japanese customers. They will send the plants by airfreight to Japan. The buyers in Japan are experts on forcing flower and will then make the plants bloom beautifully for sales to the end consumer.

This is “Phal. Sogo Yukidian ‘V3′”:

Even though they produce many white Orchids, there were also other beautiful varieties for me to admire in their flower greenhouse. If I remember correctly, Dachi Orchids produces around 600 000 orchids each year. They don’t have an own laboratory but outsource the Orchid reproduction to expert laboratories in Taiwan. From them they buy the flasks with young plants that they then grow to maturity in their nursery greenhouses.

Small seedlings, just taken from the flasks:

Repotting to a larger size pot (after around 4 months)

Large Orchids in the last stage at Dachi Orchids:

Quality control before shipping the plants to customers:

Beautiful variations in the flowering greenhouse:

Outside of the greenhouses, the family bundled orchids on trees! One tree looked especially impressive: Many Orchids grow on this tree, some already for 3 years. I wish the German climate would allow us to grow Orchids on trees. Just look how long the roots grew! The Orchids on the tree are about to bloom, I am sure it will look even more impressive then!

After this interesting visit, the younger generation of the family took me out to a yummy lunch. We went to a place where many Hakka people live and enjoyed typical Hakka food. Referring to the popular German dish “Schweinshaxe”, they introduced me to the Hakka dish of pig foot.

In the afternoon we visited a park that showcases Hakka culture. Here I saw an old tobacco factory. Also I admired traditional umbrellas. The examples displayed were really beautiful, more art than umbrella.

Our next stop was a beautiful view from a mountain café.

Finally we visited the nightmarket of Pingtung where we shared a yummy seafood dinner.

All in all I had a wonderful day. After seeing all the cute baby-orchids, I now really would like to grow some small orchids at home 😉 I think I need a bigger apartment! 😀

Thank you very much for this great day, Dachi Orchids!

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I am currently on a trip sponsored by the Youth Trekker Wanted Campaign. As part of this campaign, young people from around the world get to travel Taiwan with a budget from the organizers. In return, we write daily blog posts during our trips. While I therefore not have to pay for this trip, what I write in this blog is my own, true opinion. For more information on the activity, check http://youthtravel.tw/youthtrekker/. I am also posting my blog entries on an official activity blog here.