By
Cheri Carlson - Merced Sun-Star
DOS PALOS - Just feet away from a busy Central Valley highway,
fresh, sweet air - like after a spring rain - and a serene quiet settle around rows and rows of tiny orchids.
The plants,
which range in age from 45 days to nearly 2 years, are tucked away into three greenhouses where the air and water are filtered
and a shade specially made in Israel keeps out the cold, but lets in the sun.
When the weather turns hot, that silver
shade will be traded for one of a darker color, which will guard the greenhouse against the hot Valley summer.
About
200,000 orchids grow on the Dos Palos farm located on West Highway 152, near Turner Road. The plants are brought in at a couple
of weeks old by plane from Korea. Then, they wait in boxes under quarantine for about a week before arriving in Merced County.
About 10 percent of the plants are lost from the shock during the trip and quarantine, said farm Director Jung. But
the other 90 percent are re-potted at the farm and grown to maturity before being sold.
Owner Tae Bin Jung operated
orchid farms in Korea for about 20 years before coming to California, and continues to run the Korea-based farms where the
orchids are first grown.
In Korea, there are many orchid farms and lots of competition. Jung and his family decided
to expand their business and made the move to California, where they have been running Dash Dream Plant, Inc. for about five
years.
The Bay Area would have provided a more favorable climate to raise orchids, said Jung, who joined the business
earlier this year. But again, competition exists in that area, as do high real estate prices.
The about 15-acre farm
was purchased in Dos Palos, instead. Here, there is little competition and the land was less expensive, he said.
The
choice of location did bring some challenges, though. In winter, it is too cloudy. In the summer, it is too hot. "And,
there is very hard water," said Jung, adding that none of those conditions are amenable for orchids.
Company Vice
President Chet Sumpter, a cotton farmer and neighbor to the orchid farm, said getting involved in the flower business is a
different kind of venture for him. "But it's rewarding," he said.
Regarding which is more difficult - growing
cotton or raising orchids - Sumpter said hands down, it has got to be orchids. "They are much more susceptible to the
climate. In farming, we're at the mercy of nature."
For about five years, the farm has sold orchids to wholesalers,
but a retail shop was opened on the property eight months ago.
About 99 percent of sales are still to wholesalers from
Los Angeles to San Francisco. But the plan is to expand the business even further, according to Jung.
The owner has
begun the permitting process to develop an educational center, which would include a research center, a botanical garden,
a market, restaurant and RV parking.
Bamboo trees have been planted where the botanical garden will be. And, according
to Jung, the restaurant will most likely offer an Asian menu.
The research center on the site will be a place for botanist
Ko, who has a doctorate degree in horticulture, to work with plants, including developing new species and copying older ones.
For the tropical orchid varieties, including Cybidium, Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis which are available at the Orchid
Farm, developing new species can sometimes mean more flowers, or ones that will bloom longer.
The farm's Oriental orchids,
however, are kept pure, said Ko. Though maybe not as fancy-looking as the tropical orchids, the rare Oriental orchids have
three distinctive features - foliage, floral and fragrance.
"For American eyes, (they may not) be as beautiful,
not as fancy," said Jung. "In the Eastern culture, it's considered very delicate, very exquisite."
To
keep the plants healthy, air and water are provided through an automated system in the farm's greenhouses.
The U.S.
floral industry is increasingly employing automated systems for year-round production, particularly for high-value crops such
as orchids, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
More automation in greenhouses, including plant
exposure to natural and artificial lighting, can accelerate plant production and increases sales. Though, as the Orchard farm
owners have learned, it also means large bills from Propane Company.
Problems with disease and fungus are guarded against,
through careful observation, proper ventilation and some insecticide.
When the plants are sold, staff members instruct
buyers to water orchids with distilled water and of course provide a lot of tender loving care.
"And," added
Jung, "The orchids love the morning sunlight and should face to the east.
Orchid Farm, also called Dash Dream
Plant, Inc., is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 11578 W. Highway
152 in Dos Palos. More information is available at 387-4909 or http://www.californiaorchid.com/.
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