Awesome orchids

Saturday, June 26, 1999 | 10:34 a.m.

Outside the Orchid House rows of potted cacti sit indifferent to the sun and the dry 100-degree temperatures.

Inside, about 4,000 orchids are nurtured by an oscillating mister, shade screens and cooler temperatures.

The two-door entry protects the greenhouse from losing its humidity.

"You don't really expect to find something like this in Las Vegas," owner Bob Vitto says. "That's hostile territory out there. If you lifted off the roof, they would die in a day."

Safe inside the large evaporating cooler at 6255 W. Charleston Blvd., orchids of various subspecies mingle in the tropical surroundings.

As the largest orchid grower in the valley, Vitto supplies hundreds of locals with orchids. He gets weekly shipments from Hawaii, California and Florida. On rare occasions he even orchid-sits while a customer is on vacation.

"It's not your common, everyday thing," he says. "You'd be surprised at how many growers there are (in Las Vegas)."

And the number is growing.

"Orchids are really hot items right now," he said. "It's just the thing to do now -- to have an orchid. It's more exotic. It's something different."

Cloning has made the plants, once associated with the the wealthy only, accessible to everyone. In the past five years orchid popularity has grown, he said.

"Now they can mass-produce these things, making them available at a reasonable price." Vitto sells orchids for $15 to $20 apiece.

However, people still have reservations about growing orchids in the desert.

"There's a mystique about orchids," he said. "Most people think they're very expensive and very difficult to grow. They aren't.

"Some people gave away their collection before coming to Las Vegas," he said.

The plants require a humid environment and indirect sunlight, conditions that are actually attainable in Las Vegas homes.

"Once you get them sitting in the right kind of light, they only need to be watered once every five to seven days."

"The worst thing in Nevada is the lack of humidity."

The exotic plants with unique waxy or tissue-like petals come in various colors and patterns, including stripes, spots or ink-blot-like designs. Because they don't grow in soil and attach themselves to bark, moss or rock -- in some cases they let their roots hang freely -- a humid environment is required.

"There's so many ways to grow them," Vitto said. "It's just what works for a person.

"There's all sorts of things you can do to add humidity. A humidifier in a small room is the easiest way, but you have to have natural light."

Some use pebble trays, placing the plant, potted in bark, onto wet pebbles.

"People have grown them in laundry rooms, any place they can stick them. I know some people who are growing them outdoors under waterfalls."

Because some grow better in warm temperatures and others survive in cooler temperatures, Vitto admits that he gets a little concerned when he sees excited beginners run through his store and grab different kinds. It's better to get just one and learn about it first, he said.

"There's a lot of data to stuff into your head if you mix orchids," he said. "I've killed a few. It happens.

"Many orchids will need cool, humid areas. It's difficult to build those conditions in your home."

Tony Billitere, a member of the Greater Las Vegas Orchid Society, learned about temperature requirements the hard way. He moved to Las Vegas from Southern California eight years ago, bringing with him 30 cymbidiums. Within a year the plants died.

The plant that was easy to grow in California is nearly impossible to grow in Las Vegas if not kept in temperatures below 90 degrees, he said. "Then I got into the other orchids."

Learning to adapt to the desert environment is essential. Vitto says he spends about 15 minutes explaining orchid care to a new buyer.

"These are all my easy ones up front," he says walking past the phalaenopsis, the most common orchids. They grow in warm temperatures and are easy for a beginner to care for, he said.

The phalaenopsis, with its fairly large singular flower, is popular, he said.

Once people have tasted success, growing orchids becomes addictive, he said. There are more than 10,000 subspecies in the world and, with the popularity of hybrids, there is always a new plant.

"We have a lot of people who have built greenhouses in town," he said. "It's a fun hobby, and it's a challenge to rebloom them."

Two years ago one woman bought her first orchid from the greenhouse. She was soon visiting the Orchid House daily. Eventually her kitchen was covered with orchids and now she has a 600-square-foot green house.

"I know about three people who are that way," he said. "They don't know when to stop."

There are different kinds of collectors. Some want something that's always in bloom -- flowers will last three weeks to three months depending on the flower or conditions.

"There are more growers now than ever because you can grow them in your home," Aggie Roberts, a horticulturist with the Cooperative Extension said. "Up until a few years ago people were afraid they wouldn't live in the house."

Some growers take the parental role seriously.

One woman carried a healthy phalaenopsis with fuscia and light pink petals into the Orchid House recently, set it on table, crouched down to the plant and with a smile, waved goodbye to the bloom, then scurried out to her car to leave on a monthlong vacation.

Other orchid parents seek medical advice.

"I've had a woman call me from California and gave my some symptoms of a plant that she bought here. I tried to give a diagnosis."

Even Vitto develops a personal attachment to the plants.

"I say good morning to them every day and good night at night," he said, "because you never know."