Thats too bad! I would bring in any outside potted plants you can for a while.

Kevin has a good idea, check Craigslist. If you see your plants listed, file a police report.

Sarah

More than likely, they will show up on ebay or ubid... and I wouldn't bet on kids as the thieves... look for them with the flowers cut off, or listed with no name...

More and more, plants are being stolen right out of peoples yards... dug up, even. I've heard of it happening before.

We're lucky to live out in the middle of nowhere, but I still never leave potted plants visible to the road.

I'm terribly sorry to hear that it happened to you. I can only imagine how you must feel... I sympathize... :-(

And everyone thinks I'm nuts for liking and keeping dogs that can rip off human arms...

This is terrible. I was talking to a friend about this recently. I lock my greehouses at night. Not that it'll stop anyone. I have a wall around my yard.
But I never invite people over to see my greenhouse unless it is a close friend. And never ever have a friend bring a "friend." If I don't know this person, they don't come in. I haven't had anything stolen yet (though some kids vandalized my greenhouse once, trashing everything. I think they were looking for marijuana plants.) I don't advertise or show strangers what I have. You never know about people stealing. But what it sounds like for you is just wholesale plant stealing. Even a rose bush. Geez. That's low. I don't put razor wire atop my wall (its illegal) but what I've done is put old axel grease on the top of the wall. Keeps critters and people from climbing on it. The axel grease at least pisses them off. Used to have racoons and possoms and cats running along the top of the wall. Not anymore.

Next week is stress time. I'm the show marshall for a four day show in a Shopping Centre. Hope no one brings in anything worth hundreds of dollars and puts it in the display. Hope nothing walks. Hope no one pinches the pollen off one of the Cymbidiums.

I'm also the Treasurer, I hope no one pinches the cash tin.

From time to time, stuff has walked, but most members realise that putting their plant in a show is a risk that is worth taking.

I am also wary of putting any valuable plants of any sort on the front porch. Especially seeing the front yard doesn't have a fence.

Thanks for the sympathy. :*(

Phal. Mini-Mark and others are gone. The maggots even dug out my micro-mini roses (3) and the hardy orchids! The greatest tragedy is they took my beloved Calliandra emarginata. Not an orchid but I had him at least for 18 (?) years as a bonsai and he was *always* in flower.

Take everything but leave my Calliandra friend!

In total I speculate there were 21 plants stolen. I can only hope the person who took them knows how to care for them. They sure targeted what they wanted! I don't think it was just kids. Who ever knew what they wanted. Worrysome they knew where the stuff was!

The razor wire was just wishful thinking. All I could do was file a police report and put locks on the gates. We also put in some security lights / motion detector thingies. How could I ever say for sure THAT plant is mine!? There's no serial number or microchip in any of them. Just lots of nice flowering plants that are now in someone elses care. The majority of the orchids and planty things are inside now. Their season in the sun is over too soon.

I feel soooo violated! We've been here for 50 years and NEVER had anything like this happen!

Last night honestly I did put in an order to Andy's Orchids. Used a gift certificate someone graciously gave me for my BD.
In the big scheme of things they were just plants. In the little scheme .. They were mine. :*(

Hope everyones planty things stay safe!

C3D

Well, you could circulate pictures of your plants... and if anyone sees anything suspicious, they could call you... or the police.

Sometimes, offering a reward gets results. Taking out an ad in the local paper might net results, too... at the very least, it might make the thieves feel a little guilty if they read it.

This is one of the reasons I have protection trained dogs policing my home and property, and why I like traveling with them. If I hear a disturbance in the middle of the night, I'll get up, smoke a cigarette, maybe get some coffee... and then go see how much blood I have to clean up... and if anyone is still in the mouth of my dog, I might call her off... maybe.

But seriously... and that was sort of serious... we do have driveway motion detector buzzers, and motion lights. But I rely fully on my dogs... they are re-callable bullets!

What a low life!!! I can't believe there are people out there doing stuff like that. I'm so sorry!!!

I am so sorry about your plants .
It is an awful feeling to find out an xxxx rated word thief has ripped you off ,
A couple of years ago we had an ATV stolen they unhooked the garden cart filled the ATV with gas from a can we have and pushed it into the street.
We put chain link across the driveway with locks on the gate , but last week had gas taken from the pick up , I hooked the fence charger to the pickup and watered the ground around it . Also the dusk to dawn light has to go . We are in a nice area in the country thieves are all over and it will get worse with money tight . I would contact any greenhouses in your area and let them know what was taken . Again I am sorry ... Gin

Great idea about the ad in the newspaper! Thanks! I'm not holding my breath that any kind of guilt will overwhelm the thief but maybe someone will notice their neighbour has LOTS of new plants all of the sudden.

Our dogs, a 1 yr. old GSD and a 2 yr. old Elkhound, are inside with us or outside with us. Neither one gave a hint that something was amiss. Don't think they'd eat a thief but it might have been nice to scare the sh.. uhhh ... make them have to change their tighty whities.

Thanks all for the sympathy. Hope this NEVER happens to you!

Chick, would it be possible for you to install a motion detector lights outside? I know it is a end all for thieves, but it may help prevent some of your plants in the future from being stolen. We have motion detector lights, b/c of our shady neighbors, who are just not trustworthy.

Sarah

I watch ebay orchids like a hawk... if you can list what you're missing, I could check for you... be happy to!

In fact, there's a relatively new seller listing just today... a group of orchids, but a weird explanation... link below... they're in Washington, but anyone can list for someone else. Not saying these are stolen, but it wouldn't hurt to look...

That's why I love my bulldogs... they're not barkers... they will give a warning growl only... and if you don't heed that low growl, you're toast! They will absolutely attack if needed, and yet, they are very discretionary, knowing when they need to work. I trust my life to them. They aren't called finish dogs because they cross the finish line first! They always finish a job...

Here is a link that might be useful: new listing - multiple plants

I just hate a thief! sooo sorry!~Charm

Losing the plants does indeed suck, but re razor wire, etc.: I happened to find myself in Radio Shack earlier today looking for something else and noticed home security-type cameras. Not cheap but under $200 for the outdoor version and if someone's really hanging around inventorying, it'd be more satisfying (ie, you'd be able to nail them, legally of course) and possibly more rewarding (ie, you might get at least some of your plants back) if you can ID them/catch them in the act. ;)

(Having reread the thread, I think I might have noticed a motion sensor device too that I didn't pay attention to, but I think it was more than a light control, it was next to the cameras, anyway.)

We were robbed last year. first wednesday he robbed the house, 2nd wednesday we had installed an xtra bolt on the gate and he tried to wrench it off it hinges but couldn't make it, third wednesday he poisoned the dog. Now have two dogs, security cameras. I'm nervous, been finding fence staples on the driveway behind my truck. So I think he's back. "I feared for my life" call my lawyer. That's gonna be my story and I'll stick to it.

I'm so sorry for you, its awful to have your personal space violated. It makes one feel unsafe, even at home.

Never really tested some of the anti-thief ideas I had, cause I didn't start gardening until I moved out of my parents house and into a second floor apartment, but as it's also late in the summer, the ideas would work with potted plants. Originally thought up for pumpkins, cause my nephew lived with us, but:

1)Take a potted plant(sacrifical), and take the plant out. Make a few extra drainage holes in the lower part of the pot, partially including side.

2)Take a plastic bag that's fairly weak material, and fill it with either computer ink(from cheap cheap refils) or old paint. Carefully tie a line around it, which will work like a snare. Put the bag into the bottom of the pot, under a smaller pot to protect it.

3)Measure from 1-2.5ft into the street, to where you wish to place the pot, preferrabily in a nice grab and run spot. Give your self a bit of extra slack, to tie it down.

4)Set it out, put a nice camera on it overnight, covering to the street, and maybe you get a nice show for your morning coffee to watch.

It also works for chaining down pumpkins, cause kids in school used to do theft competitions, atleast where I was. It's not as drastic as a needle lined pot, and less likely to open yourself to a dog bite lawsuit(time in court would be costly, even when you win).

Hopefully, the friendly neighborhood thief won't come back, plus they'd have a nice dark mark on their hands/lap for identification purposes.

You folks are soooo nice with all the suggestions and offers to help. Thank you! :-)

I'll take a look at Craigslist and maybe eBay too but again the problem is that there is NO way for me to prove this or that is my stolen plant. :-( Then to pay (READ: REWARD) someone for taking the plant(s)? Or worse ... Accuse someone of theft and it really isn't my plant?

People steal plants from orchid shows?!?!? How low is that?!?!? Two years ago at the West Shore Orchid Show Ecuagenera made a mistake and got short changed by $50.00. I realized the mistake as I was leaving the facility ... returned and made up the difference. Mr. Riley was stunned. :-)

I doubt my plants were worthy of being shown but if someone wanted my plant(s) that much I would have gifted them away. Don't lower yourself and be a thief to maintain your plant addiction.

LOL! I like the ink trap idea! I did install a light/motion detector yesterday and it worked for the opossum and stray cats that went through. This I know because I couldn't sleep last night and was up listening for any little sound other than the crickets. (Isn't that what the dogs are supposed to be doing instead of snoring in the chair and bed?!?!?)

We have some sham-cams already installed on the west side of the property because of the continuing problems with the Toxic Neighbour. Loooooong story but she's sprayed brush killer on OUR property and killed sooooo many plants and done other things over the years. I won't bore you with it all. Real cameras are not in the budget at this time so we'll need to make do with the motion detectors.

The orchids are inside now and most of the other plants are too. ~SIGH~

I'll find another Calliandra emarginata and slowly the void will be filled with other orchids.

Anyone have suggestions how to put a VIN, tattoo or other marker to be able to have an identifying mark on the plants? Do people microchip some plants? I can get a hold of lots of them from the animal hospital.

Thanks again. Have an orchid filled, thief and maggot free day.

Me

I checked out your link, Jodik, for the 5 orchids.

Sounds like a real bargain. "...We do not guarantee the plants you will receive are these exact plants, or colors shown, but only suggest what the variety offered could contain and the same nature shown. We cannot guarantee the plant to bloom as this is entirely up to the recipient but the plants are in excellent condition and most have new pseudobulbs growing, but not guaranteed...."

But they add:" We guarantee the quality of the plant to be superior."

Mmmmmmmmmystey plants! Hard to tell if they could be mine. They don't even guarantee you'll get the plants they have listed. I'll pass. :-)

Thanks for the early morning laugh. :-)

I'd like to add my sympathy as well.
It sickens me to no end.
I have no tolerance for horse thieves!
...and apparently, they're everywhere!
Below is an article from our local Island paper.
These people have been through enough grief in losing their home without someone wading through the remains and stealing Pa's orchids!

Here is a link that might be useful: horse thieves

A lot of good ideas to protect our plants. I don't think it was kids. They would have just smashed the pots and plants. YOu mentioned your evil next door neighbor I wonder if they had something to do with it.
Mine are out in the open under a grapefruit tree. Somebody stole a couple of bags of mulch I had not yet distributed. How cheap can you get!!!!
I'm sorry your plants were stolen.

Having been through a house fire, and the subsequent theft of our "leftover" salvaged property, I can completely sympathize! Shortly after our burned home was demolished, some scumbag thieves broke into our unattached garage and made off with everything that wasn't nailed down!

I realize it's only "stuff", material possessions... and it can be replaced... but what kind of soulless animal steals from you after you've just went through the horror of a fire?!!

It boggles the mind... to think of how we humans treat each other...

Karma will have the last laugh, though... what goes around, truly comes around... and every dog does have his day!

That really sucks, Chick.

I too think filing a police report and notifying the neighbors is a good idea. Also agree that it sould like someone familiar with your yard.

Jodi, what is FOID? (federal officer id?)

Siris, with your 'trap' are you using the line to rupture the bag thus releasing the paint/ink?

The ultimate in low lifes? The scum who steal things from cemeteries -- and yes there are those who do....

I just wanted put in my buck in change.

C3D ,I'm sorry you had to experience loss like that or in any way, I know how you feel, last year while the house was being repaired, people broke in and stole a good amount number of items including all my flasking tools to include the flow hood , yeah I was pissed to say the least, and trust me there's a bowie knife in store for the next person
(Retired soldier complex I guess)

but i wanted to drop a statistic on every one. I happen to be a nerd so i go to things like Defcon and other "security" conventions and this is some thing I happened to pick up, apparently homes with security lights only deter first time thieves, the thieves who actually do it for a living not so much in fact you're more likely to have a break in as the outside lights are just so common every one ignores them.

any ways be it dogs or your self, it sucks to have to think about protecting your property from others.

Gaston

Here is a link that might be useful: some interesting info

Chickadee,
Just wanted to add my commiserations. I wonder if there's anyone out there who hasn't been the victim of nasty thieving scoundrels? Over the years, we have had it all. Our apartment was burgled and the small amount of good jewellery and cash was taken. We've had luggage stolen from our rented car in Italy, and a handbag snatched by a pair of crafty young women in Bulgaria. I've even had my wallet lifted from a handbag on a crowded bus in the centre of town (and me - a local and not some unfortunate tourist)!
Robbery is becoming a lot more widespread and sophisticated. Even large metal sculptures are being spirited away from public parks and sold for scrap. Depressing.
I hope that by some chance your orchids will turn up. And if not, here's your opportunity to get a whole lot of even more beautiful and exceptional plants.
Judy

FOID = Firearm Owner's Identification Department

In the State of Illinois, you must have one to purchase or possess a gun, and if there are guns in the household, someone there must have a current FOID card.

Horrible! I think dogs are the best deterrent. There are so many pit bulls sitting in shelters which are sweethearts and would scare the *hit out of anyone thinking of breaking in.

I lived with Rottweilers for over 20 years. They were mushes, but everyone was afraid of them. They only wanted to kiss you to death, but people don't want to take the chance. We never locked our doors. Now that we are officially dog-less, we've had to relearn our old habits. Doors are usually locked.

I like the idea of micro-chipping plants. How about a DNA sample? Wonder what that would cost.

So sorry...
Jane

"Siris, with your 'trap' are you using the line to rupture the bag thus releasing the paint/ink? "

Basically, yes. Might work better with a waterballon, filled with strongly mixxed dye, and having the line also attached to the ballon. Probably more cost friendly.

"Anyone have suggestions how to put a VIN, tattoo or other marker to be able to have an identifying mark on the plants? Do people microchip some plants? I can get a hold of lots of them from the animal hospital. "

Small straw/plastic tube, with a nail and a piece of paper with name, address, and whatnot wrapped around it, sealed inside. Would need a small metal detector, but it give a way of finding it, when it's placed nearly under the main part of the plant.

Though, digging out the tube might not be plant friendly.

Note: metal detector could also be an old studfinder, the hanging magnet for finding nails type. Easier to carry, less expensive, I would like to think. Magnet should flop over when passing over the little capsule part.

I'm not sure there's a way to permanently microchip a plant... they grow and change... roots and leaves die and new ones grow.

I wrote a magazine article many years ago about Tattooing vs. Micro-chipping for dogs... after much research, I found that tattooing the inner thigh was way more permanent, and that the National Dog Registry had a 95% recovery rate for animals tattooed and registered. Short of cutting off the dog's leg, there's no way to remove a tattoo. They could be altered to a certain extent, but that would look suspicious, and would be reason enough to phone in to NDR to check.

Microchips can be erased, altered, smashed, and they can migrate under the skin... not to mention the fact that different chip manufacturers have different readers, and not all readers will read all chips. I wrote the article quite a few years ago, and I'm sure there have been a lot of advances in micro-chipping. However, I still tattoo my dogs and register them with the NDR.

Because plants change so much, I don't know how it would be possible to permanently microchip one. I suspect that's why I haven't heard anything regarding the subject. It's an idea, though, that bears more research for the rare plant collector.

I think the only way to deter theft is to keep items easy to grab, and the more rare and wanted plants, out of view of anyone looking to heist them. Add motion sensor cameras and lights, AND a large dog, to your property, and you have a fairly decent anti-theft system!

Not everyone can keep a large breed dog, though... in lieu of that, firearms can be an option... but again, not everyone can or wants to keep guns at home. Dogs ARE great deterrents, though, and I think it's worth the cost and effort of putting a little training into them, which will hone their natural abilities as a guard. I don't know anyone that would want to risk a bite or a mauling just to steal something!

The bottom line is... if someone really wants to steal something, they'll find a way. Insuring and video taping your possessions is about the only way to recover anything from a theft. It's such a shame we even have to have this conversation! It's even more of a shame that it concerns plants!

Not trying to pick apart most anti-theft tactics, but I do know alot of them won't actually cause enough of a commotion to get someone's attention. For about 4 years, I delivered newspapers starting at 2am. There were dogs, there were motion sensor lights. Nobody reacted to the dogs, which were loose and freely running about. With the motion lights, even on my first few days, I was already walking up to porches with 0 interactions from people. Unless the paper was late, I rarely saw people away from the pizza shop that was open until 4am. I'd see people in the elderly housing buildings, but it was about 1 per building(3 total).

The only other time, outside of midnight mass days, and special holidays(earlier editions), I saw all of 1 person. Some drunk dumped on his steps, passed out.

Noisewise, it wasn't enough to get attention, even bouncing newspapers off of metal door parts. A dog barking might get the owner's attention, but most likely not quickly enough to prevent someone from escaping with something.

Cameras are only effective if the person's face is visable, or they have their car plates flash. Otherwise, all anti-theft devices fail.

Keeping things of value out of sight works, to a point. Short of having nothing to steal, there's always something to take. I've read through a few of the loss threads here, and people really seem to take anything and everything.

Keeping the best things out of line of sight is helpful, sure. Combine it with a few anti-theft traps(prankish, not hazardous), and people will try once or twice, then not want to touch much. Problem just comes as making some that won't hit unintentional secondary targets(foxtraps, holes, toxic chemicals, minor explosives, sharp objects.). Gun? Yeah, nice scare tactic, but when you use it over a plant, there's 12 people that might not agree with it being justifiyable use.

For chipping or tattooing, I think the little capsule would work, for a while, anyway. Little sign that says "This was stolen from..." with owner name, address, and probably reciept number, would help recover some found ones, even ones dug out of the ground. I did see a kit in a scienctific catalog for a small, pocket sized metal detector that you build. Says for ages 10+, so I think majority qualifies, and cost was under $10. It's not some massive super saveall sort of trick, but better than nothing.

Don't know where in Ohio you are but a bunch of orchids was listed yesterday on Craigslist in the Cleveland area. Can't say if they are yours but worth checkingout.

Larissa

Here is a link that might be useful: craiglist listing

Thieves who really want something, and know what they're doing, are not deterred by much. Even prankster kids aren't frightened by motion sensor lights anymore... they've become rather commonplace, and lots of folks have them.

While I'd not shoot anyone over a plant, I don't have a problem facing a jury of 12 when it comes to the safety of my family, regardless of the verdict!

I think that theft has become an unfortunate part of life, and keeping possessions and information private are about the only options we have... and even then, if someone wants to rob you, it'll probably happen anyway. Good luck getting anything returned, unless the thieves are idiots and drop a wallet, or allow themselves to be photographed by security cameras.

Barking dogs only scare those who don't know dogs. Real thieves aren't that deterred by barking dogs, because they know most people don't check when their dog barks, and most barking dogs can be curred out quite easily. I don't want a dog that barks... I want one that bites! And I have them... they have been trained to do their job, and they do it well.

I predict that theft crimes will rise as the economy worsens and the social classes become farther apart, rich and poor. I hate watching the news because it's so depressing... every day, in some city, someone is killed or hurt for nothing more than a pair of shoes, or something equally stupid. Society, and the world we live in, have become a modern day Soddom and Gommorah (sp?).

Doesn't anyone teach their children The Golden Rule anymore??

Tiz be true. If someone wants to take something badly enough ... they will. It's sad that someone would go so low as to take plants from someone. I just hope they are cared for properly and didn't get dumped in the trash somewhere. :*(

Thanks for the Craigslisting. I doubt someone from that far away targeted us.

I was just thinkin' I might be able to microchip some of the larger orchids or plants with something like the Home Again animal chip. It has a unique serial number and that number can be read with a universal scanner which I have. But there are soooo many variables involved including time if that particular plant happens to be taken. Would it be worth the trouble? Like I said I doubt my stuff is of show quality just nice for me. I suppose I'll just accept the loss and move on with other planty things. New orchids are going to be knocking on my door from Andy's this Friday. :-) They'll be staying INDOORS. LOL!

Hmmmm. About microchipping in animals ... I'll post something I got from the Veterinary Cancer Society on the other side about that.

C3D

I have 2 large dogs who will lick you to death if you dare enter my growing area. They make so much noise in the process that the purpose is served.

I think I know who the thieves are, probably one or all of my 3 grown daughters. If they get close to my place they make off with anything in bloom. I get the privilidge of retrieving the plants, at least I have taught them to how water properly.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss, we live in an imperfect world, at least you did not suffer personal harm. I don't believe in the death penalty, thieves should be jailed but criminals who suffer us personal harm should be confined to a 'Devil's Island' of sorts. Maybe force them to live in NY for the rest of their lives.

Nick

Hey Nick, that's not nice...

Jane

Well, since I want to go to the garden center today, I think I'll do a little plant test. I'll pick up some less than expensive plant, and see how well it holds up against an implant, not a microchip. jodik said it needs more testing, so why not the people here. Most likely, I won't use an orchid, due to cost, and transporting on a bicycle seems like a bad idea.

And, jodik, it's not the 12 people, or the verdict, that I would worry about. It's the next thief that comes along while I'm can't be there that would scare me the most. It's what will always be what keeps me at "severe beating" vs "No prisoners"

Ok, so today's trip to the garden center was rather nice. Apart from what I normally wanted, I picked up an orchard to play about with. Name tag says Phalaenopsis, care section came in 4 languages, one of which was english, which makes it easier. Plus it was a sonderpreis, nur Â2.99. Upside is it seems like it will let me do a few tests with no problem(inplant, hidden marker). Downside, reciept says "Zierplanzen" instead of what it actually is. A trip to the dollar store later or tomorrow, then I start and relocate to the expirement forum.

If ya can't find the perp's body or evidence of the crime, there never was one! LOL! But seriously, folks... I suppose a severe beating vs. take no prisoners would depend on what the moment involved... but that's what I have dogs for... so I don't have to react too quickly, without forethought.

I think the problems we'll run into with regards to micro-chipping plants are many... first, it's not a universal plan... meaning that everyone involved with orchids has to be on the same page for the plan to work. Growers and Vendors must all have chip readers, so if the thieves try to sell, the plants can be scanned... Orchid Societies would need to be involved, as well as Law Enforcement and the USDA... and anyone else involved in the sale or growing of the plants... I think the outlets for orchids and the places they're bought and sold are just too widespread.

The reason it works with pets is because even thieves, or whoever might buy a stolen pet, even unknowingly, will take them to the vet for a rabies shot or something... or, it will wind up in the hands of Animal Control or a shelter... once there, the chip will be read... or the tattoo noticed... and if the pet and owner are unfamiliar or suspicious, the identification number will be called in to check. NDR has an astounding recovery rate for lost and stolen pets! That's one reason we tattoo. Another reason it all works with pets is because they don't shed body parts and grow new ones!

Let's say we chip an orchid... then we divide it... where is the chip? In an older pbulb, most likely... I think plants would have to be re-chipped on a regular basis due to growth and dividing... that may make it less cost effective, and harder to keep tabs on individual identification.

With plant theft on the rise, something must be done. What the best plan of action might be, I'm not sure... whatever it is, it must be universal to gain good results.

My dogs will lick you sopping wet, too... but only after they know you're a friend... until then, they automatically position themselves between me and anyone around me that they don't know, and they watch carefully. Dogs are incredibly good judges of character, and when my dog lets me know something or someone is not quite right, I heed that intuition well... it has paid off in the past. To watch these dogs in action is an incredible thing... poetry in motion... the immediate response and precision with which they work are something special... I know with a certainty that I wouldn't want to be on the other end of the rope, so to speak! And the beauty of it all is... I can stop the dog cold with one word. My re-callable, furry bullets!

Anyway... I'd be interested to find out what others think about plant identification... what's the best approach... how can a universal plan be implemented... and will it all work? For those with show quality or very rare plants, it's something to think about...

Well, I will say that unless the chip works like a lojack(was that the car finding system?), it would be rather hard to recover with a chip alone. Unless you have some rarer plants, which can be easily spotted on sight to test, you'd have to check a silly amount of plants. Does the chip work if someone keeps the plant, most likely no, but when they sell it, people see the plant. A chip wouldn't be a must, it'd be an option.

A better identification system would probably be like here. Here we have a group of people, similar to any club. You can see someone did say "Look, new plants on this list forsale" after someone's was stolen. Tack in some Missing Gallery and have it linked up to a few groups, and you'd probably pull a higher recovery rate. Add a minor identification to the plant(see up above somewhere), and the plant might come back home quick. I'd bet that most thieves are lazy and wouldn't think to change a plant's medium after theft.

I would think that stolen orchids would be sold bare root, just to get rid of the pot that may be recognizable... although, how stolen plants are sold largely depends on how much knowledge of gardening the thieves and/or their accomplices have.

I think that, for the most part, orchids are just too numerous these days, and cheap enough in some cases, that identification for possible theft purposes would be a ridiculously huge undertaking for the mass plant market. Theft of a person's plants is unfortunate and nasty, but theft is part of our society today, and a thought we all have to live with in the back of our minds... someday, it could happen to us!

Making it difficult for thieves to steal our possessions is about the only way we can possibly avoid it... and making the fines and penalties harsh for those caught stealing would lessen the amount of thievery... somewhat.

We don't live in a perfect world, and it gets less perfect as time goes by... I think it's best to keep in mind that material possessions are just that... material things... they can be replaced. The safety and love of our families and friends is way more important!

Removal of pot would only happen if it's fairly distinct. My plants, if stolen to be sold, would be screwed, cause all of mine are generic, mass produced junk pots, cause I have evil creatures in my house, known as cats.

Effort overall for identification of plants would be excessive for a small chance at return. I did try to test some things with the one I bought. I did seal a nail, and piece of (blank) paper into a small straw, which will go into the plant anyway. There wasn't much room anyplace for a sim-implant, so I didn't try past making a small metal spike(in plastic).

Would probably be more affective to mess with thieves and make their risk have little to no gain. Sure someone might want to buy an unknowingly stolen plant, but they won't do it twice if, say, physiallis plants started popping up from their freshly aquired plant. And yeah, a thief might want to steal that heavy statue once, but when he tries to run with it, and it suddenly hits the end of it's unseen leash, causing him harm(by dropping on self, falling over, backstrain, etc...), he might not want to again, if he gets up.

Most fun things, work only when you know a thief was around, and might be coming to visit, though.

After having their mailbox smashed by a baseball bat in a teen drive-by several times, and several replacement mailboxes, some friends of mine decided to put up a dummy box filled with concrete, attached to a pipe, also filled with concrete, set several feet into the ground... the real one was smaller and set back a bit... from what I heard, the crack of the bat as it broke was fairly loud... I wonder how the impact felt on the kid's arm? Giving a solid object a good whack with a bat at about 20 mph or so would probably hurt a little bit! I wonder if the kid ever smashed another mailbox?

Making vandalism and theft messy or more difficult would certainly dissuade some... perhaps leaving inexpensive plants as decoys, and keeping the good ones under wraps would be effective... I don't know what the best answer is.

"Expect the worst, and you'll never be disappointed."

Some venders put a cross ID number on the bottom of a leaf in magic marker. I know leaves die, but practically speaking, if the plants aren't found within 4 or 5 days they probably won't be. The thief may not see it, but it would help with positive ID if it was there. And its simple to do. My very sweet non-vicious dog has been shot twice in the past 6 months by someone nearby. She survived both times, but I'd rather have them steal orchids. I took a reward flyer around to neighbors seeking information leading to the conviction of the person who shot Murphy. Sheriff's Deputy came to file a report. I don't expect to get info, but I would love for them to get the Vet bills.

"perhaps leaving inexpensive plants as decoys, and keeping the good ones under wraps would be effective"

While wearing rubber gloves you could gently uproot a local poison ivy plant and pot it up to be left for plant thieves !!!

This duplex I live in has been burgled 5 times. The gun method is great (I am a life member of the NRA and a firm believer in the second amendment !) until you realize that they broke in when you weren't there and stole them !! In order for it to work you have to A) be home 24/7 to protect your valuables (AND GUNS !) or B) have a carry permit and have a gun with you at all times which leads to C) there ARE strict laws that vary state by state as to exactly how much excessive force you CAN use and in what situations. The states that have passed the relatively new 'castle' law like Florida are a lot less strict in excessive force situations. Sorry, but I don't think protecting your orchids is an excessive force situation !! You COULD hold them at gun point and call the police, but again, see A). It WON'T work unless you're THERE to catch them in the act !! Build a moat with alligators and piranhas in it !!

Anyhow, I'm in the process of replacing my backdoor landing with a deck for orchid growing. The FIRST thing I did was to ELIMINATE the steps !!! It's accessible only from the second floor kitchen door ! I WILL find maybe a nice pretty attractive non-orchid flowering plant and put some poison ivy in with it and leave it out front for anyone who would like to steal it !

Sorry you had to join us, the home violated group, Chick ! It WASN'T kids, unless they're junkies. The motivation is quick-buck !!

Chryss

The number on the leaf would probably be more helpful if it was a phone number, and if the person is curious enough to call. If it's the thief, and you have caller id, or a lucky with the operator, you figure where they called from. New "owner" calls, you might get who gave it to them, or the plant back. Writing under a leaf might be bad, cause leaves can fall off for whatever reason. Perhaps written on the main part of the plant, on the "back", and hidden by a leaf?

Terrible thing to do to someone's nice pet. Though, I'm not sure on what you meant by it. When you said someone shot the dog, did they also steal something, or was it just someone shooting the dog? If it's just someone taking shots at the dog, you might want to bug the deputy to have him see who has what registered in the neighborhood.

I am so sorry first of all about this very unfortunate happening. I need to say that some people can only focus on their own greed and desires rather than take time to think about who their actions affect. I just hate to see anyone or anything suffering because I know how undeserving of misfortune most people are. But, rest assured that these immoral, lowlife, inconsiderate b*stards WILL be judged as will anyone who has a breath in their lungs.
I have to say that the idea of putting chips to track plants or id plants does not work the same as dogs because with dogs, they are taken to the pound or humane society to be ID'd first. Plants just taken by a theif would not be brought somewhere to be ID'd so unless you could have a police officer escort you into a suspects domecile and use the laser to ID the plant(s), how likely is that?
I think a good idea in order to prevent some theivery would be to organize a neighborhood watch and that way all neighbors are keeping eyes out as well as you so if one neighbor is lying, you would still know. Second of all, please notify EBAY of the orchids you even SUSPECT of being HOT or lifted plants and they will at least keep an eye on the transaction but also notify them and tell them YOUR side of the story- tell them you had orchids stolen and be very specific so that if any items match, ebay can properly monitor and notify you of possible recovery, and do the same with craigslist because if you report the user who is selling those plants and as SHADY as they sound, EBAY should monitor that seller and double check their resources or at the very least hold them up because you can report a seller on ebay and have them reviewed by paypal and/or ebay. keep in mind i am not the brightest person here, but you should check the seller again just to be sure- what if you could recover a plant or 2 or maybe even 8 or 9 out of the 20 or so you lost? I think it is worth it to do all you can in your community and the online community. Also, one last thing you can do is talk to others in your community- see if anyone else has had the same misfortune or if maybe they saw something. you can be your own Nancy Drew and possibly prevent others in your community from having the same misofrtune befall them. Another thing I would do is tell people you filed a police report and the police have done an investigation. Tell them the police have limited their investigation to a few select people and maybe you can make it seem like the pressure is on to catch a theif- check for fishy or shady behavior and maybe scope out anyone you suspect. I think you have one person in mind who is responsible and until you can prove it, the cops will not help. posession is 9/10ths of the law. Maybe you can find out something helpful in any case to prove yourself right or wrong.

The same thing happened to a friend of mine, they have many awarded Paphs, Phrags and Masdevallias and someone broke in and specifically took the best ones. They knew where they lived and saw the plants at shows.......must haven't written down the names of the plants they saw.

Despite security lights and two dogs it didn't make any difference. They still found a way.

I feel for you, I hope that never happens here but the potential is there. Time to put a lock on.........

Im gonna start locking my porch door!!! i dont tell people what i get unless i totally trust them! my plants look so inconspicuous any way (Thaank Goodness) they mostly bloom in fall and winter so that they are inside for the bloom and no one even sees them. Right now i have a really showy Semi-alba Blushing phal. im gonna watch it like a hawk!!!

I am so sorry this happened to you!!!!! all of our hearts are hurting for you, without a doubt!!!! if i were you id set up some booby traps! like get a mat near your grow area lined with sharp nails or glass or somethin. Orr hunt them down and them i dunno beat them with a club! gosh this makes me soooooo Furious! and it didn' even happen to me (YET) i hope you find the Dirty skank who took them! I am so so so so so Sorry this happened!!! i know that i would be i a crumpled ball crying till my eyes fell out

What lowlifes! I just caught up with this thread and I am appalled and so sad for you, Chick. Lots of good suggestions here and now one more. I don't know how it would do in your climate but have you considered planting bougainvillea around your property? It has sharper teeth than anyone with half a brain wants to tackle and if they do, it will be a highly memorable experience!

Marci

Thanks all for the kind words, fantastic suggestions and sympathy. Nothing I had were awarded or anything special other than they were mine and well pampered to have them healthy and happy. I've seen none of my plants on Craigslist or on eBay. Perhaps someone used them to decorate for a wedding? Sold them at their garage sale? Just kept them for themselves? Whatever did happen to my plants ... I do hope they are cared for properly!

There were some tears shed over the loss but after the initial shock I was more angry than upset. We have lost everything but our lives in a hurricane years ago so in the big scheme for us this wasn't huge ... just an unhappy bump in the road of life. Schtuff can be replaced.

I'm in Ohio along the shores of Lake Erie and bring in the bougainvillea, brugmansia and the other tropical planty things inside for the winter. We'll have until next spring to figure out how best to safely take the hundreds of plants outside again.

There was a news story on the BBC about cactus thieves in Arizona. People are putting microchips in those plants as an added security because scumbags are stealing them from public areas as well as private property. Scum comes in an assortment of varieties!

May we all remain scum-free! :-)