MOS members are active speakers and can cover a wide variety of topics. Please reach out to mos@massorchid.org to organize a talk for your orchid society, garden club, etc.
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Brian Leib - brian@massorchid.org Speaker fee: negotiable Brian Leib has been playing with plants since college. After learning corporate America wasn’t where he wanted to spend his time, he pursued a career in horticulture, starting as the greenhouse intern at Mount Auburn Cemetery. He went into education working at Brown University’s Plant Environmental Center and then the Weld Hill Research Building at the Arnold Arboretum. He’s not sure how it happened, but somehow orchids got into his blood. He has spent over a decade on the Massachusetts Orchid Society’s board. Brian has been President, Vice President, and a sitting board member as well as the chair of the auction for many years. Brian’s goal is to make orchids more accessible and understandable. Most are not nearly as difficult as people think they are, but beware when you talk to him about watering with ice cubes or blue Phalaenopsis. | Orchids 101 - A basic introduction to orchids. This covers plant cultural conditions (light, temp, water, etc) with emphasis on windowsill culture (growing on your windowsills with other plants), some of the different types of orchids, some pretty pictures, and basic potting techniques. Orchid Pests and diseases - This talk covers many insect pests and disease issues. My goal is to give people a basic understanding of how to use pesticides safely, correctly, and as minimally as possible. I won't tell you what pesticides to get, but I will try to help you understand what will be an effective pest control strategy for you. Insect and disease diagnosis as best I can, but plants must be brought to the meeting in a sealed, ideally clear plastic bag to avoid contaminating other plants. Repotting - Since orchids are a little different than other plants as most don't grow in a traditional potting mix, repotting can be a little intimidating at first. I will talk about some potting media components and what they do in the mix, I will show you how I repot things, and if you'd like and want to supply potting media (I would be happy to offer suggestions before the meeting in terms of what to get), I would be happy to hold a repotting workshop with people repotting their plants. |