Massachusetts Orchid Society - MOS Speakers & Topics

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.

Sasha Crotty

Speaker Fee: $200

Sasha is the vice president and past president of the Massachusetts Orchid Society. She has been growing orchids in small Boston condos for 8 years. With only 1000 square feet of living space, orchid real-estate was hard to come by. Fortunately this did not dampen Sasha's orchid addiction and fostered her fascination with miniature orchids. The small orchids did not fare as well in the dry Boston winters and as the number of orchids increased, it became clear that it was time for a change. Sasha bought an aquarium and converted it into an orchidarium. The high humidity and ease of watering made both owner and orchids happier. So much so that Sasha's home now houses 2 cats, 250+ orchids, 2 orchidariums and has recently seen the introduction of automated watering systems.

Orchids 101

Speaker(s): Sasha Crotty

This introductory talk discusses the fundamentals of growing orchids. Learn about the four basics of orchid culture: temperature, water, light, and fertilizer. Discover the different types of orchids and their varying cultural requirements. The talk also includes an overview of potting concepts.

Repotting
Speaker(s): Sasha Crotty

Live repotting demonstration. Learn which tools you need to repot an orchid, how to choose the correct medium and pot size, and how to fit all those roots back in a pot. Optional: hands-on repotting workshop.

Orchidarium Set-up and Culture
Speaker: Sasha Crotty
Growing orchids indoors? You can boost your humidity levels and decrease maintenance time by setting up an orchidarium. The talk covers tank selection, set-up, lighting, air movement and watering systems. Learn how easy it is to create an orchid spa right in your home.

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.