Orchid Guild September Meeting

Please join the New Mexico Orchid Guild on Sunday, September 8th, 1:30PM at the Albuquerque Garden Center, for a presentation by American Orchid Society judge Mark van der Woerd.

Mark’s in person presentation will be:

“How to grow orchids in a grow tent”

A long time ago in a State far away, a young man went to a botanic garden and there happened to be an orchid show. He won the door prize, which was of course an orchid. And the rest is history!

Mark has been growing orchids for over 30 years, on windowsills, under lights and outdoors where possible.

However, the results were never as good as the accomplishments of “real hobbyists”.

Circumstances make us discover and try different growing conditions. A unique opportunity came along to try something new. It is now trivial to purchase tents in which you can grow orchids. In this presentation Mark will cover growing orchids in tents, under light and in high humidity. He will cover how to set up your growing area, what to watch for, and how to grow plants you could never grow before.

Your assignment ahead of the talk is this: surely you have thought “I wish I could grow….”.

Bring that idea to our question-and-answer section and we will try to discuss it.

But remember, if you want to grow in an enclosure, you must grow small plants!

Bring your blooming orchids for Show and Tell. 

All are welcome

Bring a friend

Orchid Guild August Meeting

Please join us on Sunday, August 11th, 1:30PM at the Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas Blvd NE for a Zoom presentation by Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids.Alan’s topic will be “Growing in the Home”This will be a good program for novice and more experienced orchid growers.

Bring your blooming orchids for Show and Tell. All are welcome. Bring a friend!

Alan Koch owns and operates Gold Country Orchids where he specializes in miniature and compact Cattleya’s. Alan started growing orchids in 1969 with 3 Cymbidiums given to him by an aunt. While in college he became interested in other orchids and discovered many would grow outdoors in Southern California. He has moved five times as his orchid obsession has led to the need for more growing space. With the last move, he purchased 10 acres of land in Lincoln, California for his 250,000 orchids. He is recognized as an expert in the Brazilian Cattleya alliance and a trend setter in miniature compact and Cattleya breeding.

Alan has been published in the Orchid Digest, the American Orchid Society magazine, as well as many International Publications. He has also been published in several proceedings of the World Orchid Conference. He is an internationally known speaker. He is a past member of the AOS Judging Committee, and the Research Committee, as well as an Accredited Judge and is Training Coordinator for the California Sierra Nevada Judging Center. Alan also served two terms on the Orchid Digest Executive Committee and 3 terms on the Board of Directors, as well as two terms as a Trustee for the AOS.

Email orchidsinabq@gmail.com for the zoom link

Orchid Guild June Meeting

Please join us on Sunday, June 2nd at 1:30PM at the Albuquerque Garden Center when we will welcome Nicholas Rust from Rusty's Exotics.  Nicholas will speak via Zoom.  His topic will be Habenaria: A basic overview of the breeding traits of species.

This talk is all about Habenaria hybrids and how they are made!Featuring over 55 hybrids and 125 pictures, this a perfect talk for anyone, be it an expert Habenaria-grower or someone who has never heard of the genus before. It begins with a quick summary of the genus’ history and where hybridization began. Next comes a big dive into hybrids with emphasis on how individual species created the hybrids. This makes up the bulk of the talk and has loads of pictures, both species and hybrids. Lastly, we’ll finish up with a thorough discussion on Habenaria culture, placing a large emphasis on the “big-bad dormancy,” which won’t seem big or bad after we finish!

Nicholas is an up-and-coming hybridizer in the orchid community. His orchid passion began in 2015 when a mini-Phalaenopsis was gifted to him. Like a flame to gasoline, this gift quickly pulled him into the diverse world of orchids. Shortly after his interests were formed, he began exploring the culture of several unique genera of terrestrial orchids. He now specializes in Habenaria and other related genera, jewel orchids, Australian terrestrial orchids, and Bulbophyllum. In 2019, this obsession bloomed into a small orchid nursery, RustyExotics Orchids, which he uses to share the wonders and beauty of his work.

Through studying biochemistry and molecular biology during college, Nicholas approaches his orchids with the same scientific perspective he uses while working in a research lab. This led to an interest in the entire growth cycle of orchids and the start of his own hybridization program in 2018 which focuses mostly on terrestrial orchids, especially Habenaria. His aim is to use rarely cultivated species and distinct variations of species to create truly exceptional shapes and colors that will pave new directions for unique hybrids.

Email: orchidsinabq@gmail.com for the zoom link

Sales table will feature Habenaria from Rusty’s Exotic