Topic:
The Wonders of Orchid Roots

Speaker:
Greg Griffis

The roots of an orchid plant determine its health. The structure and function of the roots, how they interact with the environment, and how to best facilitate good root culture will be discussed.

The presentation will also focus a great deal on watering, as watering and potting are two of the most important aspects of orchid growing. This talk is immersive and excellent for the beginner and intermediate grower alike, aimed at fine tuning our understanding of orchid culture on the whole.

In 2009 Greg Griffis first became aware of orchids through a college friend, who had always admired them. Studying at West Chester University, from which he graduated with a degree in Music and Education, put him in close proximity to Longwood Gardens.

He attended the 2010 Longwood Orchid Show where he purchased his first orchid. One plant quickly became twenty or so, and before long he was hooked. In 2010 he visited Parkside Orchid Nursery for the first time. By the summer 2011 he was working part time at Parkside for Tom Purviance and John Salventi.

He studied under their tutelage while working for them, and when they sold the nursery in 2012, he was hired by the new owners as the Grower and Manager of Parkside Orchid Nursery. He managed Parkside for one year, before leaving to grow orchids in Hawaii.

He worked for Hilo Orchid Farm for more than a year, spending a large amount of time working with Paphiopedilum, as well as Intergeneric Oncidiinae and Miltoniopsis. At the beginning of 2015 Greg began working as the orchid grower at Longwood Gardens, where he remains today.

Please bring your suffering orchid plants to this meeting for some expert advice.

Reminder: Showtable!