Omar Gonzalez
A chemist by trade and botanist at heart. I have found orchid growing a rewarding and enjoyable hobby. Work skills are used and are enjoyable for change. Solving problems is another aspect I enjoy.
I had moved back to Miami from Iowa in 2011 when I met a man that gave me some orchids: Spathoglottis, Vanilla, and Sobralia. It took a while for me to give up on a vegetable garden. Eventually I attended an orchid show before my first trip to Hawaii. I visited Akatsuka, Carmela, and became even more obsessed in Orchids. Upon my return, I started growing seedlings under lights, after a year it was obvious that I needed a big yard. An opportunity to volunteer at the Bonnet House gave me lots of hands on experience in managing a Vandaceaous collection. From then on, I would learn from anyone that would talk to me, seeking out knowledgeable growers, attending society meetings throughout Florida. I would attend every orchid show from Miami to Fort Pierce. Especially if they had lectures. Eventually some growers took a liking to me and they were a pleasure to get to know. All their wisdom was used to make my collection grow and I figure out how to make them thrive through trial and error. In that time I cannot tell you of how many plants were lost due to being a stranger in my own back yard. I have gone on to do orchid seed culture, hybrids, as well as caring for collections in private homes or businesses. I enjoy growing a myriad of genera, thanks to Springwater Orchids, Redhawk Orchids, Bill Thoms, Andy’s Orchids, Tamiami Festival, Redland Festival, you get the picture. My hands on experience is extensive with Cattleya, and Vandaceous. I also take care of private collections.
Come hear me share the monsters divided, finding the best conditions for orchids, the pests and diseases and many other topics if time allows.
Lessons Learned: Wisdom from Growers and Orchid Growing. The hands on approach to orchid growing. Many failures and long awaited bloom teach more than we knew beforehand. I will share a presentation that will give some practical orchid care guidance.
Omar will kindly be providing plants for our raffle table and will also have plants to sell.
Holiday Party Notes…members are encouraged to bring only non-perishable food to give to those less fortunate families for the holidays. We are not collecting toys this year.
We will have a box at this months meeting for non perishable food items which will save members from having to remember to bring them to the Holiday Party.
REMEMBER: You can use your credit card to pay for your dinner at the next meeting, but ALL attendees must be prepaid prior to the Holiday Party.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS & NEW MEMBERS
The Membership Renewal notices are scheduled to be mailed on December 2, 2019. This will give you the month of December to write your check and mail it. Or you could simply bring your check to the November Meeting (11/20) or the Holiday Party (12/18). I will be happy to give you a receipt on the spot. I will have New Membership Cards ready for you to pick-up at the February 19, 2020 Meeting – that is our Annual Auction Night.
We will be most happy to welcome 8 New Members at the November 20th Meeting. Please come out and help us make these new members feel welcome.