Tuesday, July 18, 2023
OSMT Meeting in person at Cheekwood Botanic Gardens (Zoom/Online will be available)
7PM CST: “Ecuagenera & Their Southern Greenhouses Growing/Climate Conditions” – Mike Rollinger
Mike Rollinger has been growing orchids alongside his father since the early 90s. Before becoming president of OSMT, he has been involved with the hobby in several forms including being a past president of the Batavia Orchid Society and as the AOS Show Chairman for the Chicago Suburban Orchid Show from 2010 to 2018. Mike graduated with a minor in Horticulture and major in Landscape Architecture from Purdue University in 2006. His hobbies outside of growing orchids include photography.
For the July 2023 OSMT meetings, Mike will be talking to the society about his attendance to the 22nd World Orchid Conference/Show that took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 2017. During the presentation, he will focus on the details of an 8 day tour taken through the Andes Mountains and Amazon Basin keying in on the climate and conditions for the several greenhouses Ecuagenera has scattered around the southern portions of Ecuador visited during the tour.
“Ecuagenera Cia. Ltda.” is a family owned company specialized in the production and the conservation of orchid species and hybrids. Ecuagenera also put’s on tours for those interested in exploring Ecuador for Orchids, provided the 6,000+ known species existing throughout the country.
Mike will talk through all aspects of his trip including growing culture at each of Ecuagenera’s greenhouses visited, as well as for some of the many beautiful orchids observed in-situ. The videos and photos shown will provide everyone with a better understanding of the often times harsh growing conditions that some of our cherished orchids grow. During the tour aspect of his trip, the group came across 140 species in-situ of which 6 species have yet to be formally named, the imagery and information will be greatly worth all the time covered.