Peninsula Orchid Society

Peninsula Orchid Society Speakers Schedule: February 22, 2008

Stump the Experts

Dennis Olivas, Anna Chai, Scott Dallas, Fred Shull & Ken Jacobsen

A departure from our normal meeting - we will be playing a game and learning something about orchid culture at the same time. The meeting is called, "Stump the Experts". We will have a panel of expert orchid growers made up of: Anna Chai, Scott Dallas, Fred Shull and Ken Jacobsen.

Do you think you can come up with question that will have them guessing? Feel free to submit questions pertinent to your specific problem at home, or about orchids in general, prior to the meeting Please send your questions by email to Mike Rector (mrector@verizon.net), or hand them to Mike at the beginning of the meeting. If your orchid related question stumps the panel you will win a special prize. Dennis Olivas will be your moderator and will determine the validity of the question and determine if it has truly "Stumped the Experts". Dennis is sure to keep us all on the edge of our seats.

During the meeting you will also be able to ask pertinent questions to your specific problems at home. Feel free to ask any questions about your orchids and your specific problems.

Dennis Olivas, immediate Past President, ex-officio. Dennis has been growing orchids for more than 45 years, and likes to grow almost everything, although he loves species just a little better than hybrids. His favorites are Laelia purpurata and Laelia anceps. Dennis grows an uncountable number of orchids, somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000, although he is not really sure! Most are grown in his unheated 3,000 sq foot greenhouse in Half Moon Bay and thus his growing philosophy is "survival of the fittest!". He has been a member of the POS since 1987.

Scott Dallas, joined the POS about 28 years ago, initially to learn more about orchids. He now has a collection of thousands of orchids and is the owner of White Oak Orchids in Pacifica. He likes to grow many different types of orchids and has cool, intermediate and warm growing species and hybrids in his collection. He has traveled extensively and is an expert on general orchid care as well as greenhouse and environmental issues.

Fred Shull has been a member of POS for over 25 years. Fred has been growing orchids for about 45 years with several hundred (or thousand) orchids. Fred is an "out-of-control" hobbyist. His main expertise is in the Cattleya alliance. Fred has also been fortunate to visit Brazil on many different occasions to view orchid expositions and to see orchids growing in their natural habitat.

Ken Jacobsen has been a member of POS for more that 7 years and has been growing orchids for over more that 40 years. Ken and his wife Amy grow over 5,000 orchids. Ken can discuss issues on Cymbidium, Cattleyas, Laelias, Odontoglossums, Oncidiums, Lycastes, Masdevallias, Stanhopeas, Vandas as well as other genera. Ken and Amy have also traveled extensively to visit orchids in the wild.

Anna Chai is an award winning expert orchid enthusiast. Anna started her collection of orchids with one plant. Now her backyard features four different greenhouse areas, orchids growing without a cover and plenty inside. Anna now boasts 800 different orchid species and hybrids and more than 2,000 different plants at her hilltop home. Anna likes to travel the world looking for different types of orchids to grow at her own home. She has cool and warm-weather orchids growing. The funky looking ones catch Anna's eye. Anna likes the strange orchids. Not the beautiful. Everybody grows the beautiful ones she likes the weird ones.