An addendum to my response to Ned Nash.
It is not helpful to just bash the AOS and the state of the hobby.
As a positive, a future orientated action plan, all of us, myself
included, in my talks with various plant groups, need to promote the
growing of species orchids. We collectively need to promote the orchid
hobby as one that can be enjoyed as an avocation. We need to promot the
fact there are is great depth of skill, craft and art of in raising the
species orchids. It needs to be promoted that the hobby has more depth to
it than "Pahlaenopsis are Easy". Here the AOS can help. More "in depth"
articles dealing with species groups that are not the run of the mill.
Perhaps a "Master Orchidist" program to parallel the Master Gardener
Programs. We need to promote the hobby as being something more than just
shopping for and collecting. We need to promot the art of horticulture. We
also need to promote the need to maintain captive populations of certain
endangered or threatened species. All these things would bring more life
to the orchid hobby.
Promoting the hobby is the responsibility of all of us, the
subscription list of OGD is a list of people that to the extent they can,
should be promoting the wonderful depth available in the raising of
orchids. It is not just the AOS's responsibility. Each of us can do
something, small or large. I have seen improvement - uneven, but definite
improvement in the last couple years regarding the AOS responding to its
membership.
Why is it that my impression of the Bonsai hobby is that it is
producing more committed afficiandos, and an overall much healthier
collective of small businesses than the Orchid hobby? Bonsai as a hobby
requires the accumulated learning of skills. This is promoted at many
levels, look at any bonsai show. A typical bonsai show will have a series
of demonstrations and workshops, usually one demonstration per day and 4
or more workshops per day. Most shows last 2 or 3 days. The workshops
tend to be one or two for the beginners, one or two for the intermediate
and the rest, usually half (4 to 8), for the most advanced of bonsai
hobbyists. In other words, the greater part of the effort by the bonsai
societies is NOT on the new novice, but rather bringing the skill levels
of the intermediate and advanced students of the hobby up to even higher
levels. In a parallel way, I think the attention to the intermediate and
advanced orchid grower is what is needed in the future out of the AOS and
all levels of organization regardless of whether they are part of the AOS
or ODC or MAOC or whatever.
You guys that are commercial, might think of offering workshops on
some aspect of growing that is NOT just for beginners, but rather for the
advanced grower. Help your customers become more expert in growing the
species that you do best.
Well, I really need to get back to my sometimes miserable day job
in the chemical industries. Thank you for your time, - Leo
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