Post by theplantman on Mar 26, 2014 21:45:13 GMT -5
Hi everyone!!
I'm Kevin and I'm excited to jump into the CP community. I've been involved in horticulture for almost a decade. A VFT and an S. flava were my first two plants ever. Determined not to kill them, I came upon terraforums, D'Amato, and Barry Rice. The plant bug bit me, and I've kept collecting ever since.
I'm mostly active on TF but I have developed a huge interest in Sarrs. I've been laying the groundwork for a small breeding operation, and I'm building connections with conservation agencies and nonprofits in Georgia. On my bucket list is to see plants that I've grown be reintroduced back into the wild.
I have also formulated my career around plants. I am a research horticulturist at a major southern university, managing two 5,000 sqft greenhouses within a larger complex. Mostly, I grow crop plants such as rice, corn, and sunflowers. Sometimes I get to grow ancestral or developing crop plants that are tough to grow or have never been introduced into horticulture. I have a passion for "figuring out" how to grow rare, threatened, and endangered plants too. A bit of my job revolves around maintaining a collection of plants for teaching purposes. This collection is roughly divided into CPs, primitive plants (algae>moss>ferns>gymnosperms), and flowering tropicals (esp. orchids, cacti/succulents, bromeliads).
I have loved plant conservation for a long time. It bothers me so much that within my own state, these plants grow and sometimes perish without anyone batting an eye. Previously, I've participated in mountain bog restoration in north Georgia with S. purpurea and cooperated with the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Jenny Cruse-Sanders and Ron Determann to help the federally endangered Dwarf Sumac. I also create a huge exhibit of CPs for a nearby botanical garden each year and talk to hundreds of people about them. Just recently, I pitched the idea for me to teach a class on growing CPs. The garden staff agreed, so I'll be doing the best I can to help bring people into this hobby. I want there to be a big CP movement on the east coast. So much of the interest seems to be on the west coast, and I'm jealous!! It's a tough and lonely fight here.
As of right now, I have grown hundreds of species from most of the major plant families. This involves the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, many of which I use on my CPs with great success. I consider my strengths my wide range of plant experience and my ability to diagnose and treat a myriad of problems. I love playing plant doctor and hopefully I can help others out when I have time. Though I enjoy growing almost all plants, I am especially attracted to CPs and cacti and collect them like a madman. My favorite plants in the world are the sundews, VFTs, and Sarracenia. Astoundingly beautiful.
I am looking forward to connecting with everyone here!
I'm Kevin and I'm excited to jump into the CP community. I've been involved in horticulture for almost a decade. A VFT and an S. flava were my first two plants ever. Determined not to kill them, I came upon terraforums, D'Amato, and Barry Rice. The plant bug bit me, and I've kept collecting ever since.
I'm mostly active on TF but I have developed a huge interest in Sarrs. I've been laying the groundwork for a small breeding operation, and I'm building connections with conservation agencies and nonprofits in Georgia. On my bucket list is to see plants that I've grown be reintroduced back into the wild.
I have also formulated my career around plants. I am a research horticulturist at a major southern university, managing two 5,000 sqft greenhouses within a larger complex. Mostly, I grow crop plants such as rice, corn, and sunflowers. Sometimes I get to grow ancestral or developing crop plants that are tough to grow or have never been introduced into horticulture. I have a passion for "figuring out" how to grow rare, threatened, and endangered plants too. A bit of my job revolves around maintaining a collection of plants for teaching purposes. This collection is roughly divided into CPs, primitive plants (algae>moss>ferns>gymnosperms), and flowering tropicals (esp. orchids, cacti/succulents, bromeliads).
I have loved plant conservation for a long time. It bothers me so much that within my own state, these plants grow and sometimes perish without anyone batting an eye. Previously, I've participated in mountain bog restoration in north Georgia with S. purpurea and cooperated with the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Jenny Cruse-Sanders and Ron Determann to help the federally endangered Dwarf Sumac. I also create a huge exhibit of CPs for a nearby botanical garden each year and talk to hundreds of people about them. Just recently, I pitched the idea for me to teach a class on growing CPs. The garden staff agreed, so I'll be doing the best I can to help bring people into this hobby. I want there to be a big CP movement on the east coast. So much of the interest seems to be on the west coast, and I'm jealous!! It's a tough and lonely fight here.
As of right now, I have grown hundreds of species from most of the major plant families. This involves the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, many of which I use on my CPs with great success. I consider my strengths my wide range of plant experience and my ability to diagnose and treat a myriad of problems. I love playing plant doctor and hopefully I can help others out when I have time. Though I enjoy growing almost all plants, I am especially attracted to CPs and cacti and collect them like a madman. My favorite plants in the world are the sundews, VFTs, and Sarracenia. Astoundingly beautiful.
I am looking forward to connecting with everyone here!