May 2021 Speaker: Tyler Albrecht on “Dendrobium kingianum & hybrids”

At the NWOS April meeting, Tyler will discuss the Dendrobium kingianum and it’s hybrids, and why you should have them in your collection.

Tyler Albrecht was born and raised in Silicon Valley but currently resides in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his wife Dana and two children Reece and Reagan. Having always expressed an interest in plants, just like his father, the two of them would often go to the local nurseries every weekend and find something new and exciting to bring home. Tyler’s father is initially responsible for introducing him to orchids with his small collection of Cymbidiums that grew so well outside all year at their Campbell CA home. Soon the small collection they both tended to had grown to several dozen and then a private collection was purchased from an estate that increased the plant count to a couple hundred plants. At this point Tyler had also begun to branch out into other genera and dove headfirst into Paphs and Phrags. It was at this time that regular visits to see Lillian Severin, Dennis Olivas, Gerardus Staal and The Rod McCellan Co in San Francisco. Ever eager to learn more, Orchid Clubs were introduced and as a Junior in High School, Tyler was elected Vice President of The Malini Orchid Society.

After graduating High School, Tyler attended Foothill Junior College to complete his lower requirements for a transfer to a Cal State School, at the same time earning a Certificate in Nursery Management from the Foothill Ornamental Horticulture Department. Completing a degree in Enology and Viticulture from Fresno State University, Tyler began working in that field as a vineyard manager and enologist for small private vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA. After a couple years, a call came to help out at the family business and to this day Tyler still is working as a high end aquarium and pond service and installation company.
 

Having grown orchids for nearly all his life, with a short break after college, Tyler has been growing for over 30 years and just this year has decided to begin training as a student judge with the AOS.