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US Orchid Laboratory & Nursery, Inc.
The squeaks and hum of machinery which you hear during this interview are the sounds of an automated greenhouse which is working all the time to provide just the right climate for the growing of orchids. This is the US Orchid Laboratory and Nursery which is located on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
To manage such an operation you have to be both engineer and gardener. But Peter Xiao's background is in agriculture. For the last three years Peter has been the nursery manager here. He came here from the Anhui Province of China where he had come to work straight out of university three years earlier for the Jet Green Group, the parent company of US Orchids. There and here orchids are a growth industry in more ways than one.
Orchids are a big industry in China. In the US we sell more at Christmas and Mother's Day - in China it is New Years.
Now many people grow orchids, especially in Florida and California. The market is very big in Europe and especially Holland.
Jet Green is a pioneer in biotechnology and in the design and manufacture of greenhouses. They hold 37 different patents in these fields. They have operations in several locations in China including research and development centers in Beijing, Shandong Province and Shanghai where they create new varieties of orchids from tissue cultures.
The Rural Development Center at UMES was instrumental in bringing this project to their campus where their greenhouse operation covers two and a half acres growing fifty different varieties of orchids. They grow mostly Phalaenopsis.
They are in their sixth year of operation here, selling potted orchids to wholesalers from New York to Atlanta and beyond.
Currently Jet Green, is working with the USDA and the Chinese government to get permission to use sphagnum moss in the packing of their orchid seedlings which come from China. This is not currently allowed. Seedlings brought here now in potting soil take up to a year to bloom. Seedlings packed in moss arrive in a healthier condition and bloom sooner. This would help US Orchid to be more competitive with growers from other places who are allowed to use the moss for packing. And this would help lower the price for consumers in a market place which is becoming more and more crowded.
For those who would like to start a nursery, Peter suggests that one of the most important things is to understand the plants you want to grow and what they need.
Getting your product to market is another important part of the operation. The US Orchid nursery uses its own climate-controlled trucks to deliver to wholesalers. Orchids can be ordered wholesale through their website. Their reputation is growing. Individual orchid growers travel from far distances to buy their own plants directly from the greenhouse.
The US Orchid Nursery & Laboratory is dedicated to delivering the highest quality plants to market. It is clearly a company to watch and emulate.
Hear more about what Peter has to say and see some of their spectacular orchids by watching the video.
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Contact Information
Peter Xiao
Jetgreen Group & US Orchid Laboratory & Nursery Inc.
12059 Marion Drive Princess Anne, MD 21853
Tel : 410-651-5599 Cell: 443-983-9065
E-mail : .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
