John Finer ~ Director 2, Education

John Finer is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University. Although he spent his professional career working on biotechnology of crop plants, his passion has always been growing tropical plants and especially orchids. After retiring and moving to Naples in 2021, John has been expanding his orchid collection and making new hybrids, focusing on  Cattleyas. He recently started a breeding club within GCOA called “BOING” (Breeding Orchids by Intelligent but Naive Growers). John is also working with the rangers at Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples to expand the population of Encyclia tampensis by generating seedlings and mounting them in trees in the park.