Son of Japanese immigrants, Gutavo Ogata He was born among the flowers that his father planted in San Miguel, at the beginning of the 60s, after fleeing the war. An agronomist, Kiyoaki settled in this soil shocked by its quality and fertility. Today, Gustavo runs the nursery that his father left him with his wife, Yuki, and one of his two daughters. Orchid producer and Member of APCOA (Association of Orchid Producers and Cultivators of Argentina), he is a great promoter of the orchid, its beauty and its ability to evolve. His clients include celebrities such as Carla Peterson, María O’Donell, Osvaldo Gross and Verónica Lozano.
Matero and barbecue lover, Ogata He arrives at his nursery between 5 and 6 in the morning and tours the 3,500 square meters – including ten greenhouses – among bright green plants, many of which are waiting to flower. It is not always known when they bloom – some can take three, four or even ten years – but he has learned from plants the gift of patience. She divides her time between her business, clinics and workshops to promote the love of orchids. While she observes these plants, and writes down what she observes as if in a diary, she remembers that when his father arrived, in the early ’60s, there was nothing around him.
Where does the fascination with orchids come from?
The truth is that as a child I didn’t like plants. My friends went to play and my old man made me stay in the garden. But my mom was smart. She had a technique; she projected work as a moment of relaxation in which we talked about things about life. She was a Buddhist. She always told me that you have to start things and finish them. Then she would sit me next to the wheelbarrow and she would talk to me, and soon I was planting too. She told me about the war, about the family.
So the love was not immediate.
And… I wasn’t sure. My mother introduced me to great producers from Brazil and Japan. In ’89 we had a bad time, and I went to Japan and ended up working to honor in a well-known nursery there (Hirota International Orchids). I started fumigating, and after a few months it was effective. I met exhibitions and colleagues. A year later he took me to Thailand. My boss told me: you know a lot about plants, but nothing about marketing. He forced me to go to exhibitions to see the sales, the stands, the catalogues. One thing led to another, and I realized that they are in my blood. My students say that I am passionate.
What do you feel you contributed to the family business?
In the ’80s my old man sold Cymbidium as cut flowers, a few plants per month to an exclusive business. But I learned in Japan that I could make people more popular. Orchid. Transform ourselves into producers who sell to the direct public. Today we also have Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, Cattleya and other more exotic ones, for a more knowledgeable audience.
What are you passionate about orchids?
I’m passionate about the fact that they don’t listen to me. I always do catharsis. They are like children: they don’t slam the door on you, but they stay there. And you have to find a way around them for them to flourish. In the process, you can hurt them, they can die or take a lot of work until they bloom. But when they bloom, happiness is total.
How is it different from other plants?
They have an incredible power of adaptation. The ones here are actually exotic. That evolution impacts me. Depending on which book you look for, there are between 25 and 35 thousand species of orchids. Within the flora, it is the most numerous.
The myth is that they are very difficult.
If I could do it, anyone can. I know 0.05% of what you may know. They are rustic plants. Yes, they are obviously difficult, if it were that simple, we wouldn’t be talking. But nothing is easy. The orchids They are, within the plant kingdom, the ones that evolved the most. Fossils were found orchids, so they come from much earlier. They are found all over the world, except in the polar regions and in the desert. In Argentina, we even have the Malvinas Islands.
What is the ideal climate?
Except the Phalaenopsis, which needs heat, the rest usually live above 800 meters above sea level, so they don’t like heat very much. Beyond the tropical climate, warm days and cool nights are ideal.
Which are the most recommended in the country?
Phalaenopsis, Cymbidium y Dendrobium They are the most popular. But we have an open channel on Instagram, you can consult us.
How do you sell your plants?
Post pandemic, the nursery changed a lot. Online sales grew, and more people from the interior discovered us. One of my daughters is a Marketing Manager in a company, and she helped us a lot. We grew exponentially. We now have practical events and workshops, as well as theoretical courses in my nursery. We also sell there. And sometimes we open the nursery for visits on weekends.
Who would you say is the audience for orchids?
It’s a thought of mine, but they are people who need to be evolving like the orchids. That in their respective jobs they are very good, detailed and demanding. It is not an economical plant. There are professionals, medical engineers, but also housekeepers, mechanics or house painters.
What are the frequent problems of those who begin to grow them?
The anxiety. They are plants that take from 3 to 7 years, depending on the variety, to flower. You buy a flowering plant, but I gave it all the basic needs for it to flourish because I make a living from this. But it goes to your house, which is not necessarily the best place and, if you have not interpreted what care is like, it does not thrive. For every mistake you make, you will have a year of recovery. A Orchid It’s not like the joy of home when you see it withered and you pour water on it and within hours it’s great. The orchids They take months, and sometimes, in the effort to save them, mistakes are made.
It’s for patients.
I am a very anxious person. But I understood that the plants’ times are not mine, so I respect that. I was very wrong. When I returned from Japan I had many ideas of what to do. My dad gave me a greenhouse and told me “just be quiet.” And it didn’t go well for me.
What do you like about teaching?
I like that they learn something, it is very nice and stressful. When I started, the orchids It was very backward compared to Japan. But in these last 30 years, it has grown a lot. With the Association we managed to expand and be more accurate in the way we care and explain, without hiding secrets in quotes. Thus we were achieving more rustic plants to care for. And a very adept audience.
Do you like looking for seeds?
I am constantly on the search. Years ago I traveled a lot. Now with the internet and all my business partners in São Paulo, where millions of orchids, I can have what I need. But I already know what will work for me. I had one Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis which came from Malaysia and took ten years to produce its first flower. The day it bloomed I was the happiest man in the world.
