Give Plants Final Feeding of a Balanced Fertilizer Branches Which Will Produce Stronger Blooms for the Fall Growing Season
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Epi News San Diego Epiphyllum Society, Inc. September, 2010 Volume 35, Number 9 September, 2010 SDES Epi News Page 2 President’s Corner: I would like to encourage all of our members Good Epi Month to you all. In Southern to attend the September 18th volunteer dinner. Details California we have been lucky and had a cooler are in this newsletter (page 4). Also be sure to put the month than usual. I hope you all have been enjoying November meeting date on your calendar. We would your gardens. Several of us attended an ESA meeting love a big turn out for our 40th year celebra- in August. We enjoyed seeing Epi members from the tion. November is also our Photography con- LA area. We especially enjoyed having dinner with test. This is a good time to go through last spring‘s Doris and Galen Pittman prior to the meeting. Many photos and decide which you would like to enter in SDES members are also members of ESA and vice the contest. Looking forward to seeing you at the versa. It is nice to keep in touch. The speaker at September 8th meeting. the ESA August meeting was our own Ron Crain. He gave his slide presentation on California wildflowers. He did a fantastic job. All in all it was Sandra a lovely evening. SDES Meetings– —By Velma Crain Pre-Meeting Workshops: In August‘s pre-meeting workshop, Ron Crain presented information about the Epiphyllum Society of America (ESA) Directory; providing our members with info about the Directory and its use. This included looking at the forms and requirements used to register a new epi!! The topic for September‘s workshop is Epis, Day-Length and Astronomy for Gardeners. Ron will present information on how plants‘ blooming schedules are affected by day length. Why does a Christmas cactus only bloom at Christmas? You will have the answer, if you come to room 104 at 7:00 pm on September 8th!!! August Program: Last month‘s speaker, photographer Meredith French, provided us with tools of the trade to make our photos something special. They included pruning shears, a spray bottle filled with water and a piece of white cardboard! She also talked about coming back to a subject later in the day for different lighting and taking the same picture from several different perspectives. When our next epis bloom, we will take our best photographs ever!!! September 8th Program: This month we are pleased to present Connie Beck as our speaker. Connie teaches organic gardening and water conservation in several venues around the county. She will give a presentation on Backyard Wildlife Habitats. Here‘s a quote from Connie for ―The Mulch‖ (www.themulch.com) ―Habitat gardening turns anyone's garden into an oasis of natural serenity. When you give up toxic products and invite wildlife into your garden by growing plants for birds and butterflies and beneficial insects you find yourself more in tune with nature. Instead of noticing weeds or chores you find yourself watching the creatures with which you share your garden. It's a lot more fun!‖ September, 2010 SDES Epi News Page 3 The Dedication should be in WE DID IT! late October or early Novem- ber. Watch for details. Memorial Bench— As we completely Soon to be a reality! improve, redesign and re- model the Epi House at the That is correct; our MEMORIAL Wild Animal Park, any other & APPRECATION BENCH for the Epi additional funds donated will House at the Wild Animal Park is be used for this project. For those who donate completely paid off! We had a five-year contract $50.00 or more, your name will still be added to with the San Diego Zoological Society to pay off our Memorial & Appreciation Bench Donor our Bench, but we did it in less than half the time! Board. It was your generosity and support that made Our Memorial & Appreciation Bench is this wonderful project possible. dedicated to: I‘d like to thank all of you, for your dedication, donations and for supporting all our ―All Epi Lovers Past, Present & Future‖ Bench Fundraising events. The bench & plaque Donors are listed on page 8. have been ordered, and we hope to have them in place during this year‘s celebration of the SDES —-By Mildred Mikas 40th Anniversary. Wild Animal Park —–By Jerry Moreau We had a wonderful work party this Project Update month. We continued the re-potting, weeding, feeding as well as cleaning up the lower The Re-design/Upgrade Project plans are house top (thanks, Ron, for blowing off all the coming together. The staff at the WAP is excited leaves from shade cloth over the top of the house) about the project and it will fit into the bigger, and bottom (clipping dead branches and raking the long-range plans at the WAP. Plans are being paths). drawn up and the project will start in October. Helping out this month were Sandra One of the things in the works is an automatic Chapin, Ron & Velma Crain, Kathy Elliott, Bill liquid fertilizing pump as part of the new drip Greene, Jeff & Julie Hilbers, Yogi & Carol La irrigation system in the lower epi house. Another Blanc, and Jerry Moreau. Afterwards Gerry & element in the project will be a water feature that Mildred Mikas treated the WAP volunteers with will include a stream and possibly two small pools lunch at their house. Thank you Mildred & Gerry. of water. This will benefit both the visitors to the The next work party will be on a different display and provide humidity for the plants. Many date so as not to conflict with ―Green Scene‖ on more plants will be added to the display to make it 9/11 (see page 7), and the Volunteer Appreciation a more lush and have a more jungle-like feel. This Party, 9/18 (See page 4), and to have the Epi too will not only enhance the visual appeal of the Display House ready for the Association of epi house but be better for the plants. To help the Zoological Horticulture‘s (AZH) 2010 conference project along, I applied for a grant. The San Diego at the Wild Animal Park on Monday September Chapter of the American Society of Landscape 20th. The members of AZH will be getting a Architects offers grants to non-profit organiza- special tour of the WAP including our Epi Display tions; this grant being worth $5,000.00. House. Therefore the next work party will be Sunday, September 19th. September, 2010 SDES Epi News Page 4 Volunteer Picnic– From San Diego: I-15 North It‘s Party time again! Exit Gopher Canyon, Turn right - East Come one come all to the Turn Left at Camino Del Rey Turn Left at Via de La Reina (When you come to the Volunteer Party first two houses close to the road along Camino del September 18th Rey, just beyond is Via de La Reina), If you miss at Michal McKee's epi home. The party starts at Via de La Reina, no worries, about a mile down the 4:00 p.m. We will have an old fashioned ―Hamburger- road you can turn left on Via Maria Elena. Hot-Dog-And-All-The-Fixin’s Picnic”. From Via de La Reina, turn left on Calle La Reina, Please bring an appetizer or a dessert to share. Or...from Via Maria Elena, turn right onto Via de la Please bring a chair if you can. Reina, then right onto Calle La Reina RSVP to Michal at 760-758-2389 or Sandra at 858-451-1744 or [email protected] or First driveway on the right. Please sign up at the September meeting. We hope to see you park on road below and walk up the all there for a relaxing evening. driveway unless you need handi- capped access, if so proceed Directions: up driveway and park there. (There's Michal McKee limited room.) 30460 Calle La Reina, Bonsall CA 92003 From our Librarian: However, due to the age of the book (it is forty years old) many of the species names have Outside of A Dog changed, and the cultivation information is Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is geared towards a UK audience. If you keep this a book. Inside of a dog it's too dark to in mind, it is an interesting book to read. The read. -- Groucho Marx general information in the first part of the book is quite interesting, as are the remarks about the species This month's review is on the book Cacti, by pictured in this book . This book is an overview of the Wilhelm Barthlott, published originally in Germany in cactus family so there are only a few pictures of a 1977. An English language translation was published given genus, but it is a pretty good overview provided in 1979 in the UK, and this is the version we have in you don't get caught up in the species name changes. the SDES library. This book is a good read for a historical This book is a great source of information on perspective. I wouldn't recommend it as a primary the cactus family. The first third of the book contains source for cactus information, but it does contain discussions of where cacti can be found, the usage of interesting information about the cactus family as a various species of cacti (e.g. for food and for whole and would be a good supplemental read.