SOUTHERN ONTARIO

ORCHID SOCIETY established in 1965 June 2007 NEWS---Volume 42, Issue 6

Executive: President, Jay Norris 416-463-7411; Vice-presidents, Wayne Eyles and Mario Ferrusi ; Secretary, Sue Loftus 905-839-8281; Treasurer, Joe O’Regan 416-759-2538 Membership: Annual Dues $25.00/Calendar Year. Membership Secretary, Hess Pommells 416-245- 0369, Apt. 503, 370 Dixon Road, Weston, Ontario, M9R 1T2 Web site: www.soos.ca Member of the Canadian Orchid Congress; Affiliated with the Orchid Digest, the American Orchid Society, and the International Phalaenopsis Alliance Honorary Life Members: Walter Norman, Terry Kennedy, Doug Kennedy, Inge Poot, Peter Poot, Joe O’Regan, Diane Ryley

Program: June 3 , Toronto Botanical Gardens, Floral Hall, Sales 12:00, Program 1:00 pm: Joe Kunish, the owner of Bloomfield Orchids in New York state will speak on Culture for Paphs. and Phrags. Pre- orders for need to be received by him 10 days prior to the meeting.

Don’t forget SOOS Summerfest, August 5, 10 am - 4 pm, judging in the morning, lunch, speakers Great Speakers, Great plants for Sale. Cal Orchids www.calorchid.com and Ratcliffe Orchids [email protected] All Orchidists Welcome The web site for cal orchids, www.calorchid.com, is not yet complete. The species part of the web site is operational so members wanting to place an order should use e-mail or phone to send the order, and ask for a confirmation (information is on the web site). I would not send a credit card Masdevallia mendozae 'Tuakau Candy' CCM/JGP number by e-mail as the system is not 2007. Best Masdevallia in the 2007 Tokyo Dome Show. secure. Either contact them by phone or arrange to pay for the plants at Summerfest.

1 President’s Message. exposure to other plants. Well Folks I can hardly believe our invincible Editor says Editor’s Note. it's time again for another President's As you will see I have borrowed freely from Message: I swear I sent him one only last others for this issue. It would please me week!! immensely if some of you dear readers would This week marks a special turning point for step forward with some local contributions. me, as Max and I have made the decision to Perhaps you could write about your sell the house in Toronto and move to experiences with a or describe your Stratford. We have just finalized the deal for growing area for us! Inge and I will again not the new house and will actually take be at the next SOOS meeting, so if someone possession on June 1st - so little time and so could contribute their notes? much to do!! How did we ever manage to accumulate so much stuff???? Welcome New Members We are going to have to relearn how to grow Bob Gibbon, Brenda Arianrhod Davis, our orchids all over again - let's hope they Margaret Hewings. enjoy the experience. I will keep you all posted as we go along: the first obstacle will Coming Events probably be arranging for rain barrels as the June water supply to our new home is VERY hard 2, Toronto Centre Judging, 1 pm, Toronto and requires a water softener - this is death Botanical Garden to plants!! Oh why did I fall in love with 3, SOOS meeting, Toronto Botanical Pleurothallids and others who desire pure Garden Andean Cloud forest Rain, preferably with an 16, Montreal Judging centre. 80% humidity range and a temperature of July less than 23 C?????? 7, Toronto Centre Judging, 1 pm, Toronto I probably won't be at the June meeting, so Botanical Garden wish me luck!! 21, Montreal Judging centre. See you soon!! Happy Growing!! Jay August 5, Toronto Judging and SOOS Orchidfest. Problem table. A New Feature 18, Montreal Judging centre. To serve you better and to get to know you September faster there will be a Question and Answer 1, Toronto Centre Judging, 1 pm, Toronto Botanical Garden service available at all future meetings at a table next to the membership table. 2, SOOS meeting, Toronto Botanical Knowledgable members will provide advice on Garden, Marilyn Light on protecting our native flora. problems you may have growing your plants. If you are bringing in samples of diseased plants please wrap them in plastic to avoid

2 May Show Table

Class First Second Third

Cattleya alliance Cattleya walkeriana Prosthechea vespa Epidendrum Class 1 Wendy Hoffman Jay Norris escobarianum Anita Kho Slc. Jewel Box ‘Dark Waters’ Ingrid Wauro

Paphiopedilum Phragmipedium Paphiopedilum P. concolor Class 2 Schroderae (Phrag. rothschildianum Reva Starr caudatum x Phrag. ‘Eureka’ P.Gene Hughes Sedenii) Henry Glowka Ingrid Wauro Ingrid Wauro

Class 3 Phals and Vandas Ascocenda Lese's Phalaenopsis Alliance Sunshine (Ascda. philippinensis Theptong x Ascda. Wendy Hoffman Guo Chia Long) Wendy Hoffman

CLASS #4 ONCIDIUM Tolumnia Elfin Gem Howiara Lava Burst Oncidium AND RELATED (Tolu. Sniffen x ‘Puanami’ (Hwra. variegatum Tolu. Shannon Mini-Primi x Rdza. Anita Kho Elizabeth) Reva lanceolata) Anita Starr Kho

CLASS #5 Galeandra dives CYMBIDIUM Wendy Hoffman

Class 7 All Others Masdevallia setacea Stellis quadrifida Coelogyne ‘Spider’ syn.Pleurothallis lawrenceana Joyce Medcalf ghiestbrechtiana D Watts Yvan Richard Stellis argentata Anita Kho

CLASS #9 BASKET Erika Lorincz Henry Glowka OF DISPLAYS

3 Member News points, Jacques Fortin. If you hear of anything affecting one of our Anguloa ruckeri ‘Yvonne’ CCM-AOS members, please let Wayne Eyles know at Schreibers Orchids. 905-629-1799 or [email protected]. Paphiopedilum Salvadore Dali ‘Yvonne’ AM- AOS 83 points, (liemianum x PLANT OF THE MONTH chamberlanianum) Schreibers Orchids. Phragmipedium Schroderae (Phrag. Lycaste Walnut Valley ‘George Cook’ HCC-AOS caudatum x Phrag. Sedenii) grown by Ingrid 75 points, (Leo x Hamana Jason), George Wauro on a window sill. Ingrid bought the Cook. plant at the December auction and Dendrobium loddigesii ‘Roger Sheng’ CCM- immediately repotted it in a mixture of bark, AOS, 85 points, Roger Sheng. coconut chips, tree fern, sponge rock, and Masdevallia Rushtonii ‘Malcom Adams’ AM- sphagnum moss . She fertilises with fish AOS 81 points, (ignea x racemosa), Mario and emulsion. Conni Ferrusi. Masdevallia Fraseri ‘Ilia’ AM-AOS 81 points, (ignea x coccinea alba) , Mario and Conni Ferrusi Masdevallia ignea ‘Marsh Hollow’ CCM-AOS 82 points, Mario and Conni Ferrusi Toronto Judging Centre, May 5: Masd. setacea 'Spider' AM/AOS 80 pts. Joyce Medcalf Trichocentrum nanum 'John Kafka' AM/AOS 80 pts. Erika Lorincz Maxillaria shepheardii 'Ashlar' CHM/AOS 83 pts. (prov.) Doris Jensen

Phalaenopsis tetraspis showing Library News: irregular colour patterning similar to plant Check out theses recent additions to the judged April 7. S.O.O.S library at the Toronto Botanical AOS Judging Results Gardens' library: Toronto Artistic Orchid Association Show April 14 Orchids on the rock: the wild orchids of Polystachya bennettiana ‘Erin’ CBR-AOS, Newfoundland by Andrus & Maria Voitk Gerrard Kompter. Grow Disas by Hildegard Crous Phalaenopsis Cygnus ‘Memoria Dr. David DiCiommo’ (Tokyo Bridal x Silky Moon) Slipper orchids of Vietnam : with an DiCiommo Orchids. introduction to the flora of Vietnam by Leonid Ottawa Orchid Society Show, April 28: Averyanov, Phillip Cribb, Phan Ke Loc, and Leptotes bicolor ‘Etchemin’ CCM-AOS 82

4 Nguyen Tien Hiep. in a matter of minutes there was over a foot of water on the road. The lightning was so The gardener's guide to growing hardy intense that it almost seemed like it was perennial orchids by William Mathias. daytime, the thunder was excruciatingly *** This gentleman was the guest speaker deafening. at our May 6th meeting *** The show itself was held in a cavernous room Spatulata orchids : Papua New Guinea by the with exhibits surrounding the sales area in Orchid Society of Papua New Guinea, Inc. the middle of the room. The aisles were 15 feet wide throughout the room. The AOS The Paphiopedilum grower's manual by Trophy was won by a table top display done by Lance A. Birk. Second revised edition Andy's Orchids . It was comprised totally of beautifully grown species, all of them had the country of origin on the label. I had the pleasure of being on a team that awarded Andy's Pleurothallis (Arconis) cynea. It received a Certificate of Cultural Merit of 84 points and a Certificate of Horicultural Merit of 84 points. It had 90 flowers and 83 buds on 31 fascicles on a 32 leaved plant in a 14 cm. mesh pot.

Some of the new things that are happening at the AOS where discussed at the meetings. There are plans to create regional AOS Centers throughtout the country manned by local volunteers (their mandate being to stay AOS Representative Report on in touch with all the local Societies). the ARLINGTON, TEXAS meetings , May 2-6, 2007 The results of the survey will be in the June issue of Orchids. The meetings were in a beautiful setting. They are looking at a way to bundle local Lodgings were at the Wyndham Hotel and the Society memberships with an AOS Show and Meetings where in the building membership. next door, the Arlington Convention Center. A bit further away was the home of the Texas The cumbersome AOS web site is going to be Rangers where it just happened that the totally revamped and made much more user Toronto blue Jays where playing for the friendly weekend. I unfortunately had no spare time to attend a game. There are plans for the Members Section to include the Index of Cultivated Orchids with My arrival was certainly thrilling as a flash attachment to photos (this book alone would storm came in as we were being shuttled to cost about $1000). There will also be an the hotel. The rain came down so hard that

5 Orchid Dictionary. for the plant to grow new roots is to send up another lead. Ron McHatton and Carlos Figetti are promising great changes. Second, the repotting process is generally very hard on Cattleya roots and often results The award certificates will now also include in extensive root damage, even when done a picture of the awarded plant. The cost of the carefully. The roots are tender and tend to awards will be lowered as soon as the digital intertwine and cling to pieces of the potting program is fully in place. medium and the pot, so dislodging the roots generally causes substantial damage. (The The mood was very upbeat, giving me a very fact that roots cling to the medium and pot good feeling about what is coming in the plays a big role in causing the damage. For future. Submitted by Mario Ferrusi example, new Paphiopedilum roots are as tender as Cattleya, roots, but they generally ORCHIDS 101 do not cling to the medium or pot. WHEN TO REPOT CATTLEYAS Consequently, repotting Paphiopedilums is a By William P. Rogerson comparatively gentle act that causes very William P. Rogerson is an AOS accredited judge little root damage.) It is therefore imperative and orchid hobbyist who lives and grows his to repot them only when they are about to plants in the Chicago area. He specializes in send out new roots to replace those damaged Cattleya species and has one of the best during repotting. collections of choice cultivars of this group. One of the most basic and important rules to The ideal repotting time window is fairly follow when growing Cattleyas (or most other short, lasting from about one to two weeks sympodial orchids, for that matter) is to "repot only when new roots are just starting to before the roots first begin to emerge until a grow." In this short article, I will begin by week or so after this time. If one repots more explaining what this rule means and why it than a week or two before new roots emerge, is important to follow it. Then I will describe the plant can suffer dehydration stress in more detail the various growth patterns of between repotting and the time new roots Cattleyas and, in particular, when new root begin to grow. From the time of the visible growth occurs in these different growth appearance of the first slight bump of the first patterns. emerging root, it takes about a week for The rule to "repot only when new roots roots to grow too long (more than one quarter emerge" follows from two basic of an inch) for repotting to occur without characteristics of Cattleyas. First, each lead significant risk of damaging the new roots. of a Cattleya sends out a single flush of roots New root tips are extraordinarily tender; once, and only once, in its lifetime. The roots brushing the emerging tips even very lightly grow down into the medium for the next few against the side of a new pot is likely to crush months before they reach maturity and stop or break them. growing. No new roots will emerge from the old lead again, and, in general, very few-if There are two ways to cope with this narrow any-new roots will grow from the existing window of repotting opportunity and I roots once they have matured. The only way recommend that you employ both of them.

6 First, constantly inspect your orchids for effectively destroys many of the existing roots signs of new root growth, and be ready to just when the plant will need them to support repot them the instant you see signs of it. its major growth spurt of the year. Plants Second, learn each plant's growth pattern, so exposed to such a shock are often set back you can anticipate when it will need to be and sometimes even die. I believe many repotted. As I will discuss below, the precise Cattleyas considered to be difficult to grow are point in the growth cycle at which new roots in reality difficult simply because people do emerge varies dramatically among different not understand when to repot them. Cattleyas, but any particular Cattleya tends to exhibit the same pattern over and over Cattleyas that follow the "root before bloom" again. Once you know an orchid's growth growth pattern often bloom in fall, winter or cycle, it is easy to either simply repot it a few spring. Orchids in this group typically send weeks before it will send out roots, or to out new leads and roots during the spring and become particularly vigilant when you know summer months so that leads are generally its rooting period is near, and repot it when fully mature by fall. At this point the orchid the first signs of new roots appear. I generally enters into a rest phase that lasts until the keep an eye on entire groups of orchids that plant's internal clock tells it that it is time to I know root at the same time, and then use bloom. The plant then blooms, perhaps enters the emergence of new roots on anyone of another rest period after blooming, then these plants as a signal that it is time to begins the cycle anew. (Fall-blooming repot the entire group. Cattleyas like C. labiata have a fairly short rest period after their leads mature, and a Cattleyas exhibit two sharply distinct correspondingly longer rest period after they patterns of growth. In one growth pattern bloom. The reverse is true for Cattleyas that ("root before bloom"), roots emerge as the new bloom in spring, like C. mossiae.) lead grows; blooming occurs only once the lead and roots are mature and basically Plants in the "root before bloom" group can finished growing. In the other growth pattern send out successive leads during the summer ("root after bloom"), the new lead sends out growing period. The plant stores up all of roots only after it has fully matured and these leads, then they all bloom bloomed. This means that Cattleyas that simultaneously. Some of the most famous follow the "root before bloom" pattern should unifoliate species are in the "root before be repotted BEFORE they bloom, when the bloom" group. Listed in order of blooming, with new lead is just emerging and beginning to the approximate blooming time in grow. However, Cattleyas that follow the "root parentheses, these include C. labiata after bloom" pattern should be repotted AFTER (October/November), C. jenmanii (December/ they bloom, when the lead is fully mature. January), C. percivaliana Even many experienced orchid growers do not (December/January), C. trianaei (January fully understand this distinction and tend to /February), C. schroderae (March/April), and treat all of their Cattleyas as if they follow the C. mossiae (March/April/May). Most of the "root before bloom" pattern, repotting all of fall/winter/spring blooming hybrid unifoliates them when the new leads are emerging. For descend from these species, and follow the the "root after bloom" group, this practice same growth pattern.

7 Bifoliate species that follow this pattern, once June/ July), C. rex (July), and C. aurea (also again listed in order of blooming, are C. known as C. dowiana var. aurea, July/August/ amethystoglossa (January/February), C. September). Many summer and fall blooming aurantiaca (February /March/ April), and C. unifoliate hybrids follow this pattern. For skinneri (April). Many of the winter/spring example, the very famous yellow hybrid Blc. blooming reds and oranges have C. aurantiaca Toshi Aoki has almost exactly the same in their background, and they all generally growth pattern as C. aurea, which figures follow the "root before bloom" growth pattern. prominently in its parentage.

Cattleyas that follow the "root after bloom" In closing, I should mention that I have growth pattern often bloom in late spring, simplified many details of each species' summer or fall. These orchids send up their growth habits in this short article. For new leads in late winter, spring or summer, example, some of the species tend to send up and bloom almost immediately as the leads an extra lead at certain times of the year. reach maturity. Roots are produced Whether or not these extra leads will bloom immediately after blooming. Many of them, depends on the species. Many hybrids have particularly the bifoliates, enter a long rest such complex ancestry that they tend to be in period after they finish rooting. In this group, growth almost constantly, sending up one lead if a plant sends up successive leads in the after another with no particular seasonal same season, each lead will bloom as it pattern. However, if you study your plants matures. Most bifoliate species and hybrids carefully, I think you will find that almost all derived from them follow the "root after of them bloom quite consistently either on bloom" pattern. Listed roughly in their order leads that have already rooted, or on leads of bloom, these include C. schilleriana that have not yet rooted. Classifying them (March/April), C. aclandiae (April/May), C. according to this pattern will help you make a granulosa (May), C. harrisoniana (June/July), lot more sense of their growth patterns. For c. leopoldii (June/July), C. schofieldiana me, learning about individual plants' growth (July/August), C. velutina (August), C. bicolor patterns is one of the most interesting (August/September), C. guttata (September), aspects of growing orchids, and is far more and C. tenuis (September). While orchid than something I need to do simply in order to growers often associate this growth pattern grow them better. Try it, and I think you may only with bifoliates, some unifoliates also end up agreeing with me! exhibit this pattern. Cattleya lueddemanniana Orchid Digest, July/Aug./Sept. 2003 reprinted sends out new leads over the winter months, from the Central Vancouver Island Orchid then blooms in March. Only after blooming do Society Newsletter of April 2007. the leads send out new roots. It is more typical for unifoliates in this group to send out new leads in spring and then bloom in How I Grow Phragmipedium summer or early fall. Orchids By Carol Steinhauer (Editor’s Note: this is the Species following this pattern, listed roughly first in a series of culture articles by SOS in their order of blooming, include: C. members who are known for growing fine warscewiczii (June/July), C. dowiana (late plants.)

8 Light tsp to 4 litres of water. I use Schultz for In the winter I grow my Phrags under lights Orchids 19-31-17, Plant Prod 20-20-20 with using a fixture with 2 tubes of Benelux 55 micronutrients, and MSU. Remember to water Full Spectrum fluorescent bulbs. These are first with plain water before fertilizing to avoid good for 30,000 hours. The lights are set on a burning the plant. timer to run for 14 hours a day, along with Growing Media the oscillating fan. When the lights are on, Originally the phrags were grown in bark and it’s windy and when the lights are out it’s moss. Now as they get repotted I use LECA calm. In the summer when my Catts go into pellets and moss. With leca pellets you avoid the greenhouse, this move opens up a bench bark breakdown and therefore you don’t need in the house, with a southern exposure plus to repot as often. I put pellets on the bottom of lights, and this is where my Phrags spend the a plastic pot. Then I put in the plant, placing summer. moss around the roots and I top up with Water pellets. In the winter I use water straight from the induction tap at lukewarm temperature. I have the I don’t use any method to force blooming. I Phrags sitting in trays of water about 1 cm just let nature take care of it. deep. I pour water into the pots and let them Miscellaneous Hints drain into the trays. I do this weekly. About When your Phrags are sitting in water don’t once a month I take each Phrag to the sink have it too deep. One cm of water will be and flush with water. In the summer I use absorbed or evaporated quickly and so the rain water as the weather permits. water doesn’t get stagnant. You will find the Temperature water gone in about 5 days. I only add water I grow the Phrags on the cool side in the once a week. Phrags are fun to grow. You can’t winter. The furnace is programmed to come over water them. They seem to be bug free. on at 6:00 A.M., to 22 degrees C. At 8:00 A.M. They bloom for months! it shuts down to 17 degrees C. At 5:00 pm it Taken from the Newsletter of the goes back up to 22 degrees C till 10:00 P.M. Saskatchewan Orchid Society, Vol. 24, # 6 Then it goes down to 17 degrees for the night. (March 2007) This happens Monday through Friday. On the weekend (and my days off) the temperature Inge Poot’s Programme Notes: stays at 22 degrees all day. In the summer The Ann Arbor Judging Centre put on a when the furnace is not running the fabulous education session about the temperature averages around 20-22 degrees Angraecoids on May 19 and 20, 2007. C. Thus the orchids go through a cool down stage twice in a 24-hour period during the I will try to transcribe some of the talks and winter months, due to energy conservation. have included a short one for this newsletter. In the summer they are at a more stable (dangling spider orchids)by temperature, just cooling off a bit for the James Heilig night. Fertilizer Angraecoids are divided into three subtribes, I use three different types of fertilizer, the (2n=38), the rotating them on a regular basis. I fertilize (2n=50) and the Aeridinae (re Webster: about every other week at a strength of 1/8 Sarcanthinae ?)(2n=38).

9 Just by looking at the chromosome numbers = Aeranthes Grandianne has lots of green of the three groups it becomes obvious which flowers and shows great hybrid vigour. intergeneric crosses should be tried and X magdalenae which should be avoided. produces Angranthes Grandalena. It is a great Aeranthes contains about 50 species and grex, exhibiting hybrid vigour and heavy white flowers. This grex has nine AOS awards. belongs in the Angraecinae subtribe. Most species of Aeranthes have long wiry Aeranthes ramosa X Angraecum magdalenae = inflorescences with a successively opening, Angranthes Lomarlynn is similar to the flowering habit. The following species are above, but not quite as imposing. better known than the rest. Aeranthes ramosa X Angraecum infundibulare A. arachnites has green long-tailed flowers produces Angranthes Luna. The plants tend to A. grandiflora has green flowers with a white be robust and rambling in growth habit and 60 cm wide. The flowers have green and column tip and fairly wiry, but not overly long and a white lip. This grex has one AOS inflorescences. The sepals have long tails. award. A. longipes has hyaline pale cream flowers. X Angraecum Veitchii (A. A. henricii has a fairly short inflorescence eburneum X A. sesquipetale) produces with white short-sepaled flowers that all open Angranthes Coqui. It flowers with big, heavy, at once. This species is hard to keep alive. light green flowers. This grex has one AOS award. A. neoperrieri has green flowers. Someone raised the question of what the best A. orthopoda has green flowers whose column strategy would be for protecting these species. wings and sides obscure half the lip. Eric Christenson answered this by explaining that the best protection would come from the A. ramosa has heavier green flowers with people living in the plants’ habitat. To get long tips on very wiry long dark stems. them to protect their environmental heritage, A. caudata has green flowers with narrow they have to be lifted out of their poverty and segments. made aware of what their burn and slash economy is doing to the plants and animals Some hybrids with these species: and they must be given an alternate way to earn a living. The best way to make them Aeranthes grandiflora X Aeranthes ramosa = aware is to fund their education ––especially Aeranthes Grandiose, a very floriferous the higher education of their brightest greenish hybrid which has received five AOS children. So adopt a family with a promising awards, with the clone ‘Shooting Stars’ child and send the child to university receiving an AM and a CCM. It is not as ––something they could never fund on their dainty as A. ramosa, but much more own. floriferous.

Aeranthes grandiflora X Aeranthes neoperrieri

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