Upcoming Events August 14 – MOS Monthly Meeting Speaker: Fred Clarke Catasetum, Cycnoches and Mormodes Cymbidiums, Cattleyas, Phalaenopsis, www.SunsetValleyOrchids.com are three related genera from the Tribe Dendrobiums, Epidendrums, and so on. Cymbidieae. Individually, each has Until recently, they have not attracted September 11 – been considered an orchid oddity, or much attention from hybridizers, but in the MOS Annual Plant Auction “botanical,” of interest mainly to the past several years some spectacular Plant list: seriously addicted enthusiast. These hybrids have been produced, receiving massorchid.org/auction plants have a brief deciduous period in great acclaim and an increasingly large winter, when the plants need a definite collection of awards from the American October 9 – dry rest period bordering on neglect. Orchid Society. MOS Monthly Meeting Speaker: Bob Winkley These robust orchids are native to This talk will feature some of the new lowland tropical forests in Central and hybrids and breakthroughs in the Topic: Grooming Plants for Shows South America and are usually grown in hybridization of Catasetum, Cycnoches, warm or intermediate conditions. and Mormodes. November 2-4 – MOS Annual Show Commercially, Catasetum, Cycnoches Fred is offering a 10% discount for pre- “Orchid Jubilee” (or „Swan‟ orchids) and Mormodes (or orders with free shipping. Go to Celebrating 60 Years of MOS „Goblin‟ orchids) have occupied a small www.SunsetValleyOrchids.com to place market niche on the edge of a sea of your order. Next Month: Premium Plant Auction Since the MOS has held 3 auctions in Members are welcome to contribute the last 12 months, the MOS Board special plants, but we ask that they be has made the decision to do pest and disease free. something a little different and make this year‟s annual auction into a A plant list will be available here: premium plant auction. We will www.massorchid.org/auction auction off only quality plants that we and will be updated as we receive have purchased from vendors plants from vendors. around the US. Page 1 August 2012 ● Massachusetts Orchid Society ● [email protected] MOS Board Show table photography by President – Brigitte Fortin. Sasha Varsanofieva [email protected] Vice President – Adrienne Giovino [email protected] Secretary – Brigitte Fortin [email protected] Treasurer – Jody Maggio Brassia [email protected] signata Directors – Nick Pavey (Past President) Membership [email protected] 2012-2013 membership dues were due July Andrew Thompson 1st. Please renew your membership if you [email protected] haven’t done so! MOS Welcomes Derek Scuteri Did you know you can now pay for your New Member [email protected] membership online using PayPal? - log into Joan Gitlin your account on www.massorchid.org [email protected] - click “View Profile” - click the “Renew” button. Denise Richard, Linda Abrams [email protected] Or send your dues ($25 individual/$30 dual) Springfield, MA to: Adrienne Giovino, 47 Spellman Rd, Westwood, MA 02090 Committee Chairs Or pay in cash or check at a meeting. Membership – Adrienne Giovino [email protected] Last Call - 2012 Focus on Phals Day Newsletter – In just six short weeks, on September 8th the current President of the IPA. He will be Sasha Varsanofieva New England and New York/Eastern speaking on “Phal Species & Their Variants: [email protected] Canada Regions of the International Are They or Not?” With so many new and Phalaenopsis Alliance (IPA) will be hosting improved forms of Phal species being shown Annual Show – their Second Annual “Focus on Phals” now, he will explore the question of whether Joanna Eckstrom Speakers‟ Day—a fun and informative day- they are actually a species or a primary [email protected] long event with IPA members and non- hybrid. members alike. We will be in Bedford, New Program – Our third speaker, Carri Raven-Riemann, New Hampshire sharing the day with the regular Brigitte Fortin, England Regional Director, past IPA President monthly meeting of the New Hampshire Adrienne Giovino, and owner of the orchidPhile, will present Orchid Society. Sasha Varsanofieva “The Best, the Brightest, the Smallest—New [email protected] Our Keynote Speaker is Ron McHatton, PhD, Breeding Directions for 2012” with a special emphasis on the newest brilliantly colored AOS Director of Education and Chief Operating Officer, speaking on “New novelties and adorable space-saving Micro- Approaches to Pest & Disease Control,” a Minis currently being bred in Taiwan. brilliant presentation that applies to all Registration forms for both events are orchid growers, giving them new insight into available for download from these problems with new ways to control www.phal.org/events.htm. The minimal them—a fabulous talk that is not to be Registration Fee covers food expenses. missed! Therefore, it‟s important to send in your Our second guest speaker is Carlos Fighetti, registration by September 3rd so enough Immediate Past President of the AOS and food and chairs can be provided. Page 2 August 2012 ● Massachusetts Orchid Society ● [email protected] 2012-2013 membership dues were due July 1st. Please renew your membership if you haven’t done so! Did you know you can now pay for your membership online using PayPal? - log into your account on www.massorchid.org - click “View Profile” - click the “Renew” button. Or send your dues ($25 individual/$30 dual) to: Adrienne Giovino, 47 Spellman Rd, , MA 02090 Or pay in cash or check at a meeting. Ask Joan Q: At the MOS Kubick Auction last month I are intermediate growers but besseae got a couple of Phragmipediums. I‟ve never (that gorgeous orange-red, originally from had any before. They are often lumped with Peru) and schlimii , prefer cooler temps. paphs, so I thought I might be able to grow You know if you have those. Humidity them. Am I right? What can you tell me? should be above 50 percent. Caudatum types (long petalled, with thick and hard A: I bid on and won a couple of phrags too leaves) are most tolerant of less humidity and since they are new to me also, we will but the roots should remain moist. be learning together. Please give me Constant air circulation is very important, as feedback and suggestions so we can all is a good quality water. Weakly, weekly is share in successful growing of these the formula for fertilizer, with a blossom interesting plants. booster used in fall and winter. I‟ve done a little research on the web and in I have a Phrag Praying Mantis, a the Koopowitz book, (Tropical Slipper An occasional column answering caudatum-type hybrid, described as Orchids) and this is what I‟ve found. questions and providing orchid robust, with large flowers, and a little Phrag. Koopowitz lists the phragmipedium as one of growing information. Some of this Schroederae, which is a caudatum first five slipper orchid genera found in the New information is derived from the registered in 1882. Right now they are World, with 15 species of Phragmipedium. AOS member site and some from outdoors in good sunlight, sitting on fellow MOS members. I‟ve been They have been widely hybridized and pebbles in a shallow tray. They came growing orchids for about eight hybrids grow faster and are much more easy potted in bark that looks relatively new and years, still a beginner, and this is a of culture than the species. Phrags can be fresh. I water every two days, with a weak good way to learn and share. To terrestrial, lithophytic or epiphytic. We think of dose of MSU fertilizer. They look okay, and keep the column lively and them as liking to always be wet and that is I‟ve noticed a little growth; I assume they timely, please contribute your because many of the species grow in the questions and comments to: are adapting. Patience and research. I splash zone of waterfalls and on stream [email protected] refer you to an excellent article on the web banks. They tolerate a range of light which I found when I was preparing this conditions, but seem to flower more often column: www.schordje.com Happy with light as bright as that for cattleyas. They growing. Orchid of the Month: Ponerorchis (Orchis) graminifolia Ponerorchis graminifolia is a very variable 15°C night and in the Winter around 5°C - species with grass-like leaves up to 14 cm long they are not frost-hardy and love long warm and less than a cm wide - they look like the Summers but are mostly grown in the alpine leaves of young Dactylorhiza species. Most of or cool orchidhouse. The shoot starts to grow the specimens have a flower with a white or in March and flowering is from mid-May to pale purple background and purple/blue mid-July. The flowers last up to a month, accents, with varying degrees of contrast. The after they have dropped the plant remains botanical species is rather dull: a few dozen green until dormancy. They can be planted small (1/2” tall and 1/4” wide) flowers on the in a variety of soilmixes, in Japan they're inflorescence. The species is not frost-hardy sometimes planted in pure riversand or but rather easy in cultivation. They are often volcanic soil (Kanuma) with a dash of placed in the genus Orchis. One of the Sphagnum. Use a pot which is minimum 20 characteristics is the white/grey wooly tubers. cm deep, the roots grow straight down. The cultivars are collectively called Water when the medium tends to go dry, “Uchouran”, they do not have a long tradition starting when the tuber begins to sprout of cultivation outside Japan. Inside Asia above soil level until the plant goes however they have a rich history of which the dormant.