DECEMBER EVENT Monthly Meeting: 8 p.m. Monday, December 14, 2020 From the comfort of your living room via Zoom! Plants and Potions Bulletin Cocktail Party, Orchid Trivia, and Auction December 2020 Details of the Zoom meeting will be emailed a few days before the meetings Plants and Potions: Cocktail Party, Orchid Trivia, and Auction Hope you’re all planning on attending for facilitating our monthly meetings, to new members and Jody has come the December meeting for a virtual holi- conducting the Zoom, doing our auctions through for us above and beyond just day cocktail party where we sip our liba- and for finding us amazing speakers from being Secretary. Thank you to all of the tions and socialize with some lightheart- around the world. I’m looking forward to Board Members and Officers that keep ed orchid trivia over Zoom. We’ll have seeing the speakers list he’s lining up for our group vibrant and growing but most orchids to auction as well as our usual us in 2021. Thank you also to David Mel- importantly, our members—we would show and tell of our members orchids in lard for helping me transition into being not exist without you. Looking forward bloom. I’ll be spreading the Holiday Spir- president and to Barbara Barnett not to working with you again in 2021. it by wearing my Santa hat—hope you only for her help with Membership, but Please be sure to renew your member- put on some festive jingle too!! her unsung behind-the-scenes help to ship to our Society so we can keep grow- Thank you to everyone who has par- make our society succeed. Véronique has ing in 2021. Look for the Join/Renew ticipated in our orchid meetings since done a terrific job with our informative button on our website: www.AtlantaOr- we’ve had to go virtual in April. It’s been newsletter, putting together the photos chidSociety.org a crazy year!! We’ll continue to conduct of our virtual Plant Table about which Hope to see you all in 2021! our monthly meetings over Zoom until Mark Reinke of Marble Branch Farms so we can safely meet in public again. Stay thoughtfully informs us. Respectfully yours, tuned for announcements about our an- Big thank yous to Nancy for her gen- nual orchid show. erous donation and to Jon for keeping a HB Much appreciation to VP Danny Lentz tally of the totals. Maegan reaches out Notice to All New Growers News from the American Orchid Society Judging Center AOS judging did take place last month out together—somewhat. Do you have questions at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The Thank you to the judges, the people about growing orchids? judges kept well away from each other, who presented plants, and to Jon Crate What can we do to help you? while the plants were allowed to hang for taking pictures. Just ask. Contact Barbara Barnett with your questions at [email protected] We will get you the answers to your concerns. If I don’t know, I know someone who does! Check out Barbara’s new column on page 2! Barbara is giving season-specific growing tips for new growers 2 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org December 2020 ATLANTA ORCHID SOCIETY The Atlanta Orchid Society Bulletin Volume 61: Number 12 – December 2020 Newsletter Editors: Véronique Perrot & Mark Reinke Officers The Atlanta Orchid Society is affiliated with the American Orchid Society, the President Orchid Digest Corporation, the Mid-America Orchid Congress, Helen (HB) Blythe-Hart 770-656-4054 and the Garden Club of Geogia. Vice-President/Programs Danny Lentz Secretary Jody Gomez Minutes of the Novice Growers Culture Notes Treasurer November Meeting of the for December Jon Crate 770-846-9541 Atlanta Orchid Society 270 17th Street NW, Unit 4501 You may have noticed the freezing Atlanta, GA 30363 The November 9th, 2020 meeting of weather. Here are some tips to help your the Atlanta Orchid Society was called to tropical plants make it through the cold Immediate Past President order by Helen Blythe-Hart, President, weather with flying colors. David Mellard 404-310-9899 at 8 p.m. Due to the Covid19 situation, The crux of the problem is to provide the meeting was held via Zoom. Helen enough water to your plants without fos- Blythe-Hart welcomed the new members tering the growth of fungi and bacteria Trustees and visitors. Doug Hartong announced on the leaves. AOS judging would resume on Novem- Trac Nguyen ber 13th. Jon Crate reviewed the finan- For Windowsill Growers Maegan Brass cials. Barbara Barnett announced Jason The result of increased heat in the Atsushi Matsumoto Mill and Megan Brass as the newly elect- house causes a decrease in humidity. To Carl Quattlebaum ed trustees. Danny Lentz introduced Tim help increase the humidity around your Larry Kikkert Culbertson, who gave a presentation on plants: Véronique Perrot solf-leaved orchids. After the presenta- 1) Cluster plants together tion, Tim fielded questions from mem- 2) Use humidity trays bers. Danny showed photos that mem- 3) Try a humidifier. Volunteers bers had sent in of their in-bloom plants. Water in the morning so plants are dry The meeting was then adjourned. by night to prevent fungus. A fan in your AOS Rep – Barbara Barnett growing area will increase air movement Greengrowers – Danny Lentz and reduce the risk of fungal diseases. Librarian – EVENTS CALENDAR MAOC Rep – Doug Hartong For New Greenhouse Growers Meeting Hospitality – December 1) Water in the morning so plants can Membership – Barbara Barnett & 12 – American Orchid Society monthly dry by dark. Maegan Brass judging, ABG Mershon Hall, 12-4. 2) Don’t water on rainy days, it will Education and Outreach – Lynne Gollob Contact Doug Hartong to confirm increase the humidity too much. Silent Auction – Carson Barnes 14 – Atlanta Orchid Society Monthly 3) Be sure the fan or fans are on Monthly Ribbon Judging – David Mellard Meeting: Plants and Potions—Cocktail 4) Use a hygrometer to monitor the Newsletter – Véronique Perrot & Party and Orchid Auction humidity. You may not have to water as Mark Reinke often, maybe every 7 to 10 days. Orchid Digest Rep – David Mellard 5) If it is very cold outside and the Show Chairs (2020) – Danny Lentz & heaters are on for a long time, the Jody Gomez humidity can get very low, down to 30% Website/Social Media – Danny Lentz & or lower inside the greenhouse. You can Jeremie Carroll water the floor or mist lightly with the hose to increase the humidity. 6) Be sure the leaves don’t touch the glass or heater. They can get burned. Join the Atlanta Orchid Society www.atlantaorchidsociety.org 3 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org December 2020 Notes on plants submitted to the virtual meeting of the Atlanta Orchid Society for November, 2020 Notes by Mark Reinke; Photos by various members of the AtlOS C. labiata ‘September Mist’ C. maxima forma coerulea L. anceps Cattleya Alliance We saw three examples of species in this group in November. Jon & Fi showed us another example of the type species for the genus Cattleya with their C. la- biata ‘September Mist.’ This is a rather delicately colored version of this orchid that originates in Northeast Brazil and whose peak bloom season is October and November in the Northern Hemisphere. Read last month’s newsletter for more details about it. Carson’s pale mauve C. maxima forma coerulea also has its peak bloom season now, but can occasionally flower in almost any month of the year. There is a lowland race from southwest- Bcl. Petite Stars Bcl. Cecillia Irene ern Ecuador found near sea level, and also a highland race found in that coun- ard Mueller x L. rubescens while the latter try and in parts of Peru and Colombia at is Bc. Richard Mueller x L. aurea. At one about 3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea lev- time L. aurea was considered a yellow el. Many cultivated plants might be a mix variety of the otherwise lavender L. ru- of both types. The final species in this bescens, each having an identical growth group was my Laelia anceps. This species and flowering habit and a dark purple is primarily Mexican, with numerous col- throat that comes through in their cross- or forms growing on mountain slopes on es. They both originate in Mexico with both sides of the country, often in very the former having a somewhat restrict- exposed locations. Two to five fairly large ed range while the latter also occurs into and showy flowers are borne at the end Central America, possibly as far south as of a long arching inflorescence that be- Panamá. Larry also submitted some nice gins to develop with the new growths in photos of his Bc. Hawaii Stars ‘Pink Ice,’ summer, and slowly lengthens until the which crosses B. Little Stars with C. Me- flowering season. Peak bloom is typically moria Robert Strait. This latter parent December, January and February, but all has C. walkeriana in it which passes on a Bc. Hawaii Stars ‘Pink Ice’ of my plants bloomed early this year. somewhat fuller form that we usually see Once again we saw some nice Bras- in Brassavola hybrids, and also its nice, Guaricattonia Flutterby. It combines savola nodosa hybrids. Bailey Santwire sweet scent. Guaritonia Why Not with C. harpophyl- showed us Blc. Petite Stars and Larry Ki- There were a variety of submissions la. Once older this one should produce kkert once again had Blc. Cecillia Irene in that have a compact growth habit in com- nice clusters of apricot orange flowers.