NEWSLETTER May 2017 Volume 12 Issue #5 CLUB NEWS May 2 SAOS Meeting Our AOS Representative, Suzanne Susko, noted that the by Janis Croft, April edition of the AOS Orchids magazine had an AOS [email protected] awarded plant by Sue Bottom in it. She noted that Sue had a good article about the Purely Organic fertilizer in the May Welcome and Thanks. issue. She then encouraged all to subscribe to AOS using President Bob Schimmel the trifold pamphlet at the Welcome Table and reminded opened the meeting at each to note the SAOS as your local club. This extends our 7:10 pm with 60 attendees. magazine subscription by a month each time we get a new Bob thanked Jeanette member to sign up. Smith for organizing the refreshments with special thanks to Doriana for bringing in her delicious Glenn Gross flan and Dottie Sullivan for baking her scrumptious brownies. He then reminded all to drop a dollar in the basket when you enjoy the refreshments. We welcomed five guests along with three new members, Donna Kelley and Terry and Phyllis Turkovich. Our Sunshine Coordinator, Linda Stewart delivered free raffle tickets for those with birthdays in April and May. New Show Table Review. Courtney Hackney again remarked exhibitors on the show table receive three free raffle tickets. that our Show Table could make a wonderful exhibit at any Bob encouraged all to vote for their favorite orchid on the orchid show. He started by pointing out that it is the season show table. for Vandas to start blooming. The lineage of the plants is apparent in the color and size of the flower. He also noted Club Business. The next Ace Repotting Clinic will be on that the taxonomists have been busy lumping and splitting May 6 from 9 am ti 1 pm. the vandaceous orchids so many of the previously named Shows in Florida this Month (Click on names for details): ascocentrums, ascocendas, neofinetias, etc. are now Tallahassee, May 6-7 simply called vandas. He then pointed out the very small Platinum Coast, May 5-6 vandaceous Sarcochilus. Volusia, May 13-14 Many phalaenopsis were in full bloom on the table and Redland Festival in Homestead, May 19-21 Courtney noted the Phal. Cradle Song x Phal. aphrodite. The new T-shirts are in and were available at the side This is a complex hybrid bred back onto a species to table ( $20 for S to XL, $25 for XXL) along with fertilizer and increase flower count. Sue Bottom’s plant had five potting supplies. Email Sue Bottom (sbottom15@hotmail. branches on one inflorescence. Other similar hybrids were com) if you need potting supplies, special quantities or a Phal. Shu Long Diamond and Sogo Yukidan both with different items and she will bring them to the next meeting many flowers. Courtney noted that when your phalaenopsis for purchase. matures and has 4 to 5 pairs of leaves, you will have more Club librarian Penny Halyburton brought inflorescences and flowers. in a CD on Orchid Potting and announced He next went to the mostly white Cattleya skinneri that she will now have the AOS magazine in albescens form with a lip that had just a bit of purple available for loan. Remember to email color. Other Cattleyas were the C. Joy Sokabe ‘Shining’, Penny ([email protected]) a standard size with its beautiful purple and deep, dark lip with your book/DVD your request and she and the C. Ports of Paradise whose flowers open up green will bring the item(s) to the next meeting. and then turn to chartreuse and have an extraordinary Continued on page 3 May 2017 Page 1 CLUB NEWS August 1 SAOS Meeting, 7 pm - George Hausermann, EFG Orchids - Orchid Growing Basics 5 SAOS at Ace Hardware, 9 am til 1 pm - 3050 US 1 S in St. Augustine Upcoming Orchid Events - Repotting and Plant Clinic ??? Seventh Annual Cattleya Symposium May Sponsored by Odom’s Orchids Indian River Research & Education Ctr 5-7 Platinum Coast Orchid Society Show Fort Pierce - Kiwanis Island Park Gymnasium 8 JOS Meeting, Topic TBA, 7 pm 6 Repotting at Ace Hardware, 9 am til 1 pm - Speaker TBA - 3050 US 1 S in St. Augustine - Repotting and Plant Clinic St. Augustine Orchid Society Organization 6-7 Tallahassee Orchid Society Show - Doyle Conner Building President Bob Schimmel 13-14 Volusia County Society Show [email protected] - Volusia County Fairgrounds 19-21 Redland International Orchid Festival Vice President Dianne Batchelder - Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead Events [email protected] June Vice President Linda Stewart Membership [email protected] 3 SAOS at Ace Hardware, 9 am til 1 pm - 3050 US 1 S in St. Augustine Vice President Sue Bottom - Repotting and Plant Clinic Programs [email protected] 6 SAOS Meeting, 7 pm - Mark Reinke, Marble Branch Farms Secretary Janis Croft - Decoding Dendrobiums [email protected] 11 JOS Picnic - 3611 Richmond St., Jax 32205 Treasurer Bill Gourley 13 JOS Meeting, Topic TBA, 7 pm [email protected] - Steve Arthur, Steve Arthur Orchids Directors at Large Mary Colee July [email protected] Susan Smith 1 SAOS at Ace Hardware, 9 am til 1 pm [email protected] - 3050 US 1 S in St. Augustine Suzanne Susko - Repotting and Plant Clinic [email protected] 6 SAOS Meeting, 7 pm Rescheduled to Thursday from July 4th Exhibit Committee Janis Croft - Courtney Hackney and Sue Bottom Chair [email protected] - What’s Wrong with My Orchid? - Send pictures of any problem plants to Librarian Penny Halyburton - Sue to be included in the program [email protected] 11 JOS Meeting, Topic TBA, 7 pm - Speaker TBA Newsletter Editors Sue and Terry Bottom 22 SAOS Program – Repotting Orchids 2 pm Webmasters [email protected] - SE Branch of St. Johns County Library [email protected] May 2017 Page 2 CLUB NEWS Continued from page 1 rhizome. While holding plant and moss in place, he then fragrance. Courtney next pointed out the Enc. Orchid threaded his cable ties through the holes and pulled them Jungle that loves to grow in our Florida conditions with very slightly closed. Once he had the plant positioned and all bright light. Another interesting plant was the terrestrial Epi. the ties in place and latched, he then pulled the ties tightly radicans which is naturally found in Central America by the closed and made sure the plant was secure and the new roadside growing like a weed. Courtney has seen massive growth areas were snugly against the cedar slab. He then plants grown in pots. cut the excess extension of the ties. Finally, he went to Maxillaria tenuifolia which he called Glenn encouraged all of us to experiment with different the “beach weed” due to its fragrance that is reminiscence types of orchids. He enjoys mixing up various hybrids on of suntan lotion. Others refer to this as the Coconut pie the same mount. When repotting and dividing your plant, plant also due to its fragrance. Check out the photos of our consider mounting one division and comparing its growth show table examples at the end of the newsletter and on to the other potted division. the SAOS website. In an effort to accelerate root growth, he uses a product called Dip ‘N Grow which is a liquid form of the rooting plant Glenn Gross from Gross Orchids in SAOS Program. hormone. It is available from Growers Supply and designed Lakeland, FL gave a hands-on presentation on mounting to be a dipping product but to avoid cross contamination orchids. He likes to mount his plants because it is the between plants, he uses it as a spray rather than a dip. He most natural and easy way to grow orchids. He has fewer adds a small amount to his spray bottle and fills with water, bacterial and fungal problems and a decrease in insect something on the order of a 10:1 to 12:1 ratio and spritzes issues. When he plans on mounting a particular plant, his around the roots and the moss. Do not mix up too much primary goal is to make the orchid look and grow as it does at once because it has a short shelf life and the potency in nature. All plants will eventually grow upright on your degrades after about 24 hours so mix up only the quantity mount even if initially, their leaves are pointing in opposite that you will be using immediately. directions. He hangs his mount and starts watering the next day. Glenn prefers to use Cedar or Cypress wood mounts but When asked how he fertilizes the mounted orchids, he told also mentioned the following as being good wood to mount us that he now only uses foliar applications that are best on: magnolia, orange or grapefruit and if you can legally applied during the cool of the morning when the leaves obtain, mangrove trunks. He uses 14 gauge galvanized are most receptive. His mixture for 1 gallon of spray is 1 wire (commonly used as drop ceiling support wires) that he tbsp KeyPlex 350 mixed with 1 tbsp 17-17-17 urea free buys at the big box stores in the roofing section. He also fertilizer (or Cal Mag or 1/2 tbsp Potassium Nitrate), 1 uses ½” galvanized EMT pipe that works great as hangers tbsp Whitehouse White Vinegar, perhaps a very few drops in his growing area. After drilling a hole in a cypress slab, of Super Thrive and a final a squirt of Dawn liquid dish he inserted the wire and bent it up and around the extended washing soap as a surfactant.