June 2015 Orchid Growers’ Guild of Madison Website orchidguild.org FROM THE PRESIDENT Next Meeting, September 20th Annual Picnic June 27th Hello all orchid enthusiasts, Sunday, May 31 we completed the move of our storage unit to its new location at Seybold Storage across from Woodman's June 2 West. It 7th was a tedi- Meeting Dates ous, dirty job. Special thanks to Keith June 27, Annual Picnic, Lodi Nelson, who helped me Saturday in September 20, Meeting Room October 18, Meeting Room the rain. Many thanks to Jeff and November 15, TBA Denise Baylis and Sue Reed. With December 13, Meeting Room their help and Keith's we were able to Meetings start at 1:30 pm at Ol- move and organize the locker so that brich Gardens unless otherwise noted we can actually walk in see what we need. We were also able to clean out Up-Coming Events Spring 2016- MAOC, Cincin- and discard old, unused items. nati/Dayton Area Photograph by Rich Narf September 19 –20, -- Wis- The member auction at our May consin Orchid Society Fall Show, Milwaukee OGG meeting was very successful. Bidding was led by our former Presi- Officers and Committees dent and auctioneer extraordinaire, President: Rich Narf with back-up provided by Lorraine Snyder (2016) [email protected] Keith Nelson. We had fun bidding on Doritaenopsis Ever Spring Prince Har- plants and divisions that were going Vice President: Sue Reed (2017) lequin' (Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker x to new homes. The auction netted [email protected] Phalaenopsis Taisuco Beauty) $436. Thank you all for bringing in Secretary: INSIDE THIS ISSUE your divisions and donations. Keith Nelson (2017) [email protected] About Ecuagenera 6 We are looking forward to our An- Treasurer: Best Essay, MAOC Request 2 nual Pot Luck Picnic at Terri and Ecuagenera Greenhouse Tour David Kohlwey (2016) 4 Rich Jozwiak's home on Saturday, [email protected] In Memoriam: Susan Tragesser 6 March OGG Ribbon Judging June 27th. In addition to spending Board: 7 Liz Wood (2017) May OGG Ribbon Judging 3 time together, we will have enter- [email protected] Message from the President 1 tainment from Terri's a cappella "Orchid Growing for Wimps" 7 (Continued on page 4) Nancy Thomas (2016) Picnic Information [email protected] 2 Orchid Growers’ Guild June 2015, page 1 of 7 Carrie Weisman (2018) [email protected] You’re Invited Away Shows: to the OGG Picnic! Nancy Thomas [email protected] No need to bring a blanket, Hospitality: chair or ants! Volunteer Saturday, June 27 Librarian: Liz Wood noon – 4-ish [email protected] at Terri Jozwiak’s Membership: W11453 Bay Drive, Lodi Carrie Weisman /608-592-7906/ [email protected] Newsletter: Bring a dish to pass and your beverage of choice Denise Baylis [email protected] Use Sign-Up Genius if you wish Orchid Quest 2015: Terri Jozwiak Expect Great Food! [email protected] (Terri will provide marinated chicken-skewers) Programs: Lorraine Snyder [email protected] Expect Entertainment! Ribbon Judging: Ladies a capella quartet will perform at 12:30! Open Web Master: Expect Great Conversations! Richard Narf Members of OGG and friends [email protected] Liaisons: Free Repotting! AOS: Open MAOC: Audrey Lucier Bring your needy plants and a new pot or mounting board. Orchid Digest: Open There will be a potting station set up with Orchiata Bark, sphagnum moss and tools available AND the expertise of experienced members to help! Who should come! Members, spouses, kids, grandkids welcome! CASH FOR BEST ESSAY announced at the Congress’ Sunday Busi- ness Meeting on September 27, 2015, lo- cation to be announced. The Mid-America Orchid Congress invites You do not need to be present to win. First you to enter their essay contest. Write an prize wins $100.00; second, $50; third, essay on “My Most Exciting Orchid-Related $25. All three prize-winning essays will ap- Experience” --and win up to $100.00! The pear in future issues of the Congress’ essay should be no more than 500 words newsletter, The Mid-American. in length and submitted no later than Sep- For more information or if you have ques- tember 1, 2015, to Doris Asher tions, contact Doris Asher via email or by ([email protected]) --winners will be phone (517-332-0004) Orchid Growers’ Guild June 2015, page 2 of 7 MAY OGG RIBBON JUDGING First Place Judy Williamson Maxillaria tenuifolia Terri Jozwiak Rhyncattleanthe Michael's Charm (Cattleya Green Emerald x Rhyncattleanthe Love Sound) Audrey Lucier Paphiopedilum Hsinying Agogo (armeniacum x Hsinying Concon) Terri Jozwiak Oncidioda Chaculatum 'Golden Pacific' (Oncidium Charlesworthii x On cidium maculatum) Shirl Roberts Phalaenopsis unknown Second Place Audrey Lucier Cattleychea Siam Jade 'Avo' (Cattleya Penny Kuroda x Cattleychea Vienna Woods) Lorraine Snyder Phragmipedium Eric Young (besseae x longifolium) Judy Williamson Oncidium intergeneric Jeff Baylis Neofinetia falcata Lorraine Snyder Doritaenopsis Ever Spring Prince 'Harlequin' (Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker x Phalaenopsis Taisuco Beauty) Third Place Jeff Baylis Oncidioda Chaculatum 'Golden Pacific' (Oncidium Charlesworthii x On cidium maculatum) Audrey Lucier Phal Green Moon Rhyncattleanthe Michael's Charm (Cattleya Green Emerald x Rhyncattleanthe Love Sound) Phalaenopsis unknown Cattleychea Siam Jade 'Avo' (Cattleya Maxillaria tenuifolia Penny Kuroda x Cattleychea Vienna Woods) Photographs by Rich Narf Rich Narf by Photographs Orchid Growers’ Guild June 2015, page 3 of 7 (Continued from page 1) group. Terri also has Orchiata available for provide training for the new volunteers. repotting on site. You bring your plant and a Please consider these positions. The web site new pot! Please bring a dish to pass of your is already set up and all work can be done choice. from the comfort of your home. Don't forget we need a new Orchid Quest I am pleased to announce our new Board of Photographer and webmaster. Rich Narf will Directors after elections at the May meeting: Lorraine Snyder, President * Sue Reed, Vice President * David Kohlwey, Treasurer * Keith Nelson, Secretary * Carrie Weismann, General Board mem- ber Liz Wood, General Board member * Indicates new term See you at the picnic! --- Lorraine Snyder Some of the plants offered for bid at the member’s Auction at the May meeting ECUAGENERA GREENHOUSE TOUR Photographs by Jeff Baylis The principle operation of Ecugenera is situ- here become plants. When flasking, the ated in Cuenca, a Spanish colonial city in Ec- number of seedlings per flask is targeted for uador founded in 1557, and now a UNESCO 25-40 plants per flask, no more. The flasks World Heritage Trust site. Satellite sites for are moved from the controlled environment greenhouses are located on the coast at flasking lab and put here to harden off. The Guayaquil, and in the Amazonian lowlands room is open to ambient air circulation at all at El Pangui. In addition to Ecuagenera's times and is locked when not staffed. There huge greenhouses they have two bioreserves. is no artificial light during the day however These consist of two huge tracts of high shelves have one T4 at night. mountain jungle, one somewhat lower in ele- The plant media used for growing newly de- vation than the other. flasked seedlings is a mixture of pine bark At Cuenca, we could peek in the window of and coconut fiber from Ecuador mixed with the flasking facility; we never got to go into moss imported from Chile, chopped fine. Be- the lab which is climate controlled and ac- tween 1000-1500 plantlets are repotted cess is strictly limited for sterility reasons, every day. Imported cork bark is used to among other things. All Ecuagenera's spe- mount plants, especially small ones and cies plants are raised from seed, and artifi- these plants can be exported. cially pollinated in a special breeding green- A greenhouse houses 'mother plants' of spe- house. 80% of the seeds that are germinated (Continued on page 5) Orchid Growers’ Guild June 2015, page 4 of 7 (Continued from page 4) Dayaneth was one of our guides in the Andes. She These women are repotting seedlings with moss also works at the headquarters. Notice the blue flags among the plants cies requiring an intermediate temperatures houses are dedicated to cut-cymbidiums for [8-25c]. The greenhouse contains about 3- 5 export. Another greenhouse houses Por- parent plants of each species; there are 950 roglossums, Masdevallias and Draculas. species in this one greenhouse alone. Suc- cessfully pollinated mother plants are identi- Ecuagenera purchased property across the fied with a blue flag in their pot. A yellow road which once housed an old school build- flag indicates unknown fertilization. Double ing. A use has not yet been found for the doors on the entrance are opened or closed buildings although the auditorium is occa- to help regulate the temperature. sionally used for shows and some of the classrooms/offices are used for storage. As the plantlets are repotted to larger pots, More greenhouses were constructed here Ecuagenera is switching to entirely moss bringing the total to 33 greenhouses in (and thinner pots) because plants in this me- Cuenca. Besides their main operation in dium may be exported. The old media is re- Cuenca which is temperate, they have an- cycled and used with anthuriums which they other operation in El Pangui for high tem- also grow. The newly deflasked seedlings are perature-humidity plants [including anthuri- kept in a warm greenhouse with an overhead ums] and a third one near Guayaquil for hot sprinkler system. and dry loving orchids. Aside from the parent-plant greenhouse, Ecuagenera trains their own personnel and there are a large number of rearing green- currently there are 35 people on staff.