It is also show time in South Florida, there is a list of shows later in this letter. Get out and enjoy the show. Happy Growing.

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1 P.O. Box Royal Palm Beach, FL Like us on Facebook October 2018 President s Message, Our October speaker was Luiz Hamilton Lima. Luis stepped up when our scheduled speaker Antonio Romani had a job conflict. Luis gave us a great presentation on Brazilian orchids and growing them in South Florida. His engineering background and precision shinned through his presentation that was very knowledgeable and full of useful growing tips and information. Luis also provided so many seedlings we needed to go into overtime with the raffle. Our November 8 th speaker will be Mac Riverbank from Mac s Orchids. Mac will present a hands on Species Presentation on Species we can grow in South Florida. Mac just donated his time for a marathon 8 hour Auction as the sole Auctioneer for the Team Solly Orchid Auction. Mac was not only the sole Auctioneer, but his comments on the plants provided a wealth of knowledge and growing tips on everything that was sold. November 3rd and 4 th OSPB will participate in Mounts Plant a Palooza sale. We signed up 15 volunteers at our last meeting. Volunteers get free admission and get to enjoy some good comaraderie with fellow members. If you did not sign up at the meeting, waynegreen@aol.com or call and we will get you added to the list. It is a good way to get people interested in OSPB. If we get 2 new guests and 2 new members, the show is a success. Come on out and promote OSPB. This is a great time of year for our orchid collections. We are not recovering from any hurricanes and although the days are a little shorter, the slightly cooler weather is very conducive to orchid growth. Our fall weather provides growing conditions that are equivalent to the best growing conditions in many parts of the country. Keep up the fertilizing and fungus routines and enjoy those beautiful flowers. It is also show time in South Florida, there is a list of shows later in this letter. Get out and enjoy the show. Happy Growing Wayne 1

2 Hello OSPB, The busy time is in full swing with the end of October; holidays and parties, and shows and sales. Let s just take a breath and chill for a little bit and we will all feel a little less pressure. Did you enjoy the last meeting with Luis Hamilton Lima? I sure did. I thought he did a fine job of describing the cultural requirements and explaining how they grow in situ. I have had some challenges trying to grow these beauties. I ve sent several to that big, orchid heaven in the sky. There are 23 different bifolate, Cattleya species; many of them are from Brazil. It is important to know where these species come from. There are three different places where you will find these orchids in Brazil. First, the Amazon region where it is warm and humid all year round; the savannahs (or grasslands) where there are different seasons, and lastly the mountains where there is a 20 degree temperature difference. C. aclandiae is from the coastal area of Brazil where it grows on tall evergreen trees with rough bark; about 10 to 20 feet above the ground in bright light. Temperature is hot during the day with cool night time temperatures. It gets constant humidity from the ocean breezes and has no marked dry season. It gets heavy rainfall in the summer and less in winter. Luiz grows it in clay pots with cork pieces as media; it does not like tree fern. Don t let it dry out. DO NOT REPOT. It does not like its roots disturbed. He says grow almost like a Vanda but with sub trite in the pot. When it blooms, one flower is never the same as another. I have 2 of them both mounted on tree fern. Bummer! C. amythestoglossa grows in very bright light at 400 to 500 feet in nature. It likes hot days with cooler temperatures at night and it has a dry season in winter. Luiz says grow in clay pots with good drainage and repot only when new roots are forming in the Spring. I ve had 3 of these, two are long gone and I put the last struggling, pitiful specimen on a tree this Summer. It is trying but I think I waited too long to put it out there. C. nobilior grows on the savannah where there is a marked wet/dry season. Mount it on cork or in a wooden basket with cork pieces. It requires a winter rest after flowering. Mist every other day to emulate the dew and water heavily when buds are forming. C. violacea has the widest distribution in Brazil and into Venezuela. They grow in very bright light along streams. It likes lots of water year round but be sure to protect it from the cold. It will suffer when the temperature drops below 60; pot in clay pots with good drainage. When it is growing well and happy it can bloom twice a year. I have several and they are all mounted and seem to be doing very well.., so far. C. walkeriana can be found growing at 2000 to 3000 feet so it requires cool winter nights to flower. ( 50 s & 60 s). Grow it mounted or potted with VERY well-drained media that dries out between watering; except in summer. Reduce water in winter but never allow it to remain dry for extended periods. Luiz grows in clay pots 2

3 full of packing peanuts with a thin layer of sphagnum moss on the top but never let it get soggy. He recommends the Michigan State University fertilizer with cal-mag and iron. Now that we have the information, all we need to do is get out there to some of the shows and buy a few of these beauties and start raising some show-stoppers. Pic s by John If you were at the meeting, you saw the 3 beautiful Vanda s on the raffle table. They were donated by Tony Romani as an I m sorry gift. Tony was supposed to be our speaker but because of a conflicting schedule issue, he had to cancel. We thank you very much for your generosity. You re simply the best! Oct Delray Beach Orchid Society Show Orchids on the Square - Old School Square Fieldhouse, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. This is a small show but it is very well done. There are about 15 vendors who usually participate. Get out there to see and enjoy the orchids. 3

4 Nov. 8 is our next meeting. Our birthday babies will be supplying the refreshments. Happy Birthday Christine Aylward, Nancy Henson, Julie King, Tina Mazzella, Donna Tobey. If your birthday is in August or December, and you have not brought refreshments yet, this will be your last chance this year, and you all know how much we enjoy the goody table. November 8, 7:00pm. Mac Rivenbark will be our speaker. Mac the Marine, served our country honorably. He met his beautiful wife, Helen, on a cruise ship and knew he would marry her the moment he met her. They have 2 beautiful children and now are proud grandparents as well. Mac and Helen started an orchid business over 15 years ago after many trips to Helens homeland the Philippines. Mac is an expert on Philippine species as well as other Asian species. He is a past president of the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society and enjoys giving lectures and educating others about orchids. He is an excellent teacher and his knowledge of orchids is amazing. He is also a great auctioneer. At the Team Solly benefit auction last weekend I watched him as he auctioned plants for 7 hours straight. He did an outstanding job. Don t miss this meeting. Bring a friend! Annual Food Drive - We will be collecting non-perishable food products and hygiene items at the next meeting to donate to the less fortunate in our area. Please remember to bring something to add to our donation box. Here is the list of nominations for our Board of Directors for President Wayne Green Vice President Jo Ella Manalan Secetrary Nila Wilbur Treasurer Gloria Kennedy Trusee s Keith Allum Ron Frendreis Linda Greco Immediate Past-Pres. Doris Happel Membership Alan Lasch Show Chair Shannon Skoulikas Newsletter Editor Patt Lindsey We will accept nominations from the floor at the next meeting and / or vote on this slate as it is presented. 4

5 Our holiday party is fast approaching. This is always a very special event. Please contact Jo Ella to make your reservation as soon as possible. Reservations and payment must be received by 12/6/18. If you cannot pay at the November OSPB meeting, make out a check to OSPB and mail to: Jo Ella Manalan, 1828 Barbados Rd., W. Palm Beach, Fl

6 It is membership renewal time. I am including a membership form for your convenience. Fill it out and bring it along to the next meeting; or mail it to the address on the form. OSPB MEMBERSHIP FORM Date / / New Member ( ) Renewal ( ) Last Name First Name Last Name First Name Address Zip Phone Cell Address Single Membership $30. ( ) Family Membership $35. ( ) Family Member Name(s) Cash ( ) Check ( ) Check # Add $8 fee for badge? Yes No What month were you born? How did you hear about OSPB? Would you consider serving on the Board? Yes No Mail to: Orchid Society of the Palm Beaches P. O. Box Royal Palm Beach, FL Or bring to the next meeting, the 2 nd Thursday of each month at 7:00pm Mounts Botanical Garden Auditorium 531 N. Military Trail, W. Palm Beach, FL 6

7 January 12, Tropical Orchid Society is sponsoring a bus trip to the Tamiami International Orchid Festival. This is the largest indoor orchid event in the USA. The cost is $25. See Cheryl at our next meeting or contact her: cheryl_akey@comcast.net to reserve your seat. This is always a really fun trip and there will be an orchid raffle on the return trip. From the AOS: Orchidist s Word of the Month inflorescence (in-floor-ess-ents): The general arrangement and disposition of the flowers on an axis. The flowering part of the plant. Looking to visit a garden? AOS Members enjoy free or reduced admission to and discounts at hundreds of gardens, conservatories, and arboreta nationwide. Have you been experiencing a deluge of thrips in your collection lately, as I have? They are really nasty little buggers. This is how I put a temporary halt to them if I don t want to take the time to spray that stinky Orthene. You can spray directly on the bloom with no damage. It only costs $4.97 at the Home Depot, Walmart and Lowes. It s time for witches, ghosts and goblins to come out of hiding to scare us. I hope you enjoy this season as much as I do. Happy Halloween everyone. Don t eat too much candy.oh, go ahead, enjoy it. Buy the good stuff just in case the trick or treater s don t show up at your house. I look foward to seeing you all at the November 8 th meeting. Bring a friend. They will thank you. Happy growing, Patt Lindsey 7

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