New Mexico Orchid Guild Newsletter November 2015

Transcription

1 Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate RS August 2015 Newsletter View this in your browser New Mexico Orchid Guild Newsletter November 2015 Our next regular meeting will be: November 8, 2015 at 1:30 PM Albuquerque Garden Center, Lomas Blvd NE (Just West of Eubank on the South Side of Lomas in Los Altos Park) As usual, please bring something to share. Cakes, cookies, and other snacks are appreciated Members are encouraged to wear their membership badges

2 November Grower's forum Sean Houtman will present important information about orchid Fertilizer November Program : The Orchid Crescent Ron Coleman From Tucson, Arizona will present "The Orchid Crescent"; its about orchids found on the border with Mexico from Tucson to Big Bend in Texas. The talk features the orchids and the conditions which allow them to grow. From the President's Desk: November 2015 A very special thank you to Tom Turey for entertaining and chauffeuring our October guest Jason Fischer. Jason wanted to experience balloon fiesta and Tom made sure that happened. It is always great to see members stepping up to help out wherever needed. We are pleased to bring Ron Coleman from Tucson to speak at our November 8 th meeting. Ron is a well known author and lecturer on native orchids of the Southwest. We have invited the New Mexico Native Plant Society to join us for the meeting. Let s have a great turnout for this special guest. Ron does not sell orchids but we will have a nice selection of plants for sale. You should have received an with reservation form for the December 13 th annual NMOG holiday party. This year we have chosen Season s Restaurant to host the event. You have a choice of one of three entrees. We will have our own private dining room and have been assured there will be plenty of elbow room. You may mail your check and reservation form to Jane Cole at the address listed on the form or sign up at the November meeting. Forms will be available at the meeting and you are welcome to use your credit card. Pre ordered gift plants will be available again this year for $15 per plant. We will begin our 2016 meeting schedule on January 10 th with the ever popular plant exchange. You will have an opportunity at the meeting to express your program desires and guest speaker wishes. I have been asked to once again reiterate the NMOG policy of selling personal plants at our monthly meetings: NMOG relies on the sale and raffle of Guild provided plants at our monthly meetings in order to fund speaker and program expenses. We find it necessary to institute a policy that prohibits members from selling their plants or other orchid related items at the meetings or on Garden Center property. If you have healthy plants that you would like to donate to the raffle table, we are pleased to accept them. As a 501(c)3 organization your donations are tax deductible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have plants or other orchid items you would like to sell, NMOG will offer a free classified

3 advertisement in the monthly newsletter. Photos of the plants are encouraged. We ask that you provide the information to Alyssa Christy, our newsletter editor, no later than the fourth Wednesday of the month for inclusion in the following months issue. Please take advantage of this offer to sell your unwanted plants. Take a moment to check out our Facebook page. Kelly McCracken is doing a phenomenal job of posting interesting items almost daily. Your participation is most welcome. See you on November 8 th. Keith NMOG Website: American Orchid Society Website: October Show and Tell Winners Photos taken by Barb Biel Advanced Division First Place Sean Houtman Harbinaria rodochelia

4 Intermediate division First place Judith Richey Brassia Spider's Gold "Prolific"

5 Novice Division First Place Dorothy Duff C. Princess Clementine x Blc. Suncoast Sunspots Interview with an NMOG member By Kelly McCracken The New Mexico Orchid Guild is delighted to offer a new section in our monthly newsletter! Each month, one of our members will be interviewed and their grow areas photographed, both to be featured in the newsletter and on NMOG s facebook page. The purpose of this section is to learn about eachother s grow areas and the different ways our members make New Mexico s arid climate work for growing orchids. We want to see a variety of grow areas, and talk to a variety of growers. Whether that means you just grow on your bathroom windowsill and have a handful of plants or if your whole backyard is a greenhouse packed with orchids, we are very curious to see how you grow! If you are interested in being featured, please call Kelly at or kelly@dunnassoc.net Robert Steinberg

6 Robert Steinberg lives and works in the Nob Hill area. He is the owner of Stone Mountain Bead Gallery right on Central. His house is just a few blocks south of his shop, a convenient commute. Robert s family moved to the Southwest in 1963, but his parents retired to Maui in the 80 s. From there, Robert got his start with orchids. While he visited his parents in Maui, he would visit orchid nurseries and bring back orchids to the mainland. These orchids had a hard time adapting to the Albuquerque climate, so

7 none of them are still around. Robert has also traveled to Thailand and Bali, and loved the amazing native orchids in these diverse regions. Robert really got involved with orchids about 20 years ago when he bought a house with a greenhouse and joined the old version of the New Mexico Orchid Guild. Nowadays, Robert has a special enclosed sunroom on the South side of his house which houses all of his orchids, as well as some succulents and other tropical plants. The sunroom is located in the backyard and a large elm tree grows above it, shading it.

8 This is an outside view of the greenhouse. The elm shades the greenhouse quite a bit, but Robert still has plenty of light to grow his gorgeous high light Cattleyas and Dendrobiums. Robert s greenhouse is comprised of three shelves, placed along the north wall, with plants ranging from three inches tall to well over three feet. Then there are some larger specimens on the south side of the greenhouse, both hanging from the ceiling as well as on the ground. He has a swamp cooler which cools and humidifies the place in the

9 summer, as well as an electric heater which heats it in the winter. Robert says heating in the winter is his biggest expense in orchid growing. His orchids are watered with municipal water once a week and hand sprayed on occasion when they re looking dry. They are fertilized every other watering. An inside view of the greenhouse In addition to his years of experience, Robert clearly has an innate knack for

10 growing orchids. In regards to learning about orchids, he says I show up at the meetings I don t study, I don t go online, I don t look them up. I buy it; I stick it in here, if it lives, great! His easy going attitude is clearly what his orchids need, because his greenhouse was packed with beautiful purple blooms.

11 Unfortunately, many of Robert s plants are so old that their tags have either disintegrated or been lost.

12 A beautiful shot of Robert s north side shelf. When I asked what kinds of orchids were Robert s favorite he simply stated purple. Out of the more than a dozen blooming plants Robert had, only three or four weren t purple! The Dendrobiums seem to do the best for him, and they just take over his greenhouse with color.

13 The greenhouse is hardly the most interesting part of his backyard, as he has a number of pets and other plants to keep him company. In addition to his turtles, Robert has two cats, a lovely fish pond and a number of tomato plants in his backyard.

14 Robert s large African tortoise. This guy lives in the greenhouse in the winter.

15 A big thank you to Robert for agreeing to be interviewed. Please, don't be shy! If would like to have your plants featured in upcoming newsletters, or if you would like to see someone inparticular,

16 Phalaenopsis Monthly Orchid Growing Checklist Shortening days and cooler nights are the signals for inflorescence initiation in phalaenopsis. In more northern climates, or on the west coast, growers have already begun to see the early inflorescences that may be ready for Christmas. In the eastern areas, nights in the greenhouse will now be in the low to mid 60s, depending on the thermostat setting, so the first of our phalaenopsis will not begin to bloom until Valentine's Day at the earliest. A reduction in nitrogen levels will go a long way to giving the best possible spiking, as will a boost in potassium and phosphorus. In other words, a "bloom booster" type fertilizer is definitely indicated in the next few months. Disease and pest problems are best dealt with now, especially as mealybugs hide in the bracts and flower buds. Once they have established themselves, they are difficult to eradicate, and flower damage or crippling results. Potential disease problems can be dealt with by the application of a copper based compound to control/alleviate rot problems before they start. There is nothing more frustrating than to have shepherded your plants through a growing season, only to have them decline before your eyes. Oncidium crispum Complex This is the season for plants in Oncidium section crispum from Brazil to shine. Extremely vigorous hybrids come in wide varieties of markings dominated with chestnut and brown and butter yellow. Give plants high light to produce strong upright inflorescences. The pseudobulbs should be plump, so do not let the plants dry out while they are in bloom. Later, plants will enter a dormant period. Paphiopedilum The flowering season for the "toads" or "bulldog" paphs is just getting underway. These cannot be grown everywhere, but where cooler summer nights allow their growth, there is no longer lasting or more exotic display than these. Paphiopedilums are, in general, not heavy feeders, and it is especially important with this type to reduce nitrogen levels now for best flowering and spike length. Be watchful for water accumulating in the growth around the sheath, or for the late season warm spell, either of which can lead to the sheath's rotting. As the spikes emerge, do not change the orientation of the plant toward the light, as this can lead to a crooked or twisted spike While paphiopedilums rarely like to dry out entirely, water needs are significantly reduced beginning now. Overwatering at this time of year can quickly lead to root rot or erwinia problems. Now is the time to practice good sanitary practices in your greenhouse or growing areas, as pest and disease problems have a way of multiplying rapidly in the darker and more crowded conditions that generally mark the winter growing area. With paphiopedilums, especially, "cleanliness is next to godliness" and if the growing area is littered with old foliage, weeds and dying flowers, keeping the plants alive and flowering will be next to impossible. Cattleya Growers of just about every level of expertise will have begun to notice autumn conditions by now. Days are becoming shorter, hence cooler; the sunlight has less intensity as a result of the sun's lowering angle, nights are longer and generally cooler. Plants are responding by slowing and ripening their growth in preparation for winter. The first cultural change noticed should be a reduced frequency of watering, as the plants dry out more slowly. This is a function of both the reduced day length and lower temperatures, as well as the plants' slowing growth rate. Reduced water needs signal a reduced need for fertilization. Note that the key word is reduced, not eliminated. Feed less frequently and at lower dosage, but feed. Growths, made during summer's heat, and relatively soft and green, will be ripening hardening in preparation for a brief period of rest (in many cases). Many of these ripening growths will have a sheath, presaging the coming winter or spring flowering season. In some cases, these sheaths will have been evident since as early as July. (Early sheath development does not mean early flowering on plants with winter spring seasons.) You may notice that some of these sheaths are showing signs of yellowing. This is not abnormal. Autumn's more pronounced temperature fluctuation can lead to water condensation inside the sheath, hastening the normal process of senescence, so yellowing

17 sheaths can be left on the plant only so long before they must be carefully removed to preserve the bud primordia within. Water condensation left unchecked can rot the bud primordia. The sheaths can be safely removed by slitting open and peeling down toward the pseudobulb. Classifieds Use this section to list your unwanted plants for sale or trade You may also use this area to post In Search Of posts, seeking certain plants or equipment to list a plant or other item Platystele ximenae blooming size division for sale or trade. Potted in treefern. 6 leaf division with new roots and leaf buds. $10 or acceptable trade. Intermediate temperature grower. Actual plant is pictured. (As of 10/25, plant is currently in bud) Call Kelly at or Kelly@dunnassoc.net if interested

18 24 x 17 x 12 in aquarium with hinged glass canopy lid for sale. $55 Used. Works great for Pleurothallids and other high humidity plants. Lid nearly completely seals and is capable of maintaining 80 90% relative humidity. Call Kelly at or Kelly@dunnassoc.net if interested Facebook Website Copyright 2015 New Mexico Orchid Guild, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences