MARCH 2012 STOCKTON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 STOCKTON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER MARCH 2012 MEETINGS: Fourth Thursday each month, 7:00 p.m. * Unless otherwise noted WHERE: San Joaquin County Building 2707 Transworld Drive Stockton, California *NEXT MEETING: Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 PRE MEETING DINNER: Denny s Restaurant Arch Road location 5:30 p.m. STOCKTON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY C/O BRIAN POOT 1180 BOXWOOD WAY TURLOCK, CA 95380

2 2012 BOARD: President: Roelyn Poot (209) Vice President: Brian Poot (209) Treasurer: Lori Mace (209) Secretary: Barbara Parolari (209) Newsletter: Brian Poot (209) Board Members: Bill Poot, Pam Fish & Steve Roberts BOARD MEETINGS: Please note, board meetings will now be held the second Tuesday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., except in December, or if that date conflicts with something else. Anyone is welcome to attend, but please call first to let them know you will be coming to make sure of the date. Thanks! We can always use new ideas & opinions for the club, as well as help with behind the scenes stuff. If you are interested, please come to a board meeting. Thx! MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: Individual Family Contributing Patron $20/yr $25/yr $35/yr $50/yr All dues should be sent to the treasurer before the February general meeting. Membership runs January-December. Complimentary Jan. & Feb. issue if unpaid. CALENDAR: March April 13 th - Board Meeting at the Poot s 7:00 p.m. 22nd - General Meeting 7:00pm: Mark Muradian - Peru 10 th - Board Meeting at the Poot s 7:00 p.m. 26 th - General Meeting 7:00pm: TO BE DETERMINED OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS: (not club related) **We will also be listing other clubs shows, sales, and speakers, as well as cacti related events that may be of interest to our members. If you know of something that should be listed, please let the editor know. Thanks SUNSHINE REPORT: by Trudy Spahn HAPPY BIRTHDAY to: Maybelle Abplanalp & Ted Heath. GET WELL WISHES to: Bill Poot

3 THIS MONTHS PROGRAM: Mark Muradian - Peru; Land of the Inca, Land of Cacti This month we're going on a trip to Peru with our speaker, Mark Muradian. Starting in Chiclayo, and ending in Cuzco, we will travel by bus to many habitats, sometimes on roads no bus should ever attempt to drive! Mark's video presentation, with all the sounds and motion helps us feel as if we are right there. With the fly over of the Nazca lines and visit to Machu Picchu, this will be an exciting trip for us to take on a Thursday evening. Mark, also a fantastic potter, will bring a great selection of pots for us to purchase. So remember, bring some extra money and/or your checkbook. This is a must see program, hope to see everyone there!! Steve Roberts will provide the raffle table this month. *Reminder to Maybelle Abplanalp (snacks) & Steve Roberts (drinks), this is your month to bring refreshments. *Reminder to Barbara Parolari it is your month to be the greeter. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Mike Bradshaw R.J. Bradshaw 5 Falcon Crest Circle 1960 Chardonnay Drive Napa, CA Oakley, CA (303) (925) mbradshaw0128@gmail.com rbrad42@gmail.com Vickie Milano Dianne Van Order 105 East Knoles Way 749 Lexington Ave. Stockton CA Stockton CA (209) (209) surfer1313@comcast.net auntiedi44@att.net FEBRUARY 2012 CLUB MEETING - PHOTO'S BY STEVE ROBERTS

4 FEBRUARY MINI SHOW RESULTS: Novice Division, Cacti: 1 st - Steve Roberts w/ Austrocylindropuntia vestita ctistata 2 nd - Steve Roberts w/ Cephalocereus senilis Advanced Division, Cacti: 1 st - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Espostoa sp. 2 nd - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Gymnocalycium pflanzii Open Division, Cacti: 1 st - Bill Poot w/ Ferocactus sp. variegated 2 nd - Brian Poot w/ Ferocactus sp. variegated Novice Division, Succulent: 1 st - Steve Roberts w/ Fockea edulis 2 nd - Steve Roberts w/ Euphorbia neriifolia cristata Advanced Division, Succulent: 1 st - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Rhombophyllum neelii Open Division, Succulent: 1 st - Bill Poot w/ Cyphostema 'Fat Bastard' 2 nd - Roelyn Poot w/ Ficus Palmeri - Bill Poot w/ Adenia glauca 3 rd - Brian Poot w/ Gerrardanthus macrorhizus - Brian Poot w/ Fockea tugelensis Novice Division, Blooming: 1 st - Steve Roberts w/ Crassula 'Morgans Beauty' 2 nd - Steve Roberts w/ Tillansia stricta 'Silver Star' Advanced Division, Blooming: 1 st - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Mammillaria gracilus Open Division, Blooming: 1 st - Bill Poot w/ Pelecephora aselliforme 2 nd - Roelyn Poot w/ Stenocactus crispatus 3 rd - Bill Poot w/ Mammillaria lauii v. subducta Allied Interest: 1 st - Steve Roberts w/ Hyacinth 2 nd - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Haworthia sp. MONTHLY MINI SHOW: OPEN TO ANY CLUB MEMBERS THAT WANT TO SHOW PLANTS! The mini show, held at the general meetings, is a time when you can bring your plants, to compete against other members plants. There are 10 categories: Cacti & Succulent, (Open, Advanced & Novice Divisions), Bloomers (anything in bloom, also three divisions) & Allied Interest (dish gardens or natural planters). You may bring up to 2 from each category. The forms for judging are available to take home so that you can fill them out prior to the meeting if you wish, or there will be some at the meeting as well. The plants are judged by the members attending that meeting; Who ever receives the most votes wins that months mini show & will get their name in the next newsletter. The person(s) receiving the most votes at the end of the year will receive a gift from the club. WE ENCOURAGE ALL MEMBERS TO BRING PLANTS TO SHOW THROUGHOUT THE YEAR! FYI: We will be changing the mini show categories to now be Novice - those with fewer than 5 years of showing in the mini-show. Advanced those who have shown for more than 5 years in the mini-show & does not sell more than $300 in plants a year. Open those who sell more than $300 in plants a year. Brian Poot, Mini show coordinator

5 SUCCULENTS - POTTED POSSIBILITIES ABOUND: by Bonnie Manion Succulents are riding a wave of popularity in container design because of their many desirable elements. Succulents are easy to maintain, drought-tolerant, colorful and are structurally interesting. Potted possibilities Succulents can be planted in just about any type of container imaginable. Tap your creativity, and be kind to your wallet, by seeking vintage containers with a past. They hold a surprise element, usually through repurposing of what they were originally intended for. Look for vintage containers at flea markets, garage sales, antique shops, and by searching online. Vintage containers can be made from materials such as stone, concrete, metal, wood, porcelain and terra cotta. Seek vintage containers that can hold soil, allow for drainage, and survive sun, moisture and other weather elements. Look for the unusual in patina pails, rusty buckets, dusty chicken feeders, discarded wood drawers, dented oilcans, abandoned bird nests, empty urns, and find the beauty in the unexpected. The potted possibilities are endless. Container requirements Succulents have small water and space requirements, which makes them desirable for planting in tight areas. Use an unlikely tool, such as a single chopstick or knitting needle, to help tuck plant succulents in tight areas. Dense succulent planting in vintage containers is advantageous for creating great design, minimizing growth, and low maintenance. Drainage is important when creating vintage container designs with succulents. Solutions for containers that don't have ample drainage or allow for holes to be drilled: Add a small layer of pea gravel or crushed shells to the container bottom. Next, add a layer of cactus-type potting soil and you are ready to plant your succulents. With succulents, less is more regarding watering. Succulents store water in their fleshy leaves, and can tolerate long periods of drought. Succulents nestled tightly into vintage containers can be lightly spritzed using a spray bottle at the base of the succulents. Succulents of all different types and colors can be purchased from nurseries or created from cuttings. A tip for succulent cuttings: Let cuttings dry for 24 hours to form a callus end before planting. Succulent design tips "The three main design principles that I think are most important when it comes to designing with succulents are contrast, repetition (both among plants themselves and with their containers), and whimsical," said local writer Debra Lee Baldwin, author of "Succulent Container Gardens." Baldwin's notion of whimsical: "I'm not talking about cute or kitschy, but rather something more sophisticated, a personal expression which engenders delight in the viewer." This idea of "whimsical" captures the essence of vintage container design with succulents. Such containers dictate your succulent design by their color, shape, character and style. Select specific succulents to complement or contrast with your vintage container, and that will capture your desired character and style. Try a few of these succulent design suggestions for vintage containers: 1) use single color or tones but different forms and emphasize structure, 2) mass grouping with the same shape, like a tapestry of succulents, and 3) repeat color tones, such as pastel pink succulents in a contrasting cobalt blue container.

6 DREADED SAP OF EUPHORBIA CAN ZAP SKIN & EYES: by Maureen Gilmer From a reader: I spent Valentines Day crying and in pain from burning eyes so bad I had to call the paramedics. That day I pulled lantana that had interweaved into pencil cactus. I was so careful not to get any cactus sap into my eyes. It was awful pain. The paramedics said just to keep your open eyes under running water. It took about four hours. Now I am afraid of my garden. My heart goes out to Kurt, an innocent gardener who tangled with Euphorbia tirucalli, which is not a cactus but an African Euphorbia called pencil tree. It is the largest Euphorbia species that grows here, and the most dangerous. Because its stems are without thorns and resemble pencils, this tree looks incredibly benign. The lack of thorns forced it to evolve a stronger way to keep giraffe and browsing elephants at bay in its homeland of South Africa. Like all Euphorbia's, this one contains caustic white latex sap that would burn the lips of any animal that tried to eat the moist, succulent flesh. The potency of the latex varies by species. My Euphorbia virosa is so toxic it is used as arrow poison. If I simply brush against the tip of its spines (no sap visible) my whole hand swells up. Nick the skin of any Euphorbia and you find big white drops of latex come pouring out. Nick a cactus and the sap is clear or green. Sap color is key to telling a Euphorbia succulent from American cactus. I learned early on at Clark Moorten's garden about working with the many species of Euphorbia growing there. He warned me that pruning and transplanting are potentially dangerous tasks because flecks of sap can fly long distances to land on skin and clothing. This is particularly problematic for pencil trees because they are large and many grow overhead, making some pruning jobs a huge mess of dripping latex. One experience of mine proved that flecks of latex that landed on the forehead or in your hair can later travel in your sweat to contaminate eyes, nose and mouth. Wipe it away and it's on your hands too. Another gardener contaminated his eyes in the evening by taking off the shirt that he wore when working with Euphorbia that day. Emergency rooms in California and Florida often run into cases of Euphorbia latex in the eyes. This caustic liquid can burn the cornea and damage vision either temporarily or permanently, so this is no laughing matter. Problems occur on the skin of sensitive individuals too. Reports of latex creating fire-like burns and blistering is not uncommon. Rashes can be painful and long-lasting unless you have the antidote. Clark learned long ago that the official antidote to the latex is Aeonium lindleyi, a small succulent plant. It's hard to find it in the desert because Aeonium's rarely make it through our very hot summers unless brought indoors. While I have not heard of its use for the eyes, this is a valuable treatment for rubbing its succulent flesh onto latex- damaged the skin, just as we do with aloe. All of this leads to my recommendations for safely pruning, planting or transplanting Euphorbia's. There is one tool I use for pruning my pencil tree and its smaller colorful relative, firesticks. It's a longhandled, cut-and-grab tool by Corona. It eliminates the need to get close to the plant when pruning. I can grab and cut at the same time, reaching deep within the foliage without risk. The grab tool allows me to set each cutting aside in a pile. Then I walk away. I don't return until all cuts, both living and removed, are thoroughly dry. This may take a few days for all latex to stop flowing and the cuts to be totally scabbed over. Once the calluses are there I return to gather the pieces to root, or dispose of them in a plastic bag (not green matter) so there's no risk to the garbage man when he takes it away. This is not material for composting. Whenever you do larger projects, wear gloves, long sleeves, safety glasses and a hat or bandana over the hair and forehead. Have a plastic-lined garbage can handy so you don't crush the pieces as they're disposed of. Wash immediately after working, launder clothing, wipe off shoes, safety glasses and tools. While I often rant about the problems of Euphorbia's, I love this genus. I secretly nurture hopes that from this toxic substance may one day become a treatment for diseases.

7 FEBRUARY 2012 CLUB MEETING - PHOTO'S BY STEVE ROBERTS

8 FEBRUARY 2012 CLUB MEETING - PHOTO'S BY STEVE ROBERTS STOCKTON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM Annual dues (January-December 2012) Single Membership.$20.00 Family Membership...$25.00 Contributing $35.00 Total Due$ Please Print: Name(s) Address City State Zip Do you want the newsletter Phone ed to you - Check 1 Yes No Birthday (year(s) optional) Please give at least month *Please mail this form, along with a check made payable to the Stockton Cactus & Succulent Society to the membership chairperson before the February general meeting to continue receiving the newsletter. Lori Mace Mile Road Oakdale, CA 95361