New Orleans Orchid Society's Newsletter. June 2015

Transcription

1 New Orleans Orchid Society's Newsletter Officers: President: Vice-President: Secretary: Treasurer: Past President: Newsletter Editor: Website Editor: Board of Trustees: June 2015 Carol Stauder Konrad Becnel Ann Ebert Alice Barrios Donna Stange Larry Hennessey Debbie Dinwiddie Vienna Mackey Molly Prokop Peggy White Meeting Notice: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 City Park Garden Study Center 7:30pm Program: NOOS Show Plants Larry Hennessey Orchid Basics Group Program: TBD 7:00pm President's Message Prez Sez, We received many, many compliments about the show, from judges, to vendors, to people walking by. There are lots of thank-yous: Marian, Show Chair, Staging, and Wonder Woman, who was ever-present (Did she really sleep at Lakeside?); Ann Roth along with Marian, NOOS Exhibit, tremendous job, and Trophies, what beautiful trophies (well-done Ann); Helpers Ethel Subervielle and Bob Fulton; Most of you don t realize that Patricia Sander plays an important role in keeping many of our exhibit supplies, particularly tables, stored for us and we don t thank her enough for doing that; We missed Alice and Eddie Barrios this year as Alice continues to have health problems, but our friend Harriet sent out judges invitations and kept track of who was coming; Russel Deroche, Signage and super Show Schedule, and he stepped in for Molly Prokop, who could not be here for the show, as Chief Clerk (super job, didn t miss a step); And BIG, BIG thank you to all of you who clerked; Larry Hennessey, spent the morning clerking on Saturday and then all afternoon as Photographer of the awarded plants. Carol Molero, who seems to do everything we ask of her whether it s her job or not, began this whole process by sending letters to vendors and societies inviting them to come and kept track of anything important and trivial that we wanted; Nancy Click and Pat Herbert, our Raffle

2 Chairs, were there loooong hours when no one else was signed up and handled everything superbly; A pat on the back and thank you to all of you who sold raffle tickets, our total this year was a record-setting $575; Vienna Mackey who negotiated lunch prices and menu and kept on top of things to make sure we got what we paid for; Max Mipro who arranged our bus transportation to the restaurant and more importantly got two TV stations to do promos for our show; Bob Fulton, a fairly new member, who showed up on Thursday with a dolly to help vendors into the mall and was the designated door holder, thanks for doing your part; Thanks Konrad Becnel and Randy Johnson, who were our go-to muscle guys (You really have no idea how grateful we are); Most important is a thank you to all NOOS spouses who put up with this craziness every year and allow us to spend all the time NOOS needs us at the show. You are the best and have our deepest gratitude. Best Wishes for Good Growing. Carol New Orleans Orchid Society Minutes May 19, 2015 President Carol Stauder called the meeting to order. The minutes of the April meeting were approved as published. Reports: VP - Next month s program will be a recap of the 2015 show. Treasurer Alice not present; no report. Secretary Ann no report. Newsletter - Larry no report. New Member Chair, Yvette Montz not present Raffle Table: 31 persons registered; 28 members and 3 guests. There are 8 raffle plants and 1 door prize. Old Business: Members were urged to sign up for a committee. Molly will discuss this at the June meeting. A decision on the plant table judging system will deferred until after the show. Ian and Konrad have volunteered to set up our exhibit at the Baton Rouge Show. The show is scheduled for July 11 and 12, with set up on July 10. Molly and Pat will take down the exhibit. New Business: Membership rosters are at the back table, if anyone needs one. Society shirts are in for those who ordered them. Nancy Dempsey mentioned that she teaches a 15 week long basic orchid growing class for people ages 50 and over through the People Program (website: at their lakeshore campus. Show Business: Marian, Ann Roth, Carol Stauder, Carol Molero and others: Marian has her final meeting with Lakeside mall tomorrow. Posters have been dropped off at the mall. Members were encouraged to take flyers for display at businesses that they patronize. If you plan to exhibit your plants, make a list of the plants, including their parentage, in a Word document or a spreadsheet and this to Carol Stauder ahead of time, so that she can prepare the tags. Plants are due at the mall by 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, May 28. Bring your plants to Carol Stauder s table and she will give

3 you the tags to put on your plants. Only nicely groomed plants in bloom will be entered. Plants with pests or diseases will be pulled from the exhibit. Last year s May newsletter has an article regarding grooming tips. Russel is in charge of the clerks. Clerks should be at the mall for 7:30 A.M. on Saturday for a free breakfast of beignets. Judging is to begin around 8:00 A.M. There are 13 vendors coming to the show, including Louisiana Orchid Connection from Baton Rouge, and Hick s Orchid Supplies. If you your order to Hick s ahead of time, they will bring your order to the show and you can save on shipping costs. Lilly has been posting information about the show on various Social Media sites. We still need volunteers to staff the raffle table. Show take-down is 4:30 P.M. on Sunday. Break: Thank you Max for the cake and coffee. Program: Due to technical difficulties, Larry was unable to continue his presentation of Classifying Paphiopedilums, a slide show by Frank Zachariah. To be continued at a later date. Instead, Larry and several experienced members held an informal, impromptu discussion regarding proper grooming and presentation of plants for exhibit. Judging results. Plant raffle and door prize. 28 members and 3 guests present. Next meeting: June 16 Upcoming Orchid Shows & Events Earl Young Plant Sale June 20 9am - til 1515 James St. Hattiesburg, MS Baton Rouge Orchid Society Show July Baton Rouge Garden Center 7950 Independence Blvd, Baton Rouge, La. Houston Orchid Society 36th Annual Summer Workshop August 7-5:00pm - August 8, :00pm University of St. Thomas 3900 Graustark Houston, TX May Judging Result Award Exhibitor Plant Best Grown 1st Carol & Arne Stauder Vasco Pine Rivers 'Deep Water' AM/AOS 2 nd Pat Herbert Paph Joyce Hasegawa 2 nd Pat Herbert Phal OX Black Prince Best Hybrid 1st Ann Roth Phal Class President 'Willowbrook' 2 nd Carol & Arne Stauder Vasco Pine Rivers 'Deep Water' AM/AOS 2 nd Carol & Arne Stauder Paph Dollgoldii 'Carol's Surprise' HCC/AOS Best Species 1st Debbie Dinwiddie Den aggregatum 2nd Patricia Sander Neof falcata var. Shutenno 3rd

4 Baton Rouge Show Plant Preparation We will be setting up at 5 x 5 foot exhibit at the show and need plants to fill it. If you have plants you want to be in the exhibit, please their names to Carol Stauder by Wednesday, July 8 (seestauder@hotmail.com or call ) and bring them to Carol's house on Wednesday, July 8 before 8 pm or Thursday, July 9 before 12 noon. Please have the plant s name tags visible so that we will know which is which and put your name on each pot. Also, don't forget to groom and stake them for the best presentation. And bring a paper copy of your list of plants. Upcoming AOS Webinars Trending Phalaenopsis Novelty Hybridizing Wednesday June 24, :30pm CDT Register at: Novelty phalaenopsis are rewarding for their compact size, frequent flowering, brilliant color, and fragrance. Peter Lin, of Big Leaf Orchids, will showcase the best novelty phalaenopsis hybrids today, and review the breeding attributes that create more colorful novelty phalaenopsis for tomorrow. Please join Peter, who has been growing orchids for over 25 years. Peter makes frequent trip to Taiwan to see the latest phalaenopsis development, and to learn from Taiwanese hybridizers. Orchid Educational Series Nancy Dempsey, NOOS member, will be teaching a 15 week class on basic orchid growing starting on August 25,2015 Wednesdays from 11am to 12noon. This is with the People Program on the lakeshore campus.this is open to anyone 50 years and older. The fee $150 and includes all class offered on both east bank and west bank campuses. For more information check the PeopleProgram.org. Green Side Up: Reveries of Repotting By judywhite From AOS Bulletin Beginner's Series Continued from last month Recognizing Deterioration How do you know when a mix is deteriorated enough for repotting? One way is by marking the time between repotting, because after using your mix for a few years, you get to know its pattern of breakdown under your own conditions and watering techniques. Beginners don't usually have the luxury of knowing when the last time their plant was repotted, because this is often the first time you're doing it. Brush away the top inch of the mix and take a look at the materials underneath for signs of decomposition; if you can stick your finger in easily up to the second joint, the orchid definitely needs repotting. If you're still not sure, gently knock the plant out of the pot and look at the roots (see "Taking a Look at the Roots"). Nuts and Bolts of Repotting So now that you understand the why and when of repotting, let's move on to the how. It helps incredibly to get yourself all set up before actually taking the plant out of the pot, so you don't find yourself wandering around looking for equipment and potting materials and pots while carrying an uprooted plant in one hand and dropping bits of bark everywhere you go (I speak from experience, you see). A spot near a sink and a trash basket is ideal, for running water and a place to throw stuff are indeed handy. If there's not counter space near the

5 sink, make some by bringing a table near, or else cut a piece of board that can be placed across the sink. Put layers of newspaper down on the counter or board; if you 're doing more than a couple of pots at a time, use lots of newspaper layers. That way, in between each repotting, you can simply bundle up some of the newspaper and neatly dispose of the most recent mess, leaving a clean layer on which to proceed. Also have on hand new or sterile single-edged razor blades, a box of disposable plastic gloves, knife, plant labels, a marking pen or pencil, various sizes of clean pots (and if they're clay, have them soaking in water for at least a few hours beforehand), plant stakes and ties, rhizome clips and some way to clean the knife between plants (trisodium phosphate solution or flame NOT just a bleach dip). Also handy is a toothbrush. On the floor should be a bucket of potting mix soaking in warm water, preferably overnight. Remember that potting materials should always be soaked in water to help them take up water initially, to remove debris and fine dust, and give a moist environment for newly potted plants rather than drawing water away from them by a dry mix. I know this all sounds so exhausting already that it' s no wonder most people tend to put off repotting until far too late. But if you get in the habit of having potting supplies ready, in one place, and a bucket of mix soaking the night before, you'll find that this bit of forethought and initial setup will make the job infinitely easier. Another way to plan ahead is to soak the plant and pot in a bucket of water for a few minutes. This makes it much easier to convince the plant to leave the pot. Roots will be softer and more pliable (and thus less apt to break) and will release somewhat their death grip on the inside of the pot. Once the plant has soaked, it's time to take it out of the pot. Before you go any further, remove the plant label and put it somewhere where you know you won't lose it, preferably not on the work area where it can too easily get wrapped up with debris and thrown away. (I've done that, too.) Some blessed plants slip easily out by holding one hand over the top of the mix and simply turning the pot upside down, allowing the plant to slide gently onto the newspaper layers. If the plant resists slipping out, first try tapping all around the sides and on the bottom of the pot; gently squeezing a plastic pot in various places can help loosen the root mass as well. If the plant really clings to the inside of a plastic pot, take a sharp (sterile) knife and run it around the inside wall of the pot to separate the root system from the plastic. Roots can really cling to a clay pot, and you may ultimately have to break the pot by turning it on its side and tapping gently with a hammer in various spots. Once the plant is out, if it is being repotted because the mix has deteriorated rather than because the plant has overgrown the pot, you can reuse that pot for that plant, but otherwise set the used pot well away and certainly don't use it for any other plant until it has been cleaned and sterilized by overnight soaking in a 10% bleach solution. Taking a Look at the Roots Now is an excellent time to pause and take a good look at the potting material and learn how well it has responded to your watering techniques and environment. What shape is it in? Has it decomposed more than you would have expected, or less? Even more importantly, take a look at the roots. Live roots are usually white, glistening, sometimes with nice green tips. They are also firm to the touch. Dead roots are gray or brown or black, soft, mushy or dry to the touch. Decaying roots can be something in between the two. If the center portion of the rootball is dead and roots at the edge of the pot seem fine, then too much water is staying in the mix. Either the potting material itself holds too much water, or else you are watering too often. If you don't think you can change your watering techniques, then fine-tune the new mix and add

6 something extra to it, such as charcoal, perlite, tree fern or stone, to let water drain more freely. If the old roots seem shriveled, then they may not be getting enough water; you might add sphagnum moss or finer bark to keep more water around. Dead roots are often brown, dried and shriveled. The velamen (spongy outer layer) can be pulled away revealing the root s now woody core. Once you've gathered useful information by looking at the mix and the roots, then clean away all of the old potting material, but try not to break any good roots. The stuff in the center will be the most decayed part, so be diligent in removing this. Shake off the mix, pull gently, and run the plant under tepid water. Make sure there is something over the sink hole to catch bits of bark or you will see the Rotor Rooter man far more than you will find pleasant. Cut away all dead roots up to the base of the plant. If you're not sure if the roots are dead, hold them one at a time and pull gently; if the outer portion slips off easily and a wiry core thread is left, the root is dead. Partially decayed roots should also be cut away to a place where fresh tissue starts. If the roots are dead, soft and mushy, suspect a root rotting fungus in the mix and after cutting away rotted parts, treat what's left with a fungicide such as Benlate (read the label directions for application). Obviously, try to keep as much of the good root system as you possibly can. If some of the roots are extremely long, and will make getting them in a proper sized pot too difficult, they may have to be trimmed. While you have the instrument of destruction still in your hand, trim off dead or yellowed leaves, old flower spikes, old sheaths and dried or rotten pseudobulbs. If an otherwise alive-looking pseudobulb has no leaf, you may want to leave it on, particularly if there are good roots still attached, for it still stores some reserves of food for the plant. Wherever you have removed rotted roots, dust with a fungicide to help keep any residual rot from spreading. Take another look at the plant itself and search for insects such as scale or mealybugs, which can hide on roots, under sheaths on pseudobulbs and in the crown of the plant. Using a toothbrush and tepid water, very gently clean the plant. Be gentle because new growths in particular will be very soft and vulnerable; even rubbing a new leaf gently can bruise it. Pot Sizes Next, choose your pot. If it's a plant that likes to dry out quite a bit, perhaps a cattleya or dendrobium, a clay pot might work best; plants that like to be wetter, such as phalaenopsis, cymbidiums, paphiopedilums and angraecums, might do better with a plastic pot. (Remember, if you fine-tune your potting materials, you can keep a mix wetter or drier that way also.) Pot size is anotherplace where beginners often go wrong. Most people overpot their orchids. Orchids, however, prefer being in small pots, so if you have to make a mistake on the pot size, always go smaller than larger. A smaller pot will make the mix dry out sooner, while a larger pot will hold water much longer. If you recall a previous article in this series, you will remember that more orchids are killed by overwatering than anything else. So think small when it comes to pots. As a general rule, you want to choose a pot that will have room for two years of growth. If the plant has a rhizome (cattleyas for instance), then you want a pot that will allow for two new growths, since they usually make one new growth a year. How much room does that mean? It's easy to figure by looking at the space between previous growths. Generally you'll want a pot two inches wider than the previous one, larger if the plant is a large one. If a plant grows upward, as a phalaenopsis does, then you want a pot that will hold the roots and leave half an inch to threefourths of an inch around the outside of the rootball for future growth. If you want to repot every year, especially for younger plants, then adjust the pot size down accordingly for just one year's growth. If you like to put something at the bottom of the pot for extra drainage, such as Styrofoam or stones or crockery, do so now. Stir up the mix in the bucket of water, too, because it tends to settle. (To be Continued next month)

7 Show Recap Congratulations to all who contributed especially Show Chair Marian Prigmore for another successful show. Ann Roth and Marian Prigmore put our exhibit together with help from Ethel Subervielle and Bob Fulton plus Carol doing the tedious job of writing the tags and registration slips. 12 members contributed a total of 70 plants. The exhibit won best exhibit over 50 sf. The plants in the exhibit won 9 Blue, 7 Red and 4 White ribbons plus 1 plant pulled for AOS judging. Larry Hennessey won 3 trophies for Best grown Phalaenopsis, Best flower Miscellaneous genera and Best flower in NOOS Exhibit. Ian Hiler won a trophy for best grown Epidendrum. Three plants were given AOS awards and the Terrebonne Society exhibit was awarded a Silver Certificate. The Terrebonne exhibit also won the ODC and AOS Trophies. The judges pulled 13 plants for AOS judging. A grand total of 388 plants were registered for judging. Members who loaned plants for the NOOS exhibit were: Ann Roth Carol & Arne Stauder NOOS Exhibit Debbie Dinwiddie Ethel and Ed Subervielle Marian Prigmore Pat Herbert Ian Hiler Larry Hennessey Margaret Bossier Nancy Dempsey Carol Molero Patricia Sander Special thanks goes out to all who contributed funds for the trophies. Special recognition goes Chief Clerk Russel Deroche and all who volunteered to clerk for the judges. Thanks to all of the clerks for the great job they did: Konrad Becnel, Lilly Blouin, Nancy Click, Ann Ebert, Larry Hennessey, Ian Hiler, Randy Johnson, Gaye Lehr, Vienna MacKey, Max Mipro, Carol Molero, Frieda Palmgren, Peggy White, Marc Fries.

8 AOS Awards AOS Awards Phal Gan Lin Royal-Yellow AM/AOS 80 points exhibited in Terrebonne OS Exhibit owned by Karen Breaux Perreiraara Bangkok Sunset 'M' AM/AOS 84 points exhibited in Orchid Plus owned by Meta Flanagin Terrebonne Orchid Society Exhibit AOS Silver Certificate Vanda Newberry Apricot 'Tony Jo' HCC/AOS 78 points Owned and exhibited by JoAnn Vaz

9 NOOS Results Exhibitor Plant Ribbons/Awards Ann Roth Phal OX Lottery Red Class 339 Carol & Arne Stauder Paph primulinum Blue Class 212 Vanda tricolor Blue Class 312 Phal Talin Lion 'Hsing' AM/AOS Blue Class 332 Larry Hennessey Phal. Tying Shin Sweetheart 'Joan' Blue Class 327 Phal OX Golden Star Blue Class 340 Trophy Best Grown Phalaenopsis Phal OX Prince 'Thunder' FCC/AOS Blue Class 342B Bulbophyllum Valley Isle Queen Blue Class 712 Trophy Best Flower Miscellaneous Trophy Best Flower in NOOS Exhibit Pulled for AOS judging Chiloschista sweelimii Red Class 318 Schoenorchis gemmata Red Class 716 Phal Princess Kaiulani 'Chin Yo' AM/AOS Phal I-Hsin Mirage 'KHM 1634' AM/AOS Red Class 327 Red Class 342B Bulbophyllum Tonya Jacobs Red Class 712 Eulophia spectabilis 'Red Bat' HCC/AOS White Class 702 Bulbophyllum bicolor White Class 712 Ian Hiler Prosthechea cochleata Blue Class 102 Trophy Best Grown Epidendrum Oncidium phymatochilum White Class 428 Margaret Bossier Broughtonia sanguinea Red Class 112 Broughtonia sanguinea v. alba White Class 112 Pat Herbert Phal mannii Blue Class 325