SEPTEMBER 2014 STOCKTON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 STOCKTON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2014 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, September 25 th, 2014 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 Mammillaria bocasana 'Fred'

2 2014 BOARD: President: Roelyn Poot (209) Vice President: Dianne Van Order (209) Treasurer: Lori Mace (209) Secretary: Pam Fish (209) Board Members: Steve Roberts, Maybelle Abplanalp & Dawn Dalyce Newsletter: Brian Poot (209) 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: September October 9 th - Board Meeting at the Poot s 7:00 p.m. 25 th - General Meeting 7:00pm: Country Store 14 th - Board Meeting at the Poot s 7:00 p.m. 23 rd - General Meeting 7:00pm: Growing Cacti & Succulents Panel November - NO MEETINGS 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 Kathy Zumbrunn HAPPY BIRTHDAY to: Jerry Slayter, Joe Bonell, JD Wikert, Pam Fish & Dawn Dalyce.

3 THIS MONTHS MEETING: Country Store Come for the fun! This month's meeting is our annual Country Store! There is no regular meeting, no mini show, and no trivia question. We will set up tables around the room, each for a different category of items, all donated by you, our Club members. Raffle tickets will only cost 50 cents. You will receive both halves of your tickets, one half you will deposit in the containers on the tables where the items you cannot live without are located. You will retain the other half of your tickets and when your number is called, you select an item from the table where your number was drawn. The departments in the Country Store are: Cactus, Succulents, House and Garden Plants, Garden Accessories (pots, tools, labels, potting mix, etc), Edibles (garden produce like fruits and veggies and Sweetshop items like cookies, pieces of cake, pie, etc, each individually wrapped in see-through plastic wrap) "food items prepared with peanuts or walnuts should be so noted on the wrapper to avoid allergy problems". The Club will provide water and soft drinks, but your snacks will come from the raffle items on the Edibles table. We will also have a silent auction table for items with cactus themes such as books, glasses, salt and peppers, towels, knick-knacks, and of course, larger plants, pottery, etc. A sheet of paper and a pencil will be located next to each item and during the evening write your name and your bid in dollar increments on the bid sheet. Feel free to bid repeatedly and often on any or all of the auction items. Approximately a half an hour before the end of the evening the bidding will be closed and the person who ends up with the last (highest) bid prior to the close of the auction will be the happy winner of that item. The Country Store is a fun time. Bring some items to donate, buy lots of tickets, bid on the Silent Auction, and enjoy the evening. Bring your donated items early and bring a friend along. Most important, be sure to bring a big box for all your winnings. *Reminder to Joanne Cuerpo & Monica Paniagua (drinks), this is your month to bring refreshments. *Reminder to Dianne Van Order, this is your month to be greeter. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Harry Gong 4504 Sun Kist Court Salida, CA (209) hharryus@yahoo.com BD: April Barbara's Annual Fall Sale: It's that time again! Barbara Coelho's annual "get ready for Winter" greenhouse sale will be on Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5. Barbara will bring flyers and directions to this month's meeting. As usual, she has plants, soil amendments, top dressing and containers, as well as out of print Cactus and Succulent books CLUB BOARD MEMBERS: (Proposed) President: Dawn Dalyce Vice President: David Jones Treasurer: Roelyn Poot Secretary: Pam Fish Board Members: Brian Poot, Lesley Slayter & Mary Bertken If anyone else would like to put their name in for the board please let one of the current board members know. We will be voting to approve the slate of officers & board members for 2015 at the October meeting. CLUB MEMBER CACTUS & SUCCULENT COLLECTIONS PROGRAM: We would like to do a virtual tour of club members cactus & succulent collections & their cactus & succulent gardens. We would like to put together a slide show featuring around 20 photos from each member who would be interested in sharing your plants with the rest of the club. Please put them on a DVD & bring them to the October meetings & give them to Brian Poot. We will try to have the program ready early next year. Thanks

4 AUGUST MINI SHOW RESULTS: Novice Division, Cacti: 1 st - Joan Stewart w/ Opuntia vestita crest 2 nd - Jeanine Bause w/ Mammillaria sp. 3 rd - Dawn Dalyce w/ Gymnocalycium horstii Novice Division, Succulent: 1 st - Kris Bradshaw w/ Fockea edulis 2 nd - Dawn Dalyce w/ Pachypodium lamerei 3 rd - Terra Lim w/ Echeveria agavoides Novice Division, Blooming: 1 st - Dawn Dalyce w/ Crassula falcata 2 nd - Kris Bradshaw w/ Euphorbia millii 3 rd - Dawn Dalyce w/ Haworthia truncata Advanced Division, Cacti: 1 st - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Cereus peruvianus monstrose 2 nd - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Weberocereus sp. Advanced Division, Succulent: 1 st - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Crassula argentea 2 nd - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Haworthia sp. Advanced Division, Blooming: 1 st - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Gymnocalycium pflanzii 2 nd - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Aloe rauhii 'Pink Blush' dwarf Open Division, Cacti: 1 st - Roelyn Poot w/ Mammillaria bocasana 'Fred' 2 nd - Bill Poot w/ Sulcorebutia rauschii 3 rd - Bill Poot w/ Mammillaria plumosa crest Open Division, Succulent: 1 st - Bill Poot w/ Euphorbia obesa 2 nd - Bill Poot w/ Monadenium schubei (red form) 3 rd - Roelyn Poot w/ Lithops gesimae Open Division, Blooming: 1 st - Brian Poot w/ Avonia alstonii ssp. quinaria 2 nd - Brian Poot w/ Adenium obesum 3 rd - Roelyn Poot w/ Monadenium renneyi (green form) Allied Interest: 1 st - Kathy Zumbrunn w/ Espostoa sp. 2 nd - Dawn Dalyce w/ Cereus sp. monstrose 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; whoever 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: The mini show categories are 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. Also you must own the plant for at least 6 months before you can show the plant in the mini show. Brian Poot, Mini show coordinator

5 AGAVES HAVE MUCH TO OFFER LOCAL GARDENERS: by Joe Truskot 08/01/14 Agave is one of the largest families of succulents and can be among the most graceful additions to your home garden. They are native to Mexico and most therefore thrive well in the Salinas area and along the Central Coast, although they may need a blanket over them if your yard experiences hard frosts. They characteristically have large fleshy leaves emanating from a central rosette and usually terminating with a spine. Several varieties also have smaller spines along the leaf margins. The color palette continues to expand with several modern hybrids: gray, gray-green, variegated cream and green, variegated yellow and green, and several are almost blue. The common name, century plant, comes from the long period it takes for the individual rosettes to flower. It's not 100 years but can be 30, with many flowering before that. Still, it's exciting to see the magnificent flower stalk begin to emerge and then send up this towering bloom. The various species and cultivars include giants like Agave americana, the traditional century plant seen along fence rows and ranch gates. Some of these giant varieties can reach 15 to 20 feet in diameter with a flowering spike of around 30 feet. Others such as Agave victoriae-reginae are beautifully symmetrical with attractive gray variations on the dark green leaves and attractive "hairs" but remain compact. According to Ernesto Sandoval, director of the U.C., Davis Botanical Conservatory, agaves are related to common asparagus. The relationship is evident in the similarities of the emerging flower stalk. "In some villages in Mexico, the emerging stalks are harvested, peeled, boiled and eaten," said Sandoval. Blue agave sweeteners are also made from certain varieties of agave leaves. If you've ever traveled to the Yucatan, you've probably seen bags, hammocks, belts and floor covers made of sisal fibers. These fibers are harvested from Agave sisalana, grown for this specific purpose. It's not hard to guess what Agave tequiliana is used for. The process of fermenting the leaves has become big business these days with certain distilleries offering super aged, high quality tequila for the international market. For most gardeners, however, we recommend growing a few of the more attractive ornamental varieties; such as Agave perryi, Agave attenuata "Blue Nova," Agave bovicornuta, Agave victoriae-reginae, and many dwarf varieties. Like most succulents all agaves need great drainage in a raised bed. As many of the garden cultivars are relatively short, a raised bed gives them the advantage of easier viewing. PRESIDENTS MESSAGE: by Roelyn Poot I hope all of you are getting your items together for the wonderful Country Store this month. We always have a great time and end up going home with so many new treasures and sweets. Many thanks to Barbara Coelho who does the planning and set up for it each year. We will not be having a mini-show, but do bring plants and cuttings for the Country Store. Don't forget to bring a box or two and plenty of cash. Do consider inviting a guest. The board has put together a slate of names of people who are willing to serve as officers and board members for the year They are as follows: President-Dawn Dalyce, Vice President-David Jones, Treasurer- Roelyn Poot, Secretary-Pam Fish. The three board members willing to serve are: Brian Poot- Editor of the Sticky Issue, Lesley Slayter-Activities Coordinator, Mary Bertken-Librarian. If anyone else is wanting their name added to this list of nominations, please let one of our board members know the night of our Sept. meeting. We will vote at the October meeting. Special thanks to the three who are stepping down from their position. They are Lori Mace-Treasurer, Steve Roberts-Librarian and Dianne Van Order-Vice President. We appreciate all they have done to serve us so willingly the past year. Many thanks to all who served on the board this past year. Your cooperation and dedication is so much appreciated. A letter containing great news arrived on Sept. 15. The I.R.S. has approved and reinstated of our club as a non-profit charitable organization. Thanks again to Lori, Pam and Tim Taylor for making this possible. We have a great club membership and I must say thanks to all who serve each month in one way or another!!

6 SUCCULENTS ARE THE CAMELS OF THE PLANT WORLD': by Mary Beth Breckenridge 08/07/14 Imagine a container garden you rarely have to water. Succulents make that happen. The fuss-free nature of succulents plants that store water is making them an increasingly popular choice for outdoor planters. They need watering infrequently, they resist pests, and some types don t even need fertilizing. On top of that, they have intricate forms and complex textures that make them more structurally interesting than many common container plants. They re subtle. They re not going to shout like a red geranium, said Dedee O Neil, who grows succulents in containers at her Akron-area home and has created arrangements of succulents for gardening events. Many people equate succulents with cactuses, but the category is much broader. Familiar types include agave, hens and chicks, aloe and sedum, but there are other succulents, too. Some are spiky and upright. Some are spreading and will trail over the edges of containers. Some are daisy- or cabbage-shaped. Most are prized for their foliage, but a few types notably kalanchoe and ice plants produce blooms pretty enough to be their primary feature. O Neil is partial to echeverias, rosette-shaped plants that span the color spectrum and sometimes have showy, ruffled leaves. They tend to stay fairly short, she said, and they re fairly easy to grow. Succulents are the camels of the plant world. They hold water in their fleshy leaves, stems or roots, although some experts exclude plants with waterstoring root systems from the succulent category. That water-storing capability allows the plants to survive in dry climates, which is why succulents can go so long without water. Just how long depends on the plant and the time of year, although succulent aficionado Ruth Moorhead said hers can go as long as a couple of weeks between waterings during their growing season. When they re dormant, the plants need even less water. Moorhead grows dozens of succulents at her farm in the Akron area. Some are arranged in hypertufa troughs or other containers. Some are grown individually in pots and gathered into collections that showcase their varied colors and forms. Tender types need to come inside in winter to be kept in a sunny window or under grow lights. For hardy varieties, Moorhead either sinks the plant into the ground, plastic pot and all, or she lifts the root mass out of the container and places the plant into the ground to ride out the winter. Succulents are native to arid regions where few other plants can survive, and where there aren t a lot of decaying plants to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil, O Neil explained. Consequently, most succulents like a gravelly, fast-drying soil with little fertility. What rain those native areas do get tends to fall during only a two- or three-month period each year, she said. That rainy period might happen in either winter or summer, and that s when the region s native succulents grow actively. Knowing that helps gardeners choose succulents wisely and care for them properly, O Neil said. In creating a container arrangement, you need to put together succulents with similar water needs and the same active growing season, so you can water all of them properly. As with any plants, consider how fast they ll grow and how large they ll get, she said. Otherwise you could end up with a fast-growing plant crowding out the rest. Planting in a container with drainage holes is critical, she said, because succulents can t tolerate soil that stays wet for long. O Neil said the container should be fairly shallow to promote drainage. Moorhead has even used ceramic baking dishes she bought at a discount store, with holes drilled in the bottom. If you want more height, O Neil suggested planting in a birdbath or perching a container on a pedestal. You can also plant succulents in the pockets of a strawberry pot, but she said that can be tricky because the plants near the bottom get more water as it drains down through the pot. Don t set containers directly on soil, she said. If the ground becomes waterlogged, the containers won t drain. Instead, elevate pots a half-inch or more by setting them atop some stones or maybe bricks. O Neil recommended using a gravelly planting medium made for cactuses and other succulents. Moorhead has had success creating a mix of half soilless potting mix and half grit, such as perlite, vermiculite, coarse builder s sand or chicken grit from feed stores. Not all succulents need fertilizing, but some need it during their growing season, according to Highland Succulents (highlandsucculents.com ), an area nursery that specializes in rare and endangered succulent plants. It recommends using either a slow-release fertilizer such as Nutricote or Osmocote, or a good-quality, watersoluble fertilizer with an NPK ratio or or Continued on next page...

7 SUCCULENTS ARE THE CAMELS OF THE PLANT WORLD': Continued If you use a water-soluble fertilizer, the company suggests mixing it at one-quarter the recommended strength and applying it every time you water during the growing season. Taper off the fertilizer as the plants enter dormancy, and don t fertilize when they re dormant, it says. Succulents generally like a lot of sun, but not all want the harsh, hot sun that cactuses thrive in, Moorhead said. It may take some research and some trial and error to determine the right amount of sun for a particular plant, she said. One cool thing about succulents: They re made for sharing. When they get too tall or leggy, Moorhead said, you can just cut off the ends of the stems, let them dry a couple of days so the cut ends develop calluses, and then stick them into the ground or into a mix of potting soil and perlite. The cuttings will root and start new plants. O Neil waters her cuttings in well when she transplants them, but then she stops watering and protects them from rain for a while to force the roots to grow deep to find water. Sometimes I describe it as tough love, she said with a laugh. Tough love produces tough plants. What s not to like about that? SUCCULENTS - SUMMERTIME: by Linda Moody 07/22/14 Summer and succulents just naturally go together. Succulents make excellent container plants because they re easy to grow and need almost no care. You have heard all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti That is true a cactus is a succulent because of its ability to store water. Succulents will look fabulous in groups on a deck or patio as an accent, or in a fantastic huge concrete or faux stone urn as a focal point. A great look is a rustic moss-covered plant pot planted with a mixture of gorgeous succulents spilling over the side placed at the top of some stone steps, or a unique root planter filled with Sempervivum (hens and chicks) or rare hardy Orostachys. Our favorite containers for succulents are terracotta clay pots such as an old strawberry jar. Clay pots have a porous nature which allows air exchange for the roots and allows excess moisture to escape. A large rugged hypertufa planter suits a country garden perfectly. Hypertufa planters and trough gardens are heavy enough to counterbalance the weight of the top growth. The rough surface suits the roots of succulents perfectly, giving them something to grip to. Hypertufa pots are made from a mixture of concrete, peat moss and sand and formed using cardboard or plywood boxes, a piece of plastic draped in a depression in a sand pile to make a free form pot or even a sacrificial basket collected from the recycle center at the local landfill. Some varieties of succulents to look for when selecting plants for a container would be Hens and Chicks, Burro s Tail, Jade Plant, Echeverias or Agave. Hens and Chicks are succulents that grow in mats. As they grow, the plants form rosettes. The parent rosette is the hen, while the small rosettes are the chicks. After they flower, the hens will die, but you can remove them from your dish garden and have plenty of chicks left to fill in. Like other succulents, Hens and Chicks are drought tolerant, sun-loving plants. Also called Donkey s Tail or Lamb s Tail, Burro s Tail, is a popular succulent with a trailing habit. The gray-green leaves are shaped like teardrops and grow on branches that can reach 2 feet long. Keep them cut back if you have a small dish garden. Many Crassula species are commonly called jade plants. Under the right conditions, your jade plant may bloom in the wintertime. Look for variegated varieties in shades of green and red, and give them full sun to keep their colors bright. Echeveria succulents form rosettes as they mature. Most echeverias are fairly small, but there are varieties that grow into shrub-like plants, so check the tag on your plant if you want to plant it in a dish garden. Echeverias come in a range of colors, including powder blue, green, and silver, and many have attractive red edges or tips. Agaves come in various shapes and colors, but you ll often see these plants sold as symmetrical rosettes with spiny, stiff leaves. Others have soft leaves and lack spines. Even though it can become large, an agave can thrive in a small pot for many years, allowing you to manage its size. Because of their lack of care, it just makes them ideal plants to grow.

8 AUGUST MEETING PHOTO'S BY STEVE ROBERTS & KATHY ZUMBRUNN