NEWSLETTER. SOS Executive. May Meeting PAGE 1 SASKATCHEWAN ORCHID SOCIETY. Vice-President: Past President: Sherida Gregoire.

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1 SASKATCHEWAN ORCHID SOCIETY VOLUME 29, ISSUE #8 MAY, 2012 NEWSLETTER SOS Executive President: Cal Carter Vice-President: Past President: Sherida Gregoire Secretary: Jennifer Burgess Treasurer: Cheryl Grummett Social: Shirley Keith Lori Pozniak Plant Orders: Heather Anderson Cheryl Adamson Resources: Yvette Lyster Pat Randall Librarians: Tracey Thue Jan Dougall Newsletter: Bob Lucas COC/AOS Rep: Al Hartridge Editor s Note: The newsletter will be distributed electronically to all members for whom we have an address. If you wish to switch from paper to electronic delivery, please notify me at robert.lucas@usask.ca. Speakers: Don Keith Webmaster: Jennifer Burgess Mail Address: SOS, Box 411 Saskatoon, SK Future Meeting Dates: S7K 3L3 Sept. 23, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 25,2012 January 27, 2013 February 17, 2013 March 24, 2013 Web Address: May Meeting The May general meeting of the Society will be held on May 27, 2012 at John Dolan School, commenting at 1:30 p.m. A feature at the meeting will be a fundraising auction of orchids and orchid-related items. Family and friends are invited to attend the May meeting as guests. PAGE 1

ANNOUNCEMENTS The May meeting will feature a fundraising silent auction of orchids and orchid-related items in support of the SOS. Members are asked to bring items for sale.

2 ANNOUNCEMENTS The May meeting will feature a fundraising silent auction of orchids and orchid-related items in support of the SOS. Members are asked to bring items for sale. Each item will have its own auction sheet and members will be asked to identify one of two options, either a 50/50 split of the selling price or the donation of the full selling price to the SOS. The auction will take place over the course of the meeting. In order to facilitate the auction, members are asked to invite family and friends to the meeting as their guests. There will not be a regular sale table of members plants at the May meeting. The May meeting will have a raffle of plants donated by Safeway. Be sure to purchase your tickets from Tracey or Jan at the Library table, $1 for one, $2 for three. Membership renewals for will be on sale at the May meeting. An an incentive for early registration, members will be eligible for a $5.00 gift certificate which can be redeemed at the resource table until the January meeting, The Show and Tell draw will be conducted at the May meeting. Each time you bring a plant for the Show and Tell Table, you are entered into the draw. The CRA has donated an orchid plant to be awarded in the memory of Wilma Nykiforuk who passed away last year. The Award will go to the 'best' orchid on display at the May meeting. Cal Carter will make the selection. Since the May meeting is the last meeting for the year, be sure to pick up any supplies you might need over the summer from the resources table. Meeting Agenda Announcements Problem Corner Show and Tell Wilma Nykiforuk Award Coffee/Supplies Silent Auction Show and Tell Draw Plant Raffle Adjournment Phal Bedford Golden Victory APRIL 29 MINUTES Cal opened the meeting by extending a welcome to returning members, new members and guests. Today s meeting will feature a raffle of plants donated by Safeway. Be sure to purchase your tickets from Tracey at the Library table, $1 for one, $2 for three. Alexey Tretyakov will be giving a talk after the break about controlling humidity, and he has also brought plants for sale to members at the end of the meeting. We conduct plant sales by lottery. If you wish to purchase a plant today, please give your membership number to Cheryl G. at the front table. Membership renewals for begin today. As an incentive for early renewal, you will receive either a $5 coupon to be redeemed at the resource table or a Phalaenopsis donated by the Co-op (plant numbers are limitied). The May meeting will feature a plant/orchid-related auction open to members and the public plants may be donated or profits split 50/50 with the SOS. Executive Elections Jan Dougall has been nominated by Pat Randall (seconded by Lynn Campbell) for a library position that is open due to the resignation of Dave Robinson for health reasons. Following a call for nominations from the floor of which there were none, the motion carried unanimously All other executive members have agreed to serve another year. There being no nominations from the floor, these members were declared elected by acclamation. Problem Corner How do you grow disa orchids? Cal will look up culture care on OrchidWiz at the break. When should a Phalaenopsis keiki be cut from the stem and planted? A general rule is that a keiki should have about 6 inches of roots before potting it up. A Vanilla orchid was repotted and the leaves yellowed. What could cause this? It was noted that though vanilla orchids can grow to substantial size in their farmed habitats, they have been very difficult to flower in our growing areas. PAGE 2

Show and Tell Plants were shown by Heather Anderson, Pat Randall, Cody Hamilton, Don Keith, Ruthanne Hanbidge, Al Hartridge, Sherida

Presentation Alexey gave an informative audiovisual overview of humidity, including how high humidity can affect our homes, and how to

Examples of at least three different growing areas in his own home demonstrated the use of smaller spaces with windowsill growing, and

There were Phalaenopsis, as well as a few Cymbidiums.

3 Show and Tell Plants were shown by Heather Anderson, Pat Randall, Cody Hamilton, Don Keith, Ruthanne Hanbidge, Al Hartridge, Sherida Gregoire, Cheryl Adamson, Bob Lucas, Cal Carter. Presentation Alexey gave an informative audiovisual overview of humidity, including how high humidity can affect our homes, and how to safely and effectively provide humidity for our plants. Examples of at least three different growing areas in his own home demonstrated the use of smaller spaces with windowsill growing, and larger areas with varying temperature and humidity during the day and night. Plant Raffle Orchids were donated by Safeway. There were Phalaenopsis, as well as a few Cymbidiums. Plant Sale There were approximately 40 plants available, including a variety of seedlings of Dedrobiums and Aerangis from the collection of Alexey. All plants sold. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 3:40 p. m. SOS MAY SHOW AND TELL TABLE Epi. Prism ValleyxStar Valley Exhibitor: Cal Carter Masd. Norops Exhibitor: Don Keith Phal. Penang Girl Exhibitor: Pat Randall Paph. Sabatino x S. Gratrix Exhibitor: Heather Anderson PAGE 3

4 Vanda Robert s Delight Exhibitor: Al Hartridge Milt. William Hammel Blc. Alma KeexTip Malee Exhibitor: Cheryl Adamson Dracula chimaera Exhibitor: Don Keith Masd. helgae x rex Exhibitor: Heather Anderson Phal. Gold Tris Exhibitor: Bob Lucas PAGE 4

THE SUMER DOLDRUMS: HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR ORCHIDS DURING THE WILDS OF SUMMER BY RON MCHATTON, AOS DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, 2009 Editor s Note: Reprinted from the public section of the AOS website, www.

id=439 Summer presents challenges in the form of increased pest activity, fungal and bacterial problems in traditionally wet areas and desiccation in those areas with Mediterranean-like climates

Careful observation of your plants is the best way to identify small problems before they become big problems and in the summer, the time between these two events is dramatically shorter due to

5 THE SUMER DOLDRUMS: HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR ORCHIDS DURING THE WILDS OF SUMMER BY RON MCHATTON, AOS DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, 2009 Editor s Note: Reprinted from the public section of the AOS website, Summer presents challenges in the form of increased pest activity, fungal and bacterial problems in traditionally wet areas and desiccation in those areas with Mediterranean-like climates where summers are typically quite dry. Observation is the watchword for the summer months. Careful observation of your plants is the best way to identify small problems before they become big problems and in the summer, the time between these two events is dramatically shorter due to higher temperatures - the earlier you catch a problem, the easier it is to control Pest Control For small collections, the best thing to do is to physically wipe insects off and clean the plant. Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab are very effective against most pests and if you want to increase its effectiveness, a drop of Ivory dishwashing liquid added to the alcohol helps wet the typically waxy surface of orchid leaves. If you haven't been watching carefully and the infestation gets out of control, you might have to use chemicals. Few pesticides are specifically rated for use on orchids but you can use any that are labeled for ornamentals. Use care and follow the label directions. This is NOT a situation where if a little is good, more will be better! In areas with dry summers, mites can be a serious problem especially on phalaenopsis. These creatures attack the surface of the leaves producing a sort of rough, silvery appearance. Mites are not insects and insecticides offer little or no control. Mites do not like humid conditions so efforts to increase humidity are beneficial. Light infestations can be controlled by thoroughly cleaning plants but in hot, dry climates light infestations rapidly become serious and control is best accomplished by the use of a miticide. Areas with wet summers Wet foliage and high humidity encourages the spread of fungal and bacterial diseases. Bacterial diseases do not respond to fungicides and vice versa so it's very important to know which disease you are dealing with. Perhaps the easiest way to distinguish between the two is by smell. The most common bacterial disease in orchids produces a foul smell often likened to dead fish. If you've ever had cut flowers stand too long in water you know the sort of smell we're talking about. Diseases can spread quickly! Bacterial diseases kill plants especially rapidly and time is of the essence. Both bacterial and fungal diseases are spread by splashing water and this includes rainfall. Use a clean cutting tool like a single-edge razor blade, cut off the infected tissue as well as at least an inch of clean, green area and then treat the cut surface with a fungicide. Even if the problem is bacterial, you don't want a fungal infection to start in the wound. Cinnamon, yes the common spice, is effective against fungal diseases and this can be used to coat the cut surface as well. It's perhaps not as effective as a chemical fungicide but it's readily available and does work. In wet summer areas, the secret to control is to keep your plants as dry as possible. Alternatively, provide a lot of air movement. When you water, PAGE 5

The first of these is an increase in the rate at which plants dry out and the other is the ever-present mite issue. Orchids in dry summer areas dry out much more rapidly than they did in the winter.

6 try to do so as early in the day as possible. This will allow adequate time for the foliage to dry before nightfall. Dry summer areas The bane of orchid growers in these areas is extremely low humidity and this leads to two issues. The first of these is an increase in the rate at which plants dry out and the other is the ever-present mite issue. Orchids in dry summer areas dry out much more rapidly than they did in the winter. Depending on temperature, plants watered every two weeks in the winter may need to be watered every few days in the summer. Here again, nothing will take the place of careful observation. If you have an extensive collection of plants, you might want to consider installing a misting system similar to those used in open-air restaurants in dry areas. Low pressure units that install on hose lines are inexpensive and work reasonably well to raise humidity as well as cool the growing area somewhat. Summer sun - how does that affect orchids Solar radiation is much more intense in the summer and plants that have been happily in full sun all winter may need a little extra protection (shade) when the sun is the strongest or, often during the late afternoon when the temperatures are highest. Orchids are easily sunburned and you should take care when moving plants around, especially if you are moving plants grown inside during the winter to a spot outside for the summer. Sunburn, while not in itself a serious problem is irreversible and will make your plants look ugly. In serious cases the plant can be killed outright and any leaf damage is an invitation to a secondary infection in the damaged area. Orchid foliage should be a light yellow-green. The first sign of too much light is often yellow foliage. If left alone, this yellow foliage will eventually turn white and then dark brown and dry as the sunburned area dries out. If the problem is caught before the chlorophyll has been completely destroyed it is often possible to reverse the damage. Once white spots or sunken areas have appeared, the damage is irreversible and the best thing one can do is stop further progression with more shade. Capitalizing on the highgrowth season Because of the increased light and temperatures, your plants will benefit from more fertilizer (increased frequency NOT concentration). This is especially true for those varieties that put out new growth during this time. Avoid fertilizers that contain significant amounts of urea. Urea requires soil organisms to convert it to forms useable by orchids and the process liberates significant amounts of acid. If you are growing in a predominantly inorganic media like rock or aliflor, soil organisms aren't prevalent and these media have poor buffering capacity. If you are growing in fir bark media as the medium ages, it naturally becomes more acidic and less able to buffer the ph shifts caused by metabolism of urea. Plants will also dry out faster and to avoid root damage, water your plants first before fertilizing. This way the roots will be wet and much less easily damaged by the salts in the fertilizer solution. If you grow your plants inside during the cooler months, moving them outside for the summer is very often a "shot in the arm" and your plants will respond with renewed vigor. There's something about natural air movement, humidity and rainfall that just can't be duplicated indoors. Just remember, make the transition slowly. Place them under very heavy shade for a few days, then somewhat less shade for a few days and then move them to their summer homes paying careful attention to the color of the foliage. You'll be glad you did. PAGE 6

NEWSLETTER. SOS Executive. October Meeting PAGE 1 SASKATCHEWAN ORCHID SOCIETY. Vice-President: Past President: Sherida Gregoire.

NEWSLETTER. SOS Executive. October Meeting PAGE 1 SASKATCHEWAN ORCHID SOCIETY. Vice-President: Past President: Sherida Gregoire. SASKATCHEWAN ORCHID SOCIETY VOLUME 31, ISSUE #2 OCTOBER, 2013 NEWSLETTER SOS Executive President: Cal Carter Vice-President: Past President: Sherida Gregoire Secretary: Jennifer Burgess Treasurer: Cheryl