Growing Orchids Indoors Under Lights Dusty Smith, ASO Student Judge

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1 Central Vancouver Island Orchid Society Newsletter May 2007 President: Vivian Heinsalu-Burt Secretary: Don McDermid Editor: Mike Miller Mailing address: P.O. Box 1061, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5Z2 web site: Meetings are held September through June on the Saturday before the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Community Services Building, 285 Prideaux Street, Nanaimo, in the Maffeo Auditorium, doors open at 11:30, with the business meeting starting at 12:00 noon. Pleione Shantung Ducat Coming Meeting Dates: May 19, June 23, Sept. 22, Oct 20, Nov 24, Dec 15 Program for May 19 th Growing Orchids Indoors Under Lights Dusty Smith, ASO Student Judge Coming Events: CVIOS Summer Picnic Place to be announced. Editorial: The weather is starting to get warmer and the nights are even warming up. The soil is ready for planting and we need to look at our collections and try to figure out what we should be doing now. Do make sure your plant are getting as much light as they can take. For most genera this promotes flowering in the proper season. Do know your plants before you bake or fry them though. The light a Phalaenopsis can take as compared to a Cattleya is a wide difference. Most Cattleyas want it very bright. When I was in England at a big Odontoglossum Nursery I was amazed at how red the leaves were. Many of the plants were blooming heavily with red tinges to all the leaves. There was only light shading on the greenhouse and it was very warm inside. We need to understand just what enough light means for each of our plants. 1

2 Since the last Newsletter we have done some bragging with our plants at two shows. Our own and Vancouver s. We should be very proud of how we did. The results are farther on in this Newsletter. The one thing I would like to see change though is the number of people showing their plants on our sciety table. If you even have one plant in flower you should try to get it to a show for display. I have been amazed several times when I sent a plant as a filler for the show and it got the most attention by the judging groups. I have even picked up ASO awards with a plant I considered a filler. This also makes it a Society table instead of ten or so members putting it all together. BUT, thank heavens for the ten or so people. Without them we would have a naked table. Nominations start this meeting for the executive and directors of the CVIOS please consider what you could do for YOUR society. Cheers Mike ******************************************************************** General Meeting of the CVIOS April 21 st 2007 At 12: 00 noon the president Vivian Heinsalu-Burt called the meeting to order with 35 people present. A hello and short introduction of very interesting tidbits from the President was given. New members Patricia Galbraith, Kelly Douglas, George Shannon and Angela Beltane were welcomed. Minutes of the last meeting - Moved to adopt by Maureen Hawthorn, seconded by Sue Christison and carried by the members Treasurer s report - Mina Philip reported the income and expenses for the previous month and the report was moved to accept by Ellen Timbers and 2 nd by Vickie Gay. Committee Reports The Show and Sales tables had fewer plants on them than normal. Thought to be a consequence of just having had our show. Library had no report. The programs person, Brian Emery was absent and Vivian was volunteered to lead a forum about pests of our orchids. Maureen Hawthorn announced there was lots of food as turnout was lower and she had enough people signed up for next meeting. The Vancouver show is in two weeks so preparations were underway. CVIOS has 6 tables to fill and plants are definitely needed. The south drop-off for plants going to the show is at Laurie Forbes place. The central drop-off is at Dora Glovers place and north at Jill and Jerry s. Please take them there on Tuesday or Wednesday. Please put them in a box with your name on them. It was announced that the Taiwan plants are coming to us at the time of the Vancouver Show. Newsletter. Mike Miller is absent but everyone received their last newsletter. A silent auction at the back food table was underway to help raise money for the projector. 2

3 CVIOS Website. Ralph Kirby announced that it had been updated. A slide show, compiled and created by Jerry, of the Victoria show as well as pictures from our own show had been entered on the web-site. Thank you to Sue Christison for organizing our AOS show, stepping in to fill that position in our time of need. It was a success with more general public interest and positive feedback from the AOS judges. Vivian volunteered to talk about the show table. There were only 10 plants but discussion was lively. Vivian also took over the role of programs for this month! A woman of all talents. The demonstrations and lively discussion were on the pests that attack our beloved plants: aphids, scale, snails, gnats, mealy bugs, mites, slugs and wood bugs. Vivian and other members contributed solutions that have worked for them. GOODIES FOR MAY Laurie Forbes, Gary Forbes, Deanna Heyer, probably Maureen Hawthorn Meeting adjourned Nominations Begin next month. 2:20pm RICHMOND AOS JUDGING CENTER REPORT March 10, 2007 From the plants brought in for consideration to this meeting two awards were made. Paphiopedilum micranthum 'Elizabeth' HCC/AOS (79 pts) owner Hazel Stewart Paphiopedilum malipoense 'John' HCC/AOS (77 pts) owner Hazel Stewart C.V.I.O.S. Show Results THE GRAND CHAMPION OF SHOW- Iwanagaara Apple Blossom 'H&R' AM/AOS; Svene Mulkholm from the Victoria Orchid Society THE RESERVE CHAMPION- Phal. Kungs Princess; Pat vanadrichem from the Victoria Orchid Society DISPLAY AWARDS: BEST VISITING SOCIETY DISPLAY - Victoria Orchid Society BEST INDIVIDUAL'S DISPLAY - Sue Christison; CVIOS BEST OF CLASS AWARDS FROM OUR MEMBERS: Best of Other in Cypripedium Sub-family- (Don McDermid) - Phrag. caudatum gig Best in Stanhopea/Catasetum grouping- (Jeanette & Hilding Franson) - Gongora maculata Best plant made, grown and flowered by a society member- (Jerry Suffolk) - Brassia Tropic Star 'Black 3

4 Creek' x Ada keiliana 'Black Creek' AM/AOS Best first bloom seedling all Others- (Vivian Heinsalu)- Paph. Berenice AOS NOMINATIONS FROM OUR MEMBERS: Pholidota chinensis- Mike Miller AOS AWARDS: Phal. Cats Paw Firebird 'China Cherry', HCC/79 points- Pat van Adrichem from Victoria Phal. Kung's Princess', CCM/85 points- Pat van Adrichem from Victoria A big thank you to everyone who brought plants and elephants etc. for our display, as well as the help setting up and taking down the display. Also, all the volunteers who helped make the show such good time for everyone involved. ******************************************************************* Vancouver Orchid Society Show Results Here is a brief summary of the number of ribbons etc. our group received at the show. We did manage to fill our six tables with 61 orchids contributed by 12 members. Because our display was not crowded we were able to display our plants to their advantage and received many positive comments. The Grand Champion of the show was Miltonia Cindy Kane, Don Bednarczyk's orchid Reserve Champion was Iwanagara Apple Blossom, Svend Munkholm's orchid from Victoria Best Visiting Society Display and Best Display AOS award was Victoria Best Individual Display under 25 orchids went to Forestview Gardens Our Members Best of Class awards: Vivian (Best of Class 1st bloom seedling) for Paph. Berenice Don (Best Cat. Species or Hybrid) for Slc. Mine Gold Jerry (Best of Class, Oncidium) for Psychopsis Papilio Kalinii Our group had two AOS nominations: - Harry for Phal. Sogo Grape, Sue for Paph. In-Charm Laser Overall on our Society Display, along with Sue and Bryan's displays we received: - 17 first place ribbons, - 16 second place - 12 third place ribbons Thank you to everyone who sent plants and a special thanks to those who helped with our display, paper work and transporting plants to the show: Jerry and Jill; Gary, Elizabeth and Bryan; Dora and Reg. ******************************************************************* Grow cool, grow outside! Gab van Winkel tempts us to grow orchids outside; while this is common practice for cymbidiums. hundreds of other species will like it as well Do you know that envious feeling when you get photographs from friends who live in the tropics? Especially those pictures from their garden, where orchids grow outside, in a tree or on the veranda, and apparently with little attention, because 'we do have some rain as well, you know'. Do not despair". you too can grow tropical orchids in your garden - that is, in the warmer halt of the year and by a careful selection of plants. In southern and central parts of Britain, as in the Netherlands where I live, summer weather is ideal for cool-growing orchids. Often, such species are considered as difficult ' by people who grow them in a greenhouse, but once put outside they flourish. 4

5 Go high Where do such 'cool' species come from? Some are found in temperate regions such as Japan and south Australia, but for most species you must go high up on the mountains of the tropics. Even if 95% of tropical orchids grow in intermediate to warm conditions, there are still hundreds of species that prefer to be cool. Mountain climates are always characterized by a steep temperature drop at night, strong air movement and high rainfall, but there are differences. Many equatorial mountain forests, such as those in central New Guinea and Colombia, have a year-round cool, very wet climate. Here, an altitude of 2,000m is a safe limit; if a species, according to literature, has most of its elevation range above that, you may consider it as cool growing. Further away from the equator, for example in the Himalayas or Mexico" 1,500 meters is high and cold enough. Many of these regions have a seasonal climate with wet, rather warm summers and dry, cool winters. At high altitudes, however, mist and morning dew provide moisture even during the 'dry' season. Only deciduous species require a really dry winter rest. Rain or shine Often: our plants can be put outside as early as April, as soon as night temperatures stay above 5 C, but If there are frosty nights or long periods of chilly days they are better brought in again. By' the middle of May, night frosts should be over and normally our plants can stay outside until October. When the autumn weather turns really bleak, they must be returned inside. Outside, we must help our orchids to survive the weather, rain or shine. Plants in plastic pots will, at some point, be blown away; so it is better to use clay pots, and attach hanging plants firmly to their tree or fence. Rainy weather can last for days, therefore use a very coarse, airy medium that retains little moisture. This will require daily watering during dry weather, but in my experience such a diurnal wet-dry cycle greatly stimulates root growth. Species that start their cool, dry rest in autumn should be protected from rain then, for example by a sheet of glass. The typical problem with greenhouses is that you can only exclude heat by excluding light. When grown outside, species that require strong light or even full sun, can have that without heat stress. Also species that need shade grow more compact and sturdy. Other advantages are the constal1tly fresh and.moving air and the much larger temperature drop at night. Many species need that to induce flowering. Trained toads In the garden, snails and slugs pose by far the greatest danger. Young shoots, flower buds and root tips can be decimated overnight, even if that requires a two metre climb! Some chemical control is certainly needed. Plants are best placed on 'islands' in large trays filled with water. Still, unless you have a couple of trained toads, you should supplement these measures by regular nightly inspections by torchlight. During winter, our plants can stay in a greenhouse, which will need far less heating than the average orchid house. But a plus of growing cool' orchids is that a greenhouse is not really needed. A cool bedroom is suitable; as long as there is plenty of light and fresh air. My plants winter in a large attic with high windows. Central heating pipes running full-length keep minimum night temperatures above "5 C (mostly around 10 o C). Ideal, day temperatures are ten degrees higher. The water-filled 'anti-snail' trays provide extra humidity. Last year I installed 400 W of fluorescent tubes to keep the day length at 13 hours, and a medium-sized fan. Already after two months, plants have responded visibly. Refreshing Our colleagues in Australia and New Zealand discovered the advantages of 'cool' orchids more than ten years ago. They try, for example, to improve the cold tolerance of Phalaenopsis hybrids by crossing with Australian Sarcochilus species. Even as far south as Melbourne, dozens of species are grown in an open 'bush-house' without any extra heating. As yet, this refreshing trend has hardly reached Europe, Britain and North America. How much gas or oil do you burn to keep your greenhouse at 16 C during winter? If you do not have a greenhouse and want to expand your orchid collection: consider growing outside. It is certainly rewarding and as close as you can get to living in the tropics! 5

6 Laelia anceps Polystachya bella Neofinetia falcate Bletilla striata Angraecum magdalenae Cyrtorchis arcuata Photographs by Eric la Croix 6

7 Plant choice - The following species grow well in my garden during summer: Ada aurantiaca Colombia 1,500-2,800m Angraecum magdalenae Madagascar around 2,000m Bletilla striata China, Tibet, Japan 1,100-3,200m Bletilla ochracea South China 900-2,4000m Calanthe discolor South China, Japan 700-1,500m Coelogyne cristata East Himalaya 1,500-2, 100m Cymbidium floribundum (pumilum) South China, Taiwan 100-3,000m Cyrtorchis arcuata Afiica 0-3,000m Dendrobium gracilicaule East Australia up to 1,000m Dendrobium moniliforme Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan up to 3,000m Dendrobium speciosum East Australia south to Victoria 1,500-3,200m Dendrobium subclausum New Guinea 1,300-2,600m Dendrobium victoria-reginae Philippines 1,800-2,400m Dendrochilum javieri Philippines 1,300-2,200m Dockrillia (Dendrobium) teretifolium East Australia around 2,000m Euchile (Encyclia) citrina Mexico 1,300-2,600m jumellea rigida Madagascar 900-1,500m Laelia anceps Mexico 2,200-3,000m Lycaste aromatica Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala 900-1,500m Masdevallia veitchiana Machu Picchu, Peru 2,200-3,000m Neofinetiafalcata China, Korea, Japan Osmoglossum (Odontoglossum) Pulchellum Central America up to 2,600m paphiopedilum armeniacum China (Yunnan), Burma 1,400-2, 1 00m papilionanthe (Aerides) vandarum Northeast India, Burma 1,200-1,500m Phalaenopsis wilsonii South China 800-2,200m Pleione formosana Taiwan 500-2,500m Pleione praecox Nepal to north Laos 1,200-3,400m polystachya bella Kenya around 2,000m Prosthechea (Encyclia) vitellina Mexico, Guatemala 1,500-2,600m Sarcochilus hartmannii East Australia, up to 1,000m Sedirea japonica Japan Spathoglottis ixioides East Himalaya around 3,000m Thunia alba East Himalaya, South China, Malaysia 1,000-2,300m Vanda coerulea Northeast India to south China 800-1,700m Advantages of growing outside * sturdy, healthy plants that are eager to flower * no 'greenhouse pests' such as spider mites and whitefly * no need for a greenhouse (if you have some cool window-sills available) * much lower heating costs Disadvantages * smaller plant choice and often poor availability * thorough. investigation necessary; in literature and on the internet to determine if a certain species can be grown cool (which also yields valuable information on habitat and culture) * control of slugs and snails necessary * having to move your plants at least twice a year Aerangis mix-up When growing 'cool' orchids, you often find yourself hunting for those one or two high altitude members of a popular genus, which are usually poorly available. Two years ago, I was delighted to find a nearby nursery that offered Aerangis thomsonii, the coolest growing species of this elegant genus, occurring at altitudes or 1,600-3,000m in East Africa. The four seedlings I bought seem to like the Dutch summer weather and grow slowly but steadily. I learned that the plants were originally raised by Jan de Graaf, a senior member of the Dutch Orchid Society. Then, in October 2003, Jan told me that the first of the seedlings he raised had flowered and turned out to be... Cyrtorchis arcuata. The capsule had been collected six years earlier by a friend of his near Kericho, Kenya, from a tree covered with both species. Apparently; in the tangled mass of plants a mix-up had taken place. About 150 of these misnamed Cyrtorchis arcuata seedlings are now spread among nurseries and amateur growers in western Europe and Britain. True Aerangis thomsonii is probably not available in Europe at the moment. The good news, however, is that these Cyrtorchis arcuata seedlings from Kenya represent a high altitude form of this variable, beautiful and adaptable, species. Still, I must admit, I was not amused to 'lose' an Aerangis. So, if you happen to know of Aerangis thomsonii or Aerangis montana (another unavailable high altitude species) on offer, please let me know. 7

8 Gab van Winkel started growing orchids 25 years ago as a university student. With his two young sons, he now lives in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where their garden is devoted to vegetables and orchids. Questions and comments can be edto:gab.vanwinkel@wur.nl Literature Chen Singchi, Tsi Zhanhuo, Luo Yibo (1999). Native orchids of China in colour. Science Press, Beijing. Cribb, P. & I. Buttefield (1999). The genus Pleione. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Hawkes, A.D. (1965). The encyc!opaedia of cultivated orchids. Faber and Faber.. London. la Croix, I.F. & E.A. S. (1997). African orchids in the wild and in cultivation. TImber Press, Portland Oregon, USA. Lavarack, B., W.Harris & G. Stoker (2000). Dendrobium and its relatives. Timber Press.. Portland. Lavarack, B. & W. Harris et at. 2002) }Botanica's Orchids. Laurel Glen Publishing, San Diego. McDonald, K. (1994). Cool-flowering orchids. New Zealand. Pridgeon A. (1992). The illustrated encyclopedia of orchids. Timber Press, Portland. Upton, W.T. (1999). Sarcochilus orchids of A.ustralia. Double U Orchids, Sydney: Orchid Digest 2000 ************************************************************** Rot In Paphiopedilums Alicia Ferguson Rot in Paphiopedilums is always a rather debatable subject for the method of control. It does not always work in all greenhouses due to individual conditions. There are some factors to be considered constant in all greenhouses to combat this ever present menace. 1. Clean greenhouses - meaning clean glass, floors clear of debris and leaves (where bacteria and fungus cannot thrive), benches clean of algae. (1070 solution of clorox is a good solution to use on the benches and glass.) 2. Dead or rotted leaves should be cut off and destroyed. 3. Water less in winter. 4. Constant air movement day and night. S. Repot when needed as broken down mix invites rot of roots and leaves. 6. Correct temperature and humidity. The first five steps are easy to maintain, but the sixth is a little more difficult, for it is impossible to keep a high humidity when outdoors it might be 50% especially in the summer and fall of the year. In the winter when it is cold the humidity is usually high, and cold temperatures and high humidity sometimes invite rot. It also becomes evident that we must know the natural location of each species, the rainfall temperature, humidity, etc., and whether there is more rainfall in the winter or summer or if there is a dry period where the species is located. Many species will adjust to greenhouse culture where the temperature is 55 F at night and might go up to 80 or 90 in the summer, providing watering is adjusted to that species, especially the brachypetalum group. This must sometimes be trial and error as we cannot always be sure of the location of the species nor the rainfall, etc. I think the thickness of the leaves might give us a clue that those with thick leaves might take a little less water than those with thin leaves, and they might also have a resting period. These would include P. parishii, P. haynaldianum, P. rothschildianum, P. stonei, P. bellatulum, P. delenatii, ete. Modern day hybrids adjust more readily to greenhouse culture, as they are complex, and many are made up of the warm growing and cool growing species. Most modern hybrids grow well in plastic pots with constant watering and feeding, providing there are good active roots and the potting mix is 8

9 not broken down and there is excellent drainage. Potting mixes that contain oak leaves break down very quickly possibly in six months. When the mix breaks down the roots die and rot develops quickly. The Brachypetalum (dwarf white slippers) species, and some hybrids of these species appear to like a porous mix with a good deal of kiln dried sphagnum moss and clay pots. Rot does not seem to be such a problem under these conditions with reduced watering in winter. When repotting Paphs it is wise to break the plant rather than cut it. Wash off all the old mix and dip the whole plant leaves and all in a fungicide such as Fungitox (2 tablespoons to a gallon of water). There are many other good fungicides you can use but be careful to follow the directions on the label. Write to your nearest orchid nursery (preferably one who advertises in the Orchid Digest) to find Out what is available in your neighborhood and what they recommend for your use and also the strength to use. Be sure to respect any caution on the label as some of these products are a health hazard, if not handled carefully. Bud rot down between the leaves and rot of the leaves may be due to physiological freezing where the humidity goes below 8 % and the effect is the same as if the plant suffered freezing temperatures (necrosis). Water on the plants does not appear to be the cause of bud rot in Paphs under normal conditions but could have some effect during a period of physiological freezing. This theory could be an excellent subject for a debate among Paph growers. If all of the above precautions have failed and you still have rot in your plants, isolate the individual plants and cut off the diseased part, if possible, and dust the plant with Zerolate or Captan or dip the whole plant into a solution of Zerolate, Captan, Fungitox, Ferban, Natraphene or any of the products recommended for rot in orchids. Grow the plant a little warmer and drier until it is in good condition again. Also spray once a month with the same product if rot has become a serious problem with your collection. Some growers use Pan Drench as a rot preventative, but as this product is a mercury compound and is absorbed through the skin extreme caution must be observed when using this product as a spray or as a soil drench. Be sure to wear a mask, gloves, etc., and shower after using any spray. If the above products are not available a little sulphur brushed on the diseased part might help. I'm sure all orchid growers recognize rot that begins as a brown water-soaked spot at the base of the leaves or on the leaves and if not treated will spread throughout the whole plant, destroying it completely. Sometimes even the best growers have an occasional plant that develops rot and treatment is to no avail. The plant that is lost is usually one that they would give a lot to save. Perhaps, sometimes it is too much "T.LC." for the scrawny little flower seems to thrive on neglect. An excellent book on diseases of Orchids is printed by the State of Florida Dept. of Agriculture called "Orchid Diseases," Vol. I No.3, Jan If you want to know exactly what disease your orchid has and the control, this little book is valuable, and even though Florida conditions are different than yours, many parts of this book are applicable to all locations. However, the old adage still holds true "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Thus, using good cultural practices helps keep disease from occurring in the first place. Although it is impossible to simulate natural environment in our greenhouses at least we can study these conditions and try to incorporate them as closely as possible, especially air movement, humidity, temperature and light. If any Paphiopedilum grower has another method of combating rot please write to the Orchid Digest editor and share your ideas with others, as there seems to be no "pat" answer to this problem. Orchid Digest, Jan.-Feb., 1970 ******************************************************************** 9

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