Maroochydore Orchid Society Inc. presents, The Observer P.O. Box 382, Maroochydore 4558 www.maroochydoreorchidsociety.com.au Patroness - Rosanna Natoli President - Duncan McMartin (07) 5448 5300 Secretary - Kathy Howatson (07) 5448 4450 maroochyorchid1@optusnet.com.au Treasurer - Del Whittaker (07) 5476 5305 Editor - Fred Lenz (07) 54915654 fmlenz@westnet.com.au The next cultural meeting is Tuesday 5 th June Introduction; May Cultural Meeting Talk Topic: Phragpedium Growing presented by Peter L. Henssler OAM. I live on the Sunshine Coast at the suburb of Chevallum, which is close to Forest Glen and Buderim suburbs. My location is on a hillside with constant south-easterly winds, and with no protection from the pressure of wind speed. The Phrag s like to have constant wind around them for growing and flowering. The leaves like to move with the wind always. I place my Phrag s on a bench facing north, and the benches are approximately 90cms above ground with dirt as the ground cover. (Nothing fancy for me.) The benches are open to the elements with 50 percent cover from mid-april to mid-september. Then I place another covering of 30 percent and if the weather hots up too much then the 30 percent comes off, replaced with 50 percent. They get the sun from morning to around the mid afternoon.
How I grow them; Water; As I only use bore water - being in a rural area - and when the neighbours are using their irrigation I have the pleasure of using dam water. The neighbours are strawberry and turf growers. When they put the underground irrigation pipes down along our fence border they put in water outlets, so I could have use when irrigation is on. My bore water is ph 6.5 but I have no idea what the ph level is of the dam water. I have no problems with watering from both. From mid-spring to around mid-autumn I water each afternoon through the plant. The plant continually sits in a saucer of water to a depth of 20mm. I have found out if I water in a hot morning, 25 Celsius and above the water stays in the apex of the plant and rots the flower spike or centre of the plant. In mid autumn to mid-spring I mainly keep the containers full of water and once or twice a week I water the whole plant. Airflow; In the introductory paragraph I have mentioned that my plants have constant airflow from all directions. Summer time I feel the leaves in the middle of the day to see if they are feeling hot. If hot, I add extra shade cloth because the leaves have to be cool all the time. Temperature; Winter time the temperature moves from around 9 C in morning to around the 20 C in the middle of the day and some years in winter we have had temperature around 2-3 C. That temperature will not hurt the plants. Summer, our temperatures range from 22 C at night and up to 40 C and if the plant leaves are hot when I feel them I will add extra shade cloth and also keep the water up to them in the afternoons and the containers full of water. Humidity; I believe that I have humidity around the plants at all times because of them sitting in containers of water. Fertilizer; I fertilize with ½ strength Campbell Blue Flower and Grow weekly in growing months and once a fortnight in cooler months. I also use worm juice with molasses. The quantity of worm juice is 100mls with 50 mls of molasses in 9 ltr of water. I do it mainly in the growing period. Potting Mix; I use #3 orchid bark from Orchidaceous Supplies. The bark is Pinus radiata and I soak a bag in water with a handful of dolomite. My potting mix consists of 3/5 bark and 1/5 charcoal and 1/5 extra-large perlite so the common size of my mix is 15mm. Re-potting; I make sure that the plant is around three growths. I like two good growths with a new plant coming away. I do my re-potting in September, so I can get good growth during the warmer months. P L Henssler OAM.
MAY CULTURAL MEETING RESULTS JUDGES CHOICE POPULAR CHOICE NOVICE 1 Onc. ornithorhynchum Onc. ornithorhynchum Desiree Watson Desiree Watson 2 Den Topaz Dream x Den. Sophie Bonnie x Den. Doreen JoanneMc Loughlin SPECIES 1 Vanda sanderiana Vanda sanderiana Royal Rea Royal Rea 2 Den. bigibbum John Salway 3 Maxillaria cucullata Bill Letcher FOLIAGE 1 Begonia Begonia Desiree Watson Desiree Watson 2 Calathea 3 Draceana ONCIDIUM 1 Onc. Sweet Sugar Bellara Luatic Fringe 2 Onc. Possum Wolf 3 Alc. Pacifica Nova DENDROBIUM 1 Den. Bush Pansy x Den. Kuranda Classic Den. (Dal s Glory x Kuranda Classic) x ( Dal s Pennies x Burbank Classic) John Salway unknown 2 Den. Dal s Memory John Salway 3 Den. Visa Peach CATTLEYA 1 Rlc California Girl Three tied for first 1st Rlc California Girl John Salway F & M Lenz 2 Eplc. Volcano Treat 1st Rth Chunfong Smile F & M Lenz 3 Rth Chunfong Smile 1st Rlc Miyas Passion x Rlc Burdekin Storm F & M Lenz Kathy Howatson VANDA 1 V. Fuch s Royal Dragon V. Kulwadee Fragrance John Salway
2 V. Kulwadee Fragrance 3 V. Jimmy Miller x V. sanderiana John Salway ANY OTHER GENERA 1 Bulb. Elizabeth Finn Paph Hong Sheng Red X Shin-yi Kathy Howatson 2 Phrag Calarum Peter Henssler 3 Paph. Hysing Lime x Paph. Hysing Citron Joe Merieca OVERALL WINNER Bulb. Elizabeth Finn Kathy Howatson May winners Rlc. California Girl D. Bush Pansy x D. Kuranda Classic V.Fuch s Royal Dragon Onc. Sweet Sugar V. sanderiana Onc. ornithorhynchum
Plant of the month for May 2018. Bulbophyllum Elizabeth Ann Buckleberry owned by Kathy Howatson. I bought this plant from Robertson s Orchids in April 2006. It is Bulbophyllum longissimum crossed with Bulbophyllum rothchildianum. This cross was registered by J Chambers in 1969. This plant was last repotted in 2012. I usually put my bulbophyllum plants into shallow trays or pots with many holes. I put a layer of wet sphagnum moss in the bottom then I place the plant or plants on top. Then I cover the sphagnum moss and the roots of the plant with small bark. I usually put tie wire around the tray and plant to keep it together until the roots grow. It grows in my small shade house which is covered with 50% black shade cloth and no solar weave plastic. So it does get rain water. I probably don t water it as often as it needs, no more than once a week. It gets a minimum amount of fertilizer. They are susceptible to small scale which needs constant observation and action. I must admit that this plant looks good because of all the rain we have had recently. Supper Roster for 2018 June: July: & John Salway Ian Walker & Barry Cheeseman August: Kathy Howatson, Billy Letcher September: Del Whittaker, Kev Rimmington October: Fred & Marg Lenz November:, STOCQ & OQI MEETING 16 th June Hosted by the Maryborough District OS St. Paul's Church Hall, Corner Adelaide and Ellena Streets, Maryborough. The Agenda for the day 9am Judges meeting 9.30am - 9.50am Morning Tea, 9.50am -10.45am STOCQ MEETING (all invited to attend) 10.45am -11.15am OQI Meeting (all welcome to attend) 11.15am -12.00 guest Speaker: Steven Swan Topic Tolumnia (Or Mini Oncidiums) 12.00-1.00pm Lunch 1.00pm AfternoonVisits - Ron Southern, Don & Jacki Cantle. Lunch will be provided for $12. For catering purposes, please reply with numbers attending to secretarymdos@gmail.com by Friday 1stJune.
FUTURE INTERNATIONAL /AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCES AND SHOWS 2018 18 22 July Orchids in the Foothills, 21 st AOC Conference & Show, Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium, South Windsor NSW 2019 14 15 September STOCQ Orchidfest Rockhampton OS LIBRARY An orchid book library is available at the Girl Guide Hall for all members to use. Please ensure borrowed books are signed out by our Librarian, Joe Mercieca ORCHID QUIZ Answers for the Cattleya Alliance Species questionaire: Abbreviation Amb B Ctpsl Dga E Lps Ngl Orstdl Psy Rl Scgl Sphrnt S Tet Ttma Name Ambostoma Brassavola Cattleyopsis Domingoa Encyclia Laeliopsis Nageliella Oerstedella Psychilis Rhyncholaelia Scaphyglottis Sophronitella Sophronitis Tetragamestus Tetramicra Botanical Quiz Complete the following the terms. WORD ovate petiole xeric concave apex elliptic greges rhizome terete MEANING
2018 CALENDAR EVENT LOCATION SET UP SHOW DAYS/TIMES STOCQ MEETING Maryborough &District OS St. Paul's Church Hall, Corner Adelaide and Ellena Streets, Maryborough. Saturday 16 th June Saturday 16 th June Start 9.00am Morning tea 9.30am Caboolture OS Show Morayfield Community Hall Thursday 19 th July Friday 20 TH July Saturday 21 st July Sunday 22 nd July Combined Societies Howard n/a Saturday 14 th July Workshop Maroochydore Orchid Society Show Millwell Rd Community Hall Thursday 9 th August Friday 10 th August Saturday 11 th August Agnes Waters OS Show Agnes Waters Community Hall Friday 10th August Saturday 11 th August Sunday 12 th August Nambour OS Show Nambour Uniting Church Hall Thursday 30 th August Friday 31 st August Saturday 1 st September Childers & Isis OS Show Isis Cultural Centre,Childers Thursday 30 th August Friday 31 st August Saturday 1 st September Maryborough &District OS Spring Show St. Paul's Church Hall, Corner Adelaide and Ellena Streets, Maryborough. Cooroy RSL Hall (if renovated) Wednesday 12 th September Thursday 13 th September Friday 14 th September Noosa Orchid & Foliage Society Show Thursday 13 th September Friday 14 th September Saturday 15 th September Glasshouse Country OS Show Beerwah Community Hall Thursday 20 th September Friday 21 st September Saturday 22 nd September Hervey Bay Orchid & Garden Xavier Catholic College Thursday 27 th September Friday 28th September Spectacular 1 Wide Bay Dve Saturday 29 th September Eli Waters H/B Sunday 30 th September Rockhampton Orchid Society Rockhampton SHS na Saturday 29 th September Show Campbell St Sunday 30 th September Bribie Island Orchid Society Orchid House 156A Thursday 11th October Friday 12 th October Show First Avenue Saturday 13 th October Nambour OS Species Show Nambour Uniting Church Hall Thursday 1 st November Friday 2 nd November Saturday 3 rd November STOCQ meeting Caboolture tba n/a Saturday 10 th November OS STOCQ 2019 AGM Albert Bowls Club Gympie na Saturday 9 th February 2019 Gympie Expo &Orchid Show Our Display
Show Champions results : John Salway 2x 1 st, 3x 2 nd, Kathy Howatson 1x 3 rd, Joe Merieca 1x 2 nd. Mother s Day Orchid Show Bli Bli A glorious but cold morning greeted us early on Saturday 12 th May for the set up of the orchid show in the Bli Bli Uniting Church Hall. A wide range of orchid flowering genera of various colour were benched to set the scene to welcome the orchid loving public wishing to purchase a mother s day present. At the start of the day the sales bench was awash with flowering orchids and as the day progressed the pubic realised the quality of plants and went on a spending spree with only a small number of plants left at the end of the day. The street signage, TV and radio advertising helped to entice the public to attend in numbers. As usual, the catering was great and much appreciated by the members and the public. The raffle, potting demonstration and the sales section were well supported. Attending members are to be congratulated for their superb efforts in making this an extremely successful show. THANK YOU ALL ACTION AT THE SHOW
When attending a show, much care is taken to ensure the orchids and foliage are not damaged in transit. This member is well trained in how to pack a hatchback. IF YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING ARTICLE TO SHARE IN THE NEWSLETTER PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR Disclaimer: While the Editor endeavours to ensure the reliability of this newsletter, neither the Editor nor the Maroochydore Orchid Society Inc. can assume any responsibility for the information or advice given to readers of The Observer.