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Cape Fear Orchid Society www.capefearorchidsociety.org

OCTOBER 2015

ANN’S MESSAGE:

We are already planning an exciting

roster of speakers for 2016. Sidney

Cox of Triangle Orchid Society has

been diligently working on a speaker

list while keeping costs in mind. So

far we have Linda Wilhelm from Wood-

land Orchids scheduled for March,

Mark Reinke (Marble Branch Farms) in

June, our own Courtney Hackney in

August, and Art Chadwick (Chadwick

and Son) in October. All of these

speakers have a variety of subjects

for talks. So far July does not have a

speaker, so we can schedule our an-

nual picnic then.

The board has also decided to have

a special program on Saturday, March

5th, 2016, which will include an auc-

tion. Please reserve this date. This is

our chance to increase the coffers to

pay for the expert orchid speakers

we all want.

Our Holiday dinner will be held on

December 9th this year. Please mark

your calendar! This is a fun occasion

for all! And bring your spouses.

See you at the meeting!

Ann Gallman, President

MEETING DATE

OCTOBER 14

ARBORETUM

7 pm

SPEAKER:

TOM WISE

Subject:

“I Dendrobiums and

why you should

them, too.”

(Tom will sell plants!)

CFOS MEETING DATES 2015 November 11 - Carol Shores’ orchid trip to Africa December 9 - Holiday Party Potluck dinner

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October’s speaker bio: Our speaker this month is Tom Wise, owner of Johns Island Or-chids in Charleston, SC. Tom has been growing and enjoying orchids for over twenty five years. With an abundance of divisions from his awarded plants, he started Johns Island Or-chids in 2011 and specializes in easy growers, suitable to our southern heat and humid-ity. Tom became an American Orchid Society Accredited Judge in 2011. Tom works as a remodeling designer and carpenter to supplement his orchid income. Tom will be bringing orchids from his nursery for sale. Tom’s contact info is: http://johnsislandorchids.com/aboutUs.html

CFOS Show Table Winners September 2015 Best in Show Table - Standard Size Plants (over 6 inches tall or wide) Plant Owner Standard Size Best Zygopetalum Jumping Jack Bill Schade Second to Best Miltonia Belle Glade ‘Everglades’ Jim Lanier Class Winners - Standard Size Bulbophylum First Bulbophylum carunculatum Steve & Karen Tobiassen Cattleya First L.V. 27 CV Tropical point ‘Cheetah Spots’ Jane Ranney Second Janssenara Candace Hollinger Cira Not XLC Joyce Pennock Twilight Song Dendrobium

First Den. Royal Wings (Roy Tokunaga x Silver Wings) Ann Gallman Second Den. Snowfire x dicuphum Carol Shores Encyclia/Epidendrum/Maxillaria

First Maxillaria Schunkeana Steve & Karen Tobiassen Second Maxillaria acutifolia Steve & Karen Tobiassen

Gongora/Cyno/Stanhopia Alliance First Cochleanthes Amazing Jim Lanier Miltonia/Odont Alliance First Miltonia Belle Glade ‘Everglades’ Jim Lanier Second Miltonia Honolulu Byron Price Oncid/Brassia Alliance

First Onc. Sugar Baby Joyce Pennock

Paphiopedilum/Phrags

First Paph. Vanguard Charlie Barrett

Best in Show Table - Miniature Size Plants (under 6 inches wide or tall)

Plant Owner

Miniature Size Best Dpts. Al Soekardii Charlie Barrett

Second to Best Pleurothalis unicum Jane Ranney

Class Winners Minature Size

Mini Phal

First Dpts. Al Soekardii Charlie Barrett

Other Mini

First Pleurothalis unicum Jane Ranney

Show Table results tabulated and reported each month by Jane Ranney.

Only categories with entries listed in results.

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Best in Show Standard Zygopetalum Jumping Jack Owner: Bill Schade

Second to Best in Show Standard

Miltonia Belle Glade ‘Everglades’ Owner: Jim Lanier

Speaker Clark Riley at the Show Table.

Best in Show Miniature Dpts. Al Soekardii Owner: Charlie Barrett

Second to Best in Show Miniature Pleurothallis unicum Owner: Jane Ranney

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Cape fear Orchid Society Show Table - September 16, 2015 Comments by Carol Shores Best in Show Table - Standard Size Zygopetalum Jumping Jack Bill Shade, a former CFOS President, surprised everyone when he attended our meeting this month. We were even more pleasantly surprised when the Zygo. that he brought for the show table won Best in Show Table for Standard Size Plants. We do hope this indicates that he is interested in rejoining our group. He also brought a colleague who currently has a few orchid plants. Bill’s Zygo. hybrid has excellent bright lip color and good shape. The parents of his plant are Z. Skippy Ku X Arthur Elle registered in 1996. Zygos are often called black orchids because of the intense coloration. Many have very dark purple color in the lovely shaped broad lip. Culture could be a bit tricky because the leaves may be somewhat thin. Thin leaves burn more easily so they may need less light than Cattleyas. They tend to be cooler growers than most Catts. as they can withstand temps into the upper 50s at night. They probably need more shade in a greenhouse, as the thinner leaves are more likely to be over heated than when in a home. Good drainage is essential for these as well as most other orchids. They also tend to be fragrant which is a plus. Second to Best Miltonia Belle Glade ‘Everglades’ Jim Lanier has done it again with his Miltonia hybrid. The winning plant is in a large hanging basket with a total of 3 different hybrids in the basket, each labeled separately.. The winning plant is the one to the right of the basket. In the photo of the speaker, the plant is hanging on the shade. The enlarged plant is at the top of page 3, right. Miltonias (new world orchids) tend to have very thin roots compared to most orchids so they could be suscepti-ble to desiccation. Again these tend to have thin leaves so caution is required when putting them in a sunny green-house. They would need well shaded location if put outside. They would be on my list of the first plants to bring back into the greenhouse in the fall. They also need a well-drained mix so I would not want to put them into a sphagnum based mix. People have a tendency to over water plants in sphagnum. For most circumstances, the mix should be allowed to get rather dry before watering.. I usually take my Phallies out of sphagnum to check for live roots when I get them and that might be good policy for Miltonias also. Both Miltonias and Zygos. are na-tive to South America.

Best in Show Table - Miniature Size Plants Dpts. Al Soekardii

Charlie Barrett is also a previous society president who has remained active and loves to bring in lots of Paphs. Dpts. stands for Doritanopsis (hybrid between Doritis X Phalenopsis). His plant is adorable and has a great lip which is actually almost candy apple red. The upright growth habit of the flower spike is typical Doritis and the size of the plant is also similar. Unfortunately, the genus Doritis was recently merged with Phalenopsis, but we know that the names will not be changing on growers’ labels any time soon. The names have been changed so many times that it could make you ill. I saw quite a few Doritis pulcherrima on the hoof in Thailand and I they don’t look anything like small Phalenopsis species, so I suspect that the original names will be reclaimed some-time/ The speaker this month commented on differences in growth habits so I would add the comment that I observed that the Doritis in Thailand were entirely different in leaf color based on habitat: many plants growing in heavy shade had relatively dark green leaves like you would expect; however the plants growing IN FULL SUN ON CREVICES OF ROCKS were actually very gray. They had an additional layer of epidermis which protected the plant from both sunburn and desiccation. Second to Best— Pleurothalis unicum

Jane Ranney has done it again with her Pleurothalis unicum species which is well grown on a slab. The flower

is typical in that it is tiny like the plant itself. She is showing a talent in growing these small plants. I forgot to ask

her if she has been growing it outside this summer. These plants tend to hale from S. A., Columbia, as I recall.

Many of them are cool growing which means they probably like 50 degrees at night in the winter. They would not

like temps in the 90s which would make them good house plants in the summer. When plants on a slab get over-

grown, an easy way to replant them is to fasten a new bigger slab to the back side of the original slab and let the

plant grow over on to the new slab and separate later.

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Annual Picnic on September 27th!

Rain or no rain? Our picnic was the weekend before the flood. Still it was a wet weekend. Apparently, Wilmington had heavy rains all day. But, in Southport at Joyce Pennock’s estate, the rain was sparse. But it did arrive 15 minutes prior to the picnic time of 4pm. Joyce moved all her preps inside. And what fun it was! Joyce was already decorating for Halloween and we were treated to seeing some of her many items. Also, we had 3 blooming orchids brought by members! Joyce had some in bloom outside. After consuming dinner and some rich desserts, Ann gave us a list of businesses from which people can buy good orchid supplies. This list will be on the website for all to see.

This little guy welcomed us in the rain. This fierce looking fellow greeted us on the table!

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Ed. Note: If you look at these notes and think this was not what you heard at our meeting, you are right. These are the notes from the Sandhill's presentation. I did not know they were having a different topic. I have heard this presentation, as well, and believe they are similar and provide valuable information for us, too.

Speakers notes – Clark Riley - Ten Ways to Kill Your Orchids by Joy Lemieux of SOS Clark said that he likes to grow “weird” stuff! He has been growing tropical plants for over fifty years, and in-cludes orchids in his collection. While orchids are not his primary focus, he is obviously very knowledgeable about them. Best of all, he has a sense of humor about the process! He provided ten sure fire ways to destroy a collection. 10) Not labeling your orchids: It is critical to label your plants so you will know exactly what you have/are getting. Many big box stores have no identifying labels in their pots. While they may include a very generic tag identifying the plant as a Phalaenopsis and recommend watering by dropping several ice cubes into the pot, they will not provide a registered name. They do this calculating that many buyers will not appreciate the value of a name and would, in all likelihood, throw the label away. These unso-phisticated shoppers do not enter their orchids into shows and are prepared to throw the plant away once the blooms fade. This saves the grower a lot of money. However, serious growers like to know where their plant comes from, what color it will be, what it should look like when it blooms, but most criti-cally what culture the plant needs in order to thrive and rebloom. Clarke pointed out that labels are fairly cheap. A bundle of 100 costs roughly $5.00, or approximately two cents apiece. Most are plastic and are long lasting, though they will degrade with exposure to sun light over time. To avoid your identifying information from washing off Clarke reminded us to use a Sharpie or a No 2 pencil when writing on your tag. He also pointed out that there are now labels available that come in sheets that can be printed us-ing your home printer. The writing is legible plus you can add an infinite amount of information per side. 9) Not setting seeds on special plants: Orchid growers often joke that once awarded, a prize winning plant will turn up its toes and die – often within weeks and for no discernible reason! Clarke recom-mends hand pollinating at least one flower of any exceptional plant. Admittedly, not everyone is set up to grow flasks or even compote. Clarke recommends using a commercial service to harvest the seeds and produce the flasks if you are into hybridizing. For the rest of us, simply dividing a special plant and sharing that with a friend helps to ensure the survival of that very special plant. 8) Not giving your orchids a summer vacation: Clarke recommends putting your plants outdoors during the summer months. He points out that plants are more likely to bloom after exposure to the out-doors. He points out that they thrive on the constant natural air movement as well as the natural light. Some are dependent upon the natural rise and fall of night time temperatures, as well as hours of light and darkness, in order to flower. Just beware of bringing unwanted critters into the house when you bring the plants back into the house in the fall. Many bugs and insects can hide in the medium and you won’t know they are there until they’ve chewed through the roots, or emerged during the night and am-putated a bud or two. 7) Worrying about fertilizing: Clarke pointed out that in nature, most orchids receive very little nutri-tion in situ. Clarke feels that most of us worry far too much about which fertilizer to use, and that we should just settle for the old adage ‘weekly/weakly’. He states that most of us fertilize too much and then wonder why we have brow leaf tips 6) Not repotting often enough: Clarke points out it is very simple -- if your plants are not repotted they ultimately will die. He recommends repotting most of your plants at the same time to ease the work load. This may not work for everyone, but he suggests setting up in a conven-ient location and having pots and other essential materials close by and easily accessible. And don’t forget the tags! Remember as well that most orchids do well in undersize pots. 5) Letting the bugs go too long: Keeping insects under control means inspecting plants reg-ularly, and not waiting to treat plants once bugs are found. The growth cycle of most predators is only a matter of days. They go from egg to mature adult and restart the cycle again, often in ten days or less. Waiting to spray until next weekend, or even the next day, gives the bugs a head start and can be fatal to your plant(s). There are a number of different sprays available. If you are dealing with scale, Clarke recommends a growth regulator, such as DISTANCE which causes the larvae to pupate prematurely. It is very expensive, but the recommended amount used is minimal, thereby reducing the cost. Another popular product cont’d on p. 7 ………...

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September speaker notes—contd.—

is ENSTAR which prevents pupating. SAFARI is another product that is also effective on mealy bugs as well as scale. If only one or two plants are affected, Bayer’s Rose and Gar-den can be very effective. You can also use the various oil based “soaps” such as Neem oil or even a weak solution of Murphy’s soap which works by smothering insects and lar-vae. 4) Not enough light: Plants need light for photosynthesis. If the foliage on your plants is a very dark green, your plant is probably not getting enough light and your plant will not bloom. You can correct this by putting the plant under regular fluorescent lights, or grow lights. You can also use blue or red fluorescents or even LEDs, but they are more expen-sive than fluorescents. Clarke states that LEDS are cost effective as they are longer last-ing. If you set up a system of lights, be sure to put them on a timer to regulate the hours of light the plants receive. Plants vary in the number of light hours they require to bloom so do your homework! Because plants reach for light, it is safe to put plants within inches of both LED and fluorescents bulbs. This produces shorter, stockier plants, but they will have light olive green foliage, basically a healthy plant. Clarke recommended using aircone pots that are specifically designed for growing under lights. They work well for most species, but are especially effective for Paphs. The pots are square so they pack efficiently into trays. The slits in the side and bottom of the pots keeps them well aerated and the translucent plastic allows you to see the roots and the media as its starting to break down. 3) Not enough air: In nature most orchids grown in a natural breezy environment with constant air flow. Those that live in trees get constant air movement. Rain water that lands on foliage is constantly evaporated. One of the most common errors made by hob-byists is to water late in the day and not provide enough time for foliage to dry off as even-ing temperatures drop. This often leads to bacterial infections which can damage or even kills plants. Air movement across foliage ensures that water is evaporated and leaves are dry. 2) Not paying attention to water quality: There are chemicals in tap water that are no-tably absent in rain water. Often these chemicals are detrimental to plants, causing foliar damage, bud blast or root shriveling. Phrags are especially sensitive to tap water, they simply cannot tolerate it. Clarke likes to collect rain water and recommends storing it in metal containers or heavy duty contractor bags. He noted that a standard kiddie pool, available at any discount store can easily hold up to 100 gallons of good rain water. He did point out that when collecting rain water it is important to not collect the first flush. There are air borne pollutants that generally wash out after a brief time, after which the rain water is pure and suitable for plants. Another common mistake hobbyist make is to water with cold water as it comes out of the tap. Often in a greenhouse, the water is so cold it shocks the plants. Clarke recommends heating the water just enough to take the edge off the cold water. Some hobbyists use an inline heater, others collect the water in black barrels which retain heat from the sun . 1) Not trying the orchid you really love: Clarke points out orchids are no longer the

prevue of wealthy European nobility. They have come down in price and are readily avail-

able. They are no longer rare or limited. Clarke states that with the reasonable cost of

plants a hobbyist should feel no guilt when a plant dies and has to be discarded. He

pointed out that it costs less to replace an orchid than it would cost to replace a favorite

rose. If there is a particular orchid you love, Clarke recommends throwing caution to the

wind and just buying the plant when you find it Then, learn everything you can about the

plant and enjoy!

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CFOS Meeting Notes-Sept. 16, 2015 President Ann Gallman opened the meeting at 7:00 by reminding us that the Tidewater Camellia Club maintains a website (at www.tidewatercamelliaclub.org) that lists many area garden clubs and their special events. Cape Fear Orchid Society is among those listed. The Tidewater Camellia club will be having a special event on October 28th at the Burgwin Wright House in Wilmington and a sale/show on November 21. On October 2-4 the Coastal Carolina Orchid Society will be holding an Orchid Folly at Hope’s Treasure Chest on Folly Road on James Island. The admission is free and they will have many of the same vendors as at Steve Ar-thur’s Breezy Hill Orchid Show. Triangle Orchid Society is sponsoring a booth at the NC State Fair and are asking for our help. Dates of special need are: Friday, Oct. 16; Tuesday, Oct. 20; Wednesday, Oct. 21; Saturday, Oct. 24; Sunday, Oct. 25. If you are willing to work at this event you will receive free tickets. Let Ann know if you are interested. Triad Orchids will be holding an auction on October 11 at the Garden Council Building, 4301A Lawndale Dr. in Greensboro. A pot luck lunch will begin at 12:00 and the auction at 1:00. AOS has a free webinar on Thursday, September 17 from 8:30 till 9:30 p.m. Tom Harper, AOS judge, owner of Stones River Orchids in Tennessee, and a recent speaker at CFOS will be speaking on Growing Phalaenopsis: The Basics of Growing the Beautiful Moth Orchid. Registration is still open. Steve Arthur’s Breezy Hill Orchid Fandangle was very interesting according to President Gallman. At least five orchid vendors were present and a speaker from Marble Farm gave an interesting presentation on mini Cattleyas. The October Speaker is Tom Wise from John’s Island. His topic has not yet been determined. On November 11, Carol Shores will talk about her trip to Africa and The Zimbabwe World Orchid Conference. Re-member that this meeting will be at Windmere Presbyter-ian Church off Eastwood Avenue. The Annual Picnic will be on Sunday, September 27, at 4:00 at Joyce Pennock’s home in Southport. Please let Ann or Joyce know if you will be attending and if you are bringing a guest. The board is considering doing bulk purchases of orchid supplies and repackaging them for resale to club mem-bers. Please let Ann know if you are interested in partici-pating and if there is an item that you are especially inter-ested in. Respectfully submitted Linda Swanson, Secretary

MEETING REFRESHMENTS OCTOBER BRINGERS SNACKS: Linda Swanson DRINKS: Sonia Smith RAFFLE: Ann Gallman

Show Table Points 2015

Members Previous Sept Total Pat Ahern 53 0 53 Charlie Barrett 18 25 43 Martha Conner 23 0 23 Jan Denney 39 0 39 Marilyn Freeman 10 0 10 Ann Gallman 55 10 65 Polly Kopka 20 0 20 Kathi LaBash 8 0 8 Jim Lanier 46 20 66 Pamela Layne 84 0 84 Sam Lipscomb 23 0 23 Anne McGee 20 0 20 Laura Overstreet 8 0 8 Hannelore Palmer 5 0 5 Joyce Pennock 89 13 102 Anita Potts 5 8 13 Byron Price 55 8 63 Jane Ranney 40 20 60 Fritz Rohde 15 0 15 Bill Schade 20 20 Carol Shores 138 8 146 Gail Taylor 56 0 56 Steve & Karen 261 18 279 Tobiassen

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More Information about watering your orchids: Are you ever confused about watering? We know the standard rules: in the morning, about once a week, test to see if it needs it, don’t sit the plant in the water. So, why this information? The September issue of the AOS Magazine “Orchids” contained an informative article by Sue Bottom about Edema in orchids., p. 538-539. I looked at it and saw pictures of some of the problems on my orchid leaves. So,I read more. Sue discussed what edema was, its causes, and what the leaves look like if your or-chid has this problem. She also discussed the general rules for watering which we have heard often before. However, part of the article contained information from her call to Courtney Hackney on how to water successfully. It is valuable information and so, it is quoted below, straight from the September 2016 issue. “Courtney recommends nighttime watering during periods of low humidity and warm nighttime temperatures and notes some of the additional benefits from this approach. Your plants will be well hydrated so you will not have to worry about fertilizer toxicity. [Then, if you fertilize the next day] the roots will be ready to take up fertilizer as their sur-face condition has changed from hard and stiff to soft and pliable. If you live in an area with hard water, salts that accumulate in the medium, pots and roots will become soluble overnight, allowing them to be flushed out the next morning while fertilizing. Once the humidity rises or nighttime temps. drop below the 65-70 degree range, you should resume the more conventional morning watering regime. Watering during the cooler months is quite different than during the main growing season. Many orchids go through a winter resting period and some an outright dorman-cy, so the orchid’s need for water and fertilizer is at a minimum. Your frequency of wa-tering will be perhaps a quarter or a half of your summertime watering frequency. Wa-ter early in the morning, finishing before noon or so. Do not water on gray or rainy days, even if it is your ‘scheduled’ watering day. “ Sue’s final comments are that most often, our cultural habits are the problem with growing orchids, not so much pests and diseases as we often think.

From the Editor's desk

The American Orchid Society provides volumes of infor-mation about orchids in its monthly magazine and on its website. Membership in the AOS is not inexpensive, but if you think of the price you are willing to pay for an orchid, this membership which helps you learn to grow and rebloom your orchids is invaluable. The September 2015 issue of “Orchids” has several very good articles on culture plus the usual beautiful photos and descriptions of orchids that are not commonly found in box stores. You can join AOS by visiting the website, AOS.com, and checking membership.

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Cape Fear Orchid Society Cape Fear Orchid Society 4288 Loblolly Cir., SE Southport, NC 28461

Visit CFOS at: www.capefearorchid.org

MEETING DATE

OCTOBER 14

Arboretum

Wimington

Speaker: Tom Wise

Subject: Why you should love

Dendrobiums!