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March 2005
MARCH MEETING March 14, 2005 Cypripedium montanum Roger & Jane Smith of Kelsey Creek Labs will discuss Cypripedium montanum (pictured below), a Northwest native orchid.
Beginner’s program: (starts at 6:30 p.m.) Plant Table: Sales Table: Raffle: PAID AD NEEM OIL: CHEMICAL ALTERNATIVE? Some orchid growers are reluctant to use chemical pesticides, especially if they share their home with their collection. One organic substitute is neem oil. Neem oil’s primary advantages over chemical pesticides are that it is non-toxic and biodegradable. You don’t need to wear gloves or worry about exposure when using it and one spraying can last for weeks (some people have even said months). It works as a repellant and also impairs reproduction in insects. Unlike some pesticides where the insect must eat the plant to be affected, neem oil creates a coating that prevents the insects from eating. Neem oil should be diluted for most uses: 1 ounce to 1 gallon of water plus a few drops of dishwashing liquid. It has a mildly unpleasant (but harmless) odor that fades within a couple hours. Some tips on using Neem oil:
Neem oil is available from garden supply stores or can be ordered online. More about neem oil: ORCHID SHOWS PAST AND FUTURE Our local 2005 show season started off with the Tacoma-Olympia Show at Windmill Gardens in Sumner on Jan. 15-16. We had an excellent turnout with nine members providing over 60 plants for our display. Plants were provided by Mike Pearson and Abigail Chang, Ingrid and Barry Bridge, Mike Foster and Donna Pierce, Shannon Boling, Franklin and Kyong Hu, Judy Macias, Jamie Notman, George and Cylvia Grantham and Jerry Hoffmeister. Ingrid and Barry Bridge and Jerry Hoffmeister helped set up the display. The space we were assigned provided something of a challenge. It was tucked into a corner on two different levels (see photo).
We received over 30 show ribbons for the plants in our display and a number of plants received special awards for “Best of Class.” Kudos to the following big winners: Ingrid and Barry received 4 blue ribbons for the 5 plants they brought, Judy brought 6 plants and received 2 blues, 2 reds and a white, Franklin and Kyong Hu sent 3 plants and received one red and one blue, and Mike and Donna provided 5 Paphs and received 4 red ribbons. Thanks to all for making our display a success! Unfortunately, we received no AOS awards. The Mt. Baker Orchid Society Show is taking place Feb. 25-26th at the Skagit Valley Gardens Nursery just as this newsletter is going to press. It is an AOS-judged show this year for the first time in recent years. We will have a report on that show in next month’s newsletter. The Oregon Orchid Society (Portland) Spring Show is the very next weekend, March 5-6th, at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro. Their shows always includes a generous number of very high-quality plants and a wide variety of hybrids and species. We are hoping for a good turnout of quality plants for that show. It is well worth a trip down to Portland to have a look if you can work it into your schedule. Don’t forget that we will be having a display area in our Spring Sale at Sky Nursery on March 19-20. Please bring plants in on Saturday morning for the display. The Spokane Orchid Society Show will be held on April 2-3rd. Please make a note on your calendar that we will be gathering plants on Wednesday, March 30, or as individually arranged for that show. It has gone back and forth whether that will an AOS-judged show this year. Please call or e-mail me at 206-440-9266 or georgegrantham@hotmail.com if you have any questions about providing plants for displays or if you need to make special arrangements. Thanks again to everyone who has provided plants and assistance with displays. George Grantham NWOS Spring Show & Sale March 19 March 20 Potting clinic, orchid doctor, Sky Nursery NWOS SPRING SHOW NEEDS VOLUNTEERS! First, I want to apologize for not making the meeting as an old friend drop in for a visit. That was the first meeting I have missed in 12 years.Our Spring Show and Sale is rapidly approaching and will be here in less than three weeks. We have five vendors lined up and they are Bob Ellis, Out on a Limb, Sorella, Clackamas, and Orchids Anonymous. As of now we have only three people signed up to work at the show. Come on, people! We would like to have a potting service and a plant doctor at the show and we need volunteers for those positions. There will be sign-up sheets for those stations at the next meeting. I hope to see all of you at the next meeting filling up all those blank spaces on the sign-up sheet and making our show and sale a success! Jamie Notman LYCASTE CULTURE
This genus produces large, showy triangular flowers that are waxy and long-lasting. The plants are distinctive for their roundish bulbs and broad, plicate (pleated) leaves. Two cultural groups are generally recognized—the evergreen skinneri type, that flowers from leafy pseudobulbs, and the deciduous aromatica type, that flowers from leafless pseudobulbs. LIGHT. Deciduous species prefer light conditions as for cattleyas 2,000 to 4 000 foot-candles or 50% to 70% shade. More light is usually provided as new growths form pseudobulbs. Evergreen species prefer less light, 1,500 to 2,000 foot-candles or 60% to 80% shade. TEMPERATURE for the evergreen species should be fairly constant and never hot. Nights of 52 to 58 degrees F and days of 65 to 78 degrees F are desirable. The deciduous species of Lycaste can tolerate a wider range, up to 95 degrees F during the day and down to 50 degrees F at night when dormant in the winter. WATER should be applied in larger amounts during active growth (usually summer). The potting medium should just begin to dry out before watering. Deciduous species should be kept almost completely dry when leafless; evergreen species should be kept only slightly drier than normal after pseudobulbs form. Water should be kept off the leaves, and out of new growths, to prevent rot or leaf spotting. HUMIDITY should be maintained at 40% to 70%. Deciduous species need less humidity when dormant. Brisk air circulation will help prevent leafspot fungi. FERTILIZER. Apply regularly and heavily when plants are actively growing. A high nitrogen formulation (30-10-10) is recommended during active growth; some growers top-dress the potting medium with blood meal as new pseudobulbs form. In fall, or as growths mature and pseudobulbs are produced, fertilizer is reduced or switched to a high phosphorus (10-30-20) formulation to stimulate flower production. POTTING is best when new growth starts, usually in spring. A fine-grade potting medium is often used; fir bark and perlite (3:1) is a common, well-draining mix. When repotting, split plants into no less than two bulbs per pot and choose a pot to allow for two years of growth. The bottom one quarter to one third of the pot should be filled with drainage material, either broken crock, rocks or styrofoam peanuts. The plant should be positioned in the pot so that the newest growths are farthest away from the edge of the pot, allowing the maximum number of new growths without crowding the pot. A vitamin B1 compound may help establish newly potted plants. Courtesy of the American Orchid Society NEW AOS WEB SITE The American Orchid Society has launched a long overdue redesign of their web site. The new site features new photos and information and a special section for members. NOTES FROM THE SECRETARY We know everyone can’t make it to every meeting, so in an effort to keep members better informed about what is happening in the Society, the secretary will provide a synopsis of the last general meeting and board meeting. FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING MARCH BOARD MEETING Brian Anderson WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Randy Johnson DISPLAY TABLE THANKS The NWOS would like to thank the following members for bringing in plants for the February display table: Mike & Donna Foster NEWSLETTER EDITOR NEEDED The Northwest Orchid Society is seeking a member with an interest in writing and laying out the monthly newsletter. No real experience is necessary. Volunteers will need to have access to a computer and e-mail. The editor is also responsible for printing and distributing the newsletter. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Brian Anderson at nwos_news@nwos.org or (206) 818-4364. IMPORTANT DATES MARCH 5 - 6, 2005 MARCH 19 & 20, 2005 APRIL 2 & 3, 2005 May 7-8, 2005
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