Northwest Orchid Society Newsletter

July 10, 2006
7:00 p.m.
University of Washington
Center for Urban Horticulture
3501 NE 41st Street
Seattle, WA 98105

Lynn has been a pleurothallid addict since 1997. She started out growing pleurothallids under lights in her basement and eventually moved to a new greenhouse. She has over 2,500 plants in her personal collection in nearly every genera of Pleurothallids, including many divisions and kiekis. She is on the board of the Pleurothallid Alliance and is an orchid photographer whose work has been published in Orchid Digest and the AOS calendar. She will be bringing plants to sell.

Beginner’s program: (starts at 6:30 p.m.)
No scheduled program. Jamie Notman will answer your orchid questions.

Display Table:
Bring your whatever you have in bloom so everyone can enjoy them!

Sales Table:
Members may bring up to 10 plants to sell. Include a tag with your name and the price in the plant.

This year, the NWOS Picnis will be hosted by Mark Bamber and Out On A Limb Orchids on Camano Island on Sunday, August 20 starting at 12 noon. We’ll provide the main dish, you bring a sidedish, salad or dessert to share. Mark will give us a tour of greenhouses and you can go shopping. It’s a beautiful area about an hour’s drive from Seattle.

Directions: Take 1-5 north from Seattle to Exit 212 (Hwy 532 West, Stanwood/Camano Island). Exit is approximately 50 miles from downtown Seattle. Turn left (west) onto Hwy. 532 at traffic light at base of exit ramp. Travel 7 miles on Hwy. 532 through the town of Stanwood to the Stillaguamish River bridge. Continue 3 miles to a “Y” in the road. Take right fork of Y (North Camano Drive) and go 0.8 miles. Out on a Limb Orchids is on the right side. Enter through the gate and take an immediate right to proceed down the driveway to the greenhouses.

(Held June 12, 2006) We had a good turn out and some good food for our potluck/business meeting in June. We also had a lot of people bring in some great plants for the display table (unfortunately, I neglected to take down their names—but thank you to all of you!). We also had a slideshow highlighting plants fro

NOTE: DATE CHANGED (was July 22)
OLYMPICS ORCHID HIKE ON JULY 29

Jamie Notman will be leading an Olympics native orchid hike again this year on Saturday, July 29. Last year’s expedition found several beautiful orchids in bloom. If you want to join, meet in front of the Hurricane Ridge Information Center at 12 noon at the flagpole. The Information Center is approximately a two-and-a-half hour drive from Seattle. You will have to purchase a Olympics National Park Pass as we will be going into the park.

Bring your camera and a picnic lunch and we hope to see many of you orchid adventurers there!

Q: What do I do about roots coming out on top of my orchids? Do these need to be misted? Should I divide the plant to make it more manageable?

A: You don’t have to do anything about most roots that leave the pot and go wandering. Orchid roots do this naturally. It is only a problem if all of the new roots are emerging over the edge of the pot, or are skimming along the top of the growing medium instead of growing into the pot. If the roots seem reluctant to enter the growing mix, or die when they touch it, you must repot because the mix has become too old or otherwise toxic to the plant. Likewise, if new growths and roots hang over the edge, you should repot just as the next set of roots is emerging. But if the plant is happy, with lots of healthy roots wandering outside the pot, don’t worry! You could mist them once in a while, or take the plant to the sink to soak all the roots if you think the plant isn’t getting enough moisture. When you do repot, wet the wandering roots thoroughly to make them bendable, and carefully wind them into the new pot and cover them with mix just like any other roots.

Q: Should seedlings be kept in small containers, which will probably dry out quickly, or should they be placed in larger pots, perhaps with several in the pot, to keep them from drying out so quickly?

A: Never overpot a seedling! Even anticipating that the plant will grow for at least a year in that pot, you should use a pot just snug enough to hold the current roots with barely any elbow room. Increase the humidity, or partially enclose the seedlings in a clear plastic bag until they are larger.

Small seedlings are often grown together in one “community” pot, or compot. Don’t mix different types of orchid that may require different care.

Q: What is the best method for sterilizing pots? Do you prefer washing and baking, or soaking in a disinfectant Clorox solution?

A: The Clorox method, for both plastic and clay pots. It’s the least amount of work, and very effective.

You should use only cool water for the first stages of cleansing and soaking all pots. Hot water tends to “bake” dirt and proteins into both clay and plastic pots.

First, use cold water to soak the pots. Wipe them clean with a soft sponge or cloth, as pressure or abrasion of scrubbing action will embed the dirt more deeply into clay, and will scratch plastic and create areas for dirt and bacteria to hide. Rinse with cool water.

Now soak the pots in a solution of 4 parts water to 1 part plain bleach (plain Clorox or any unscented brand). Use enough solution to cover the pots completely. Let sit at least 6-7 hours. If the prospect of a tub of bleachwater sitting around the house causes you distress, then use a slightly stronger solution and reduce soaking time to only a couple of hours.

To leach the bleach from the pots, rinse under cool running water for half an hour—putting the pots under the shower is perhaps easiest—until the bleachy smell is gone. If you must rinse them by soaking them in a bucket or stopped sink, make sure to drain and replace the water 3 or 4 times.

After their final rinse with clear water, all pots may be given a final disinfectant bath with a Physan or RD-20 solution, as per package directions for use. Don’t use much—a couple of capfuls to several gallons of water, just enough to make a little foam.

Using this soaking/washing method, all pots can come out looking as good as new.

One strong warning: if the pot formerly held a plant suspected of viral infection, DISCARD IT. Do not clean and reuse it for any plant. It’s not worth the risk of infecting the new tenant.

Long-time NWOS member Ingrid Bridge passed away May 30. Ingrid was born in Germany and came to the United States as an au pair at age 21. She met her husband, Barry when she came to the United States. Ingrid was an orchid enthusiast and avid gardener. She served as a trustee on the board of the Society and won the first Rebecca Northen Trophy for best miniature orchid last December. She was also recognized for excellence for Pacific Northwest Gardens by the Seattle Times and Arboretum Foundation. Ingrid is survived by her husband, Barry; 2 daughters; and 3 sisters in Germany. Donations in memoriam may be made to the American Heart Society.

GEORGE & CYLVIA GRANTHAM HONORED WITH BAKER AWARD

George & Cylvia Grantham, members for over twenty years, were honored at the June meeting with the Gary Baker Service Award. George has served as 2nd VP of the Society, coordinating displays and traveling shows for many years and Cylvia is a regular volunteer at meetings and events, always going above and beyond the call of duty. This makes George, the first member to win this award twice—he also received it in 1996. Also nominated for their outstanding service this year were Kathy Murray and Jamie Notman.

It’s time to renew your membership. A renewal form was included in last month’s newsletter. If you need another copy, you can download one below or pick one up at the July meeting.

Members who joined in February 2006 or later do not need to renew until next year.

Renewal and update forms must be returned by September 1, 2006 if you want to be included in the 2005-06 NWOS roster. The roster will be distributed at the September meeting.

A list of “orchid advisors” is published in the directory each year. These are members who have a lot of experience with a particular species and are willing to share that experience with other members who have questions. We are currently seeking an advisor on Cymbidiums, but if you have another species you would like to volunteer for, just let us know. To volunteer to be an advisor or learn more, contact Jay Perez at 206-818-4363 or jay98116@comcast.net.

If you would like to share your favorite orchid web site, e-mail me. This month's site is:

The Hoosier Orchid Company is based in Indiana and they sell a variety of unusual species orchids (and some hybrids) including zygopetalums, stanhopea and more. The site also offers a good list of resources.

An offshoot on an orchid is usually called a “keiki”, which is Hawaiian for “child”. Keikis can be potted up separately once they develop root systems of their own. Usually Phalaenopsis, Vandas and nobile Dendrobiums form keikis.

Please note that the NWOS no longer publishes a newsletter in August. Information on the July meeting and the August picnic are included in this issue. We will return with a fresh newsletter in September.

Have something you would like to see in the newsletter? Let us know by e-mail at nwos_news@nwos.org or by regular mail to the NWOS address!

The NWOS would like to thank the following members for bringing in plants for the display table last month:

The NWOS desperately needs a new newsletter editor—the old one is all worn out!

No real experience is necessary. Basic writing/editing skills, desktop publishing or web experience will be helpful but are not required. This position requires a commitment of 8-10 hours per month.

Volunteers will need to have their own computer and an e-mail account that they check regularly. 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.

For additional volunteer opportunities, click "Volunteer Opportunities" in the side menu on this page.