Northwest Orchid Society Newsletter

October 10, 2005
7:00 p.m.
University of Washington
Center for Urban Horticulture
3501 NE 41st Street
Seattle, WA 98105

For the last 15 yrs, Kathy Creger has spent her vacations in Jamaica learning about, hunting, collecting and documenting populations of orchids on the island. Some are common throughout the island and the surrounding Carribbean countries and some are endemic to a specific hill. Her slide show and talk is designed to help us understand the various habitats orchids grow in on an island with diverse habitats and how we can get clues to providing better environments here at home.

Kathy is past president of the Orchid Society of Minnesota. She is also a professional jewelry designer/goldsmith by trade but has a BFA in ceramics and print making. Kathy grows over 700 plants under lights and in windows. She grows mostly species that range from 1/2” tall Jamaican Lepanthes to an enormous Brassia forgettiana plant that received a CBR/AOS. In her spare time she is does botanical illustration.

Beginner’s program: (starts at 6:30 p.m.)
Mike Foster will discuss getting your orchids ready for the Show.

Plant 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.

November 14, 2005
"Easy-to-grow species" Jim Hamilton
Beginners program: "Potting and media for Pacific
Northwest orchid culture" Michael Corn

December 12, 2005
"Flowers Only I Saw Bloom" Jamie Notman
Christmas party and potluck

January 9, 2006
"Weird and Unusual Orchids" Ron Parsons
Beginners program: "Your first orchid" Jay Perez

February 13, 2006
To be announced

March 13, 2006
"Survival! How orchids have adapted to survive in nature" Dr. Joseph Arditti

April 10, 2006
"Dendrobium cruentum and other Section Formosae Dendrobiums" Michael Corn

Speakers and topics are subject to change. Got a suggestion? E-mail Jamie Notman, VP for Programming

Do you want to set up a good basement or garage orchid-growing room? For sale, four complete 1,000-watt halide light systems (with extra bulbs) and one 400-watt halide light system with 6’ light mover track (new motor).

Cost was at least $1,000. Will take any semi-reasonable offer for everything. Contact Michael Corn.

FALL ORCHID CHECKLIST

Cattleya
Growers of just about every level of expertise will have begun to notice autumn conditions by now. Days are becoming shorter, hence cooler; the sunlight has less intensity as a result of the sun’s lowering angle, nights are longer and generally cooler. Plants are responding by slowing and ripening their growth in preparation for winter.

The first cultural change noticed should be a reduced frequency of watering, as the plants dry out more slowly. This is a function of both the reduced day length and lower temperatures, as well as the plants’ slowing growth rate. Reduced water needs signal a reduced need for fertilization. Note that the key word is reduced, not eliminated. Feed less frequently and at lower dosage, but feed. Growths, made during summer’s heat, and relatively soft and green, will be ripening—hardening—in preparation for a brief period of rest (in many cases).

Many of these ripening growths will have a sheath, presaging the coming winter or spring flowering season. In some cases, these sheaths will have been evident since as early as July. (Early sheath development does not mean early flowering on plants with winter-spring seasons.) You may notice that some of these sheaths are showing signs of yellowing. This is not abnormal. Autumn’s more pronounced temperature fluctuation can lead to water condensation inside the sheath, hastening the normal process of senescence, so yellowing sheaths can be left on the plant only so long before they must be carefully removed to preserve the bud primordia within. Water condensation left unchecked can rot the bud primordia. The sheaths can be safely removed by slitting open and peeling down toward the pseudobulb.

Cool-Growing Orchids
One can almost hear a sigh of relief from all of the cool-growers, from masdevallias to odontoglossums. As day temperatures decline, one can see a noticeable improvement in these plants. Shorter days and lower light levels do not seem to bother them. Repot before winter arrives.

Paphiopedilum
The flowering season for the “toads” or “bulldog” paphs is just getting underway. Paphiopedilums are, in general, not heavy feeders, and it is especially important with this type to reduce nitrogen levels now for best flowering and spike length. Be watchful for water accumulating in the growth around the sheath, or for the late-season warm spell, either of which can lead to the sheath’s rotting. As the spikes emerge, do not change the orientation of the plant toward the light, as this can lead to a crooked or twisted spike.

While paphiopedilums rarely like to dry out entirely, water needs are significantly reduced beginning now. Overwatering at this time of year can quickly lead to root rot or erwinia problems. Now is the time to practice good sanitary practices in your greenhouse or growing areas, as pest and disease problems have a way of multiplying rapidly in the darker and more crowded conditions that generally mark the winter growing area. With paphiopedilums, especially, “cleanliness is next to godliness” and if the growing area is littered with old foliage, weeds and dying flowers, keeping the plants alive and flowering will be next to impossible.

Phalaenopsis
Shortening days and cooler nights are the signals for inflorescence initiation in phalaenopsis.
A reduction in nitrogen levels will go a long way to giving the best possible spiking, as will a boost in potassium and phosphorus. In other words, a “bloom booster”-type fertilizer is definitely indicated in the next few months. Disease and pest problems are best dealt with now, especially as mealybugs hide in the bracts and flower buds. Once they have established themselves, they are difficult to eradicate, and flower damage or crippling results. Potential disease problems can be dealt with by the application of a copper-based compound to control/alleviate rot problems before they start.
Ned Nash and James Rose, AOS

Your help is needed to make the Northwest Orchid Society’s 2005 fall show a success. This year’s AOS-judged show and sale will be November 12 and 13 in the Rainier Room of the Seattle Center. Sign-up sheets will be on hand at the October meeting or you can e-mail or phone (425-257-0583) Kathy Murray to request specific shifts.

We need people for lots of different tasks during the show—everything from cashiering to ribbon judging. Ribbon judging is an excellent way to learn about what constitutes good and great orchids and no experience is necessary. We also need volunteers to help set up the show on Friday evening. Setup begins at 4 p.m.

One vendor has also asked that we find someone she can stay with on Friday and Saturday nights. If you have space, please let me know.

The NWOS Show Committee has been busy finalizing details for the upcoming show, Nov. 12 and 13, in the Rainier Room of the Seattle Center. In addition to commercial vendors and displays, the event will have a juried art and photography show with amateur and professional divisions. Linda Petchnick will chair the show. Linda, an NWOS member for several years, is an internationally-known botanical illustrator who recently attended the Royal Horticultural Society show in England where she enjoyed the opportunity to meet Prince Charles. For an application form please contact Linda at 360-825-1869 or lindy@tx3.com.

As part of our December meeting this year, we thought it would be fun to have a slide show with pictures of all those orchids that bloom in between meetings. You know that wonderful cattleya whose gorgeous flowers started to fade just before you could bring it in for the display table? Did you take a photo? Or maybe you have a favorite plant that you didn’t want to risk transporting?
Send us your photos (no more than five per member, please) and we’ll make them into a slide show. Digital files are preferred (JPEG) but we can also accept prints (sorry, no slides). All entries must be received by December 1 to be included. Be sure to include you name and the name of plant with your submission.
Digital photos can be sent to nwos_news@nwos.org. Prints can be given to Brian Anderson at the October or November meetings or mailed to his address in the directory.

Members who were unable to pick up their roster at the last meeting, should find it enclosed with this newsletter. If you did not receive a roster, you can pick one up at the October meeting or contact Brian Anderson to have a copy mailed to you.

If you receive the newsletter by e-mail, your roster will be mailed to you this week.

The Northwest Orchid Society will be sending displays to two other shows this fall. Both are judged shows. The first is the Sunset Empire Show in Seaside, Oregon Oct. 6-7. They always have an excellent show, surprisingly large for a town their size. In the past we have upstaged even the Oregon Orchid Society and garnered an award for the best display. We hope to put together a high-quality display again this year.

The other show is the Fall Show of the Oregon Orchid Society on Oct. 29-30. It will be held again at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro. They put on a show in both the fall and the spring, and they are the largest orchid shows in the Pacific Northwest. I will be gathering plants for the show Oct. 26-27th. Please mark that date on your calendar and give me a call if you have anything you would like to send.

Our participation in the orchid shows put on by other societies is an important part of our program. I would urge each member to consider sending orchids to shows. Displays are the responsibility of the Second Vice President and any assistance is welcome. Please contact me if you would like to help out in any way.

The big event for us this fall is, of course, our own show. The display committee is hard at work planning a display which will provide a worthy setting for your plants. Please bring your plants to the Rainier Room on Friday, Nov. 11th and enter them in our display. If you are unable to come, you may make arrangements with me or some other member to bring them for you. We need your plants to make our display the centerpiece of the show!

At many shows you find several individual exhibits. If you expect to have a number of plants in bloom at showtime, you may wish to set up your own display. It takes only 15-20 quality plants and some simple staging materials to make a display. If you are interested, please request an entry form from Kathy Murray.

The Washington Native Orchids site is on the web. Or visit the site directly at www.wanativeorchids.com. The purpose of the site is to educate the public about native orchids in Washington, compile one site with all native orchids, and set up a native orchid club in Washington. The first club meeting will be announced at a later date. If anyone has pictures or information they would like to contribute to the site, please contact Melissa Rathbun.

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.

SEPTEMBER GENERAL MEETING
(Held September 12, 2005) Karen Muir walked us through a wide variety of Paph hybrids and talked about how breeders cross species to get certain traits.

SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING
(Held September 6, 2005) The board discussed problems with declining membership in the Society and brainstormed some ideas for a membership drive. Plans were also made for the December meeting, where members will be received their free plant and enjoying a great potluck.

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

Michael Corn & Cathy Tuttle
George Grantham
Daniel Kerr
George Krasle
Kathy Murray
Jamie Notman
Linda Petchnik
Andy Wright