Northwest Orchid Society Newsletter

October 9, 2006
7:00 p.m.
University of Washington
Center for Urban Horticulture
3501 NE 41st Street
Seattle, WA 98105

Hatfield Orchids is owned and operated by George Hatfield, who has over 15 years of experience in raising award-quality Cymbidium orchids. Hatfield Orchids is fortunate enough to be located in Ventura County, California, which has an ideal climate for the propagation of Cymbidiums. George is active in both the Cymbidium Society of America and the American Orchid Society, as well as several Southern California regional orchid organizations. George is an orchid judge for both the CSA and AOS, and is currently the chair of the Santa Barbara judging region for the CSA. George is also a past-president of the CSA and was the chair of the CSA Cymbidium Congress from 1998-2001 and president of the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show in 2002 and 2003.

George will have plants for sale and is donating something for the raffle table. His website is www.hatfieldorchids.com, check it out.

Beginner’s program: (starts at 6:30 p.m.)
Buying your first orchids. Jay Perez will offer some buying tips in preparation for next month’s show and sale. What to look for, things to consider before buying, etc.

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

In their natural habitats, cymbidiums grow at the higher altitudes in the temperate zone of mid-Asia (China, Japan) down through southeast Asia and extending south of the equator with a number of species in Australia. The climatic conditions found there are also found at sea level in the coastal regions of California, along the coast in the Mediterranean and in part of New Zealand and Australia as well as South Africa.

The cycle of cool nights and warm days during the spring months in theses regions is necessary for flower spike bud formation. Warmer weather in the summer enhances the growth and development of the flower spikes for the following season (winter into spring).

Temperature
Cymbidiums can tolerate considerable summer heart and winter chill. Lows of 29 degrees F and highs up to 100 degrees can be handled for short periods. Plant foliage usually will not freeze at 27 degrees if the weather includes some moisture and air movement. Flower spikes which are soft and tender will suffer damage if exposed. With extreme heat (90-100 degrees) attempts should be made to cool plants with misting or syringing mid-day. Although flower spike buds are visible often as early as summer through fall, the initiation of these buds is believed by many to be several months earlier when there are a series of 55 degree F nights and warm days along with or in addition to a 25 degree temperature difference between day and night temperatures.

Sunlight
During the spring, summer and fall growing season, plants should have as many hours of filtered sunlight as possible (approximately 50% or, if measured, 3000-4000 foot candles). The color of the foliage should be golden-green (plants with rich, dark green leaves are very likely not receiving sufficient light). As flower spikes break sheath showing the buds, many of the pastels, whites and greens will profit from shading to avoid “staining” of the sepals from dark pigments created by exposure to sunlight. This will improve the clarity of flower color.

Growing Media
Cymbidiums are most frequently seen growing as pot plants (from small to large containers) although they can be grown in raised beds in the ground. In either case, the growing medium must be free-draining and acidic in reaction. Many combinations of both organic and mineral materials have been used through the years. Currently, potting composts contain one or more of the following in varying proportions: small bark pieces, perlite, redwood compost, coarse peat moss, sand, crushed volcanic rock, oak leaf mold, dolomite as a buffer for acidity and some nutrient material. Any potting mix should always be moistened ahead of use.

Watering
During the warmer months when actively growing, cymbidiums can handle copious amounts of water. One of the reasons for heavy watering in most areas is the need to leach out salts which accumulate from use of tap water. With clean, purer water, much less leaching is required. Plants can and should be kept drier during the colder months but never “bone dry”. The fact remains that they are very sensitive to more than traces of the natural salts found in tap water. They will exhibit “leaf tip dieback” with continued use of “salty” tap water (defined as containing in excess of 500ppm of dissolved salts) if not leached out. In the summer, watering 2-3 times per week is typical; once per week or less in the winter.

December: Holiday Party with a presentation from Kathy Murray on this year's Native Orchid Conference and the Schoenfeld and Rebecca Tyson Nothern trophies, plus a free plant!

SEPTEMBER MEETING
(Held September 11, 2006) Eric Christenson took us on a great trip to Peru to see the native orchids in their habitat and give a real sense of the adventure that native orchid tourism can be!

PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR ORCHIDS

(Above: Cymbidium tracyanum)

Whether to preserve memories of favorite plants at their best or keep a catalog of your plants to remember what they look like in bloom, a photographic record of your blooming orchids can be a fun project.

Assuming you have a camera to begin with, basic orchid photography doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment or a special studio. You will get the best results with a SLR (single-lens reflex) camera, but a basic point-and-shoot camera will also work.

Two other inexpensive tools will come in handy: a basic tripod and some black felt or other black fabric. The tripod will improve the sharpness of your photos and the swatch of black fabric provides a neutral backdrop to make your flowers stand out.

Indoors you can set up on a small table and bring each plant over as you take pictures. Avoid direct sunlight on the plant as it can wash out details, but try to use natural light wherever possible. If you have a greenhouse, that’s a great setting for filtered natural light.

It is important to remember that the depth of field is governed by the aperture. The higher the aperture number (f11, f16, f22), the greater the depth of field. You can use the depth of field to blur out the background (in place of using a fabric backdrop).

If you are taking prints or slides, be sure to store them in plastic sleeves in a cool, dark place to avoid damage or fading. If you are using a digital camera, be sure to back up your files in some format (on CD, for example).

NWOS Fall Show & Sale
November 4 - 5, 2006
Olympic Room, Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St., Seattle
Download the poster or pick one up at the September meeting.

Your help is needed to make the Northwest Orchid Society’s 2006 fall show a success.

We need help during set up (beginning about 4 p.m., Friday, November 3), and all day Saturday and Sunday. Sign-up sheets will be on hand at both the September and October meetings or you can e-mail or phone Kathy Murray to request specific shifts: kandmmurray@verizon.net or 425-257-0583.

We need people for lots of different tasks during the show—everything from cashiering and bagging plants to welcoming visitors.

You can also participate in the ribbon judging. it’s an excellent way to learn about what makes for a great orchid. Judging happens Saturday morning and judges are treated to lunch. (See article below for more information on judging.)

If you want an interesting orchid experience that will provide you a good education about your favorite kinds of plants (as well as a free lunch), you are urged to sign up to participate on a ribbon-judging team for our fall show.

This year, NWOS is designating team leaders in advance of the show who will be assigned to specific classes of orchids with which they have particular experience. Mike Foster and Jerry Hoffmeister will be heading two sets of teams that will judge the 10 classes of Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums. Andy Wright will be heading the team that judges Pleurothallids (including Masdevallias) and Bulbophyllums/Cirropetalums. George Grantham’s team will be handling Cattleya Alliance and Phalaenopsis, and Michael Corn’s team will judge Dendrobiums. In addition, the other classes will also be assigned to these teams or possibly an additional team.

With this new system, you can express a preference for particular classes or team leaders. While we can’t guarantee that everyone will get a first preference, there is a pretty good chance you will end up where you want. So, look for the sign up sheets at the next meeting. If you have any questions, contact Michael Corn at the meeting or michaelcorn/at/comcast.net.

Contrary to what I said in the last issue, the board decided to wait on printing the rosters to give more people a chance to renew. Rosters will now be handed out at the October meeting. If you cannot make the meeting, a roster will be mailed to you with your November newsletter.

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

Focusing on miniature orchids, this site offers some interesting growing kits ("Jungle In A Jar," as one odd example) plus photos of unusual plants.

And thanks to our judges: Mike Foster, Donna Pierce and Cathy Tuttle. If you are interested in helping to judge the plant table, just let Mike Foster know—
everyone is welcome, no matter what your experience level.

We've talked with several members, but we still haven't had any luck in securing a new editor for the newsletter.

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.