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The Arizona Orchidist Newsletter
February 1998
THE GROWER ON CALL FOR FEBRUARY IS: LOU ANN
REMEIKIS
NEXT OSA BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD FEBRUARY 1,
1998, at the home of Ann Cherny, 6225 E. Keim Dr.,
Paradise Valley, at 1 p.m.
ALSO IN FEBRUARY: The board meeting previously
scheduled for March 1, has been rescheduled for
February 22. Please make a note of this change. The
meeting on the 22nd will also be held at Ann
Cherny's home, at 1 p.m.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES to our members celebrating
birthdays in February: to Fred Evans on the 9th; to
Wayne Baker on the 13th; to Cathy Nelson on the
17th; and to Frank Bopp and Jim Johnson on the 19th
REFRESHMENTS FOR OUR FEBRUARY 5 MEETING WILL BE
PROVIDED BY: Joe Freasier and Wayne Baker, Sue
House and Isabelle Kast, and Lu Robinson.
Note to those members who have not yet committed
to bring refreshments for our monthly meetings:
Janet Jurn, our very capable refreshments
chairperson, will bring the 1998 sign-up list, to
the February meeting. Because so many members and
guests attend our monthly meetings, we need three
people bringing refreshments to each meeting to
ensure that we have sufficient liquid and munchies
for everyone in attendance.
NEW OSA DIRECTOR FOR THE VALLEY GARDEN CENTER:
NORMA KAFER has graciously consented to serve as
OSA's representative on the Valley Garden Center's
Board of Directors. Thanks, Norma! Each member
garden club and plant society of the Valley Garden
Center has a representative (director) who attends
a monthly meeting at the VGC. Most recently, Lois
Sauer has been OSA's Director. We thank Lois for
serving as our representative. The Director's job
is often a frustrating experience, so Norma needs
to know that we appreciate her efforts on our
behalf.
As of January 8, 1998, The Valley Garden Center
has a new caretaker : Alfonso Garcia. We will give
Alfonso as much help as possible to keep our
meeting place looking tidy.
WE'RE INVITED! Harry Tolen (Chula Orchids) sent
an e-mail regarding "another blast at George's" on
February 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th. For those who
may not know, George Kenner (Kenner & Sons of
La Mesa, Calif.) was the site host for the
gathering between OSA and SDCOS members following
our field trip to the San Diego Orchid Fair on
September 27th. There will be sodas and cookies for
refreshments and five or six vendors selling
orchids and supplies. So if you're in the San Diego
area anytime between the 11th and 14th, give George
a call for directions to his house - (619) 660-0161
or e-mail him at: Ausorchids@aol.com
CIRCUS OF ORCHIDS: The 53rd Annual Santa Barbara
International Orchid Show (and sale) will be held
March 20, 21, and 22 "under the big top" at the
Earl Warren Showgrounds, Highway 101 and Las
Positas Road, Santa Barbara, California. Commercial
and hobby growers from the West, Pacific Rim
countries and England will display their orchids
against a "colorful backdrop of circus
memorabilia". The SBIOS Committee has sent OSA two
complimentary admission tickets and a color poster
suitable for framing. These items will be placed on
our February raffle table. Show flyers will also be
available at our February meeting for any members
interested in attending the show in Santa Barbara.
RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS! St. Judes Ranch
for Abused Children, 100 St. Judes St., Boulder
City, Nevada, 89005, is in need of the fronts of
all kinds of greeting cards, but will be happy to
accept new cards. The fronts are used to make new
cards to sell in the St. Judes Ranch gift shop. St.
Judes Ranch is a 501 (c) (3) organization.
OSA Secretary, Bernice Ehrlich, brought the
request from St. Judes - for the fronts of greeting
cards - to our attention at the February 2, 1997
board meeting. On several occasions during the past
year, members have brought cards to our meetings
and presented them to Bernice, who forwarded them
to St. Judes. Bring your donations to our February
5th meeting and give them to Bernice.
NEW EDITOR OF "THE ARIZONA ORCHIDIST":
Beginning with the April, 1998 issue, KEN GETTYS
will serve as the new Editor of our monthly
newsletter. This is a very important job for
several reasons: Non-active members are able to
keep current on OSA activities through reading our
newsletter. Active members consult our newsletter
for details regarding OSA participation in events,
other orchid news, and articles. Also,
complimentary copies of our newsletter are often
the first introduction non-members have to OSA.
Trite but true - first impressions are lasting
impressions. "The Arizona Orchidist" is OSA's
mirror image! Bear in mind that an editor cannot
edit copy he does NOT receive. Formatting the
newsletter is the job Ken agreed to do. All OSA
members are encouraged to submit material and/or
offer suggestions for articles they would like to
read in "The Arizona Orchidist".
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: Suz Cramer wanted
to know the name of the McLellan cattleya hybrid
identified only as "# 336", which she purchased at
our November show. If any other members and
visitors bought a plant bearing the same number,
the parents used in that particular cross were C.
luteola 'Lorraine' x Lc. Elstead Gem 'Mem. Frank
Gamble' HCC/AOS. (Lc. Elstead Gem is a hybrid of C.
bicolor x L. xanthina.)
1998 OSA DISPLAY/EVENT SCHEDULE - At the
December 14, 1997 joint board meeting of newly
elected and retiring board members, OSA
participation in the following events was
unanimously approved:
MARCH 14 - Garden Club Fair, Maricopa County
Cooperative Extension Office, 4341 E. Broadway Rd.,
Phoenix (This is the 8th year this event has been
held, and OSA has participated every year.)
March 26 through 29 - 8th Annual Desert Bloom,
Greyhawk Development, Scottsdale Rd. north of Bell,
Scottsdale (the show will be open to the public for
FOUR days, with set-up scheduled for March 25)*
April 11 - location to be announced (possibly
the Valley Garden Center)
November 14 and 15 - Annual OSA Holiday Orchid
Show and Sale, Valley Garden Center
*The Valley Garden Center Executive Committee
and Board of Directors selected March 29 as the
date for the VGC Spring Festival. Although the VGC
Executive Committee and Board of Directors was
informed in a letter read by OSA Director, Norma
Kafer, at the VGC Board Meeting on January 8, that
they had selected probably the busiest weekend to
hold the Spring Festival, the VGC Board chose to
retain the March 29 date. We regret that we are
unable to participate in and support the VGC Spring
Festival due to the fact that Desert Bloom will
still be open on that day. Another conflicting
event is scheduled for March 28 - the annual, MAJOR
fund-raising event, FOOD AND FUN, of the Arizona
Federation of Garden Clubs. As a member of AFGC,
OSA is morally obligated to assist in the financial
success of the AFGC fund-raiser. Read further
details about "Food and Fun" in next month's
newsletter.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Wilella Stimmell
Our February meeting is the first one this year
- a delayed start of our orchid year because our
January 1 meeting was cancelled. Now that the
holidays are behind us, OSA members are ready for
another active year filled with community service
programs, donations, displays, our annual November
holiday show, possibly another field trip, and
non-stop orchid fun!
As you know from reading Suz Cramer's "In the
Spotlight" regarding our February meeting, the
subject will be dendrobium culture. When one of our
members was informed of the speaker's topic, she
said, "well it's about time!" (She has apparently
been patiently waiting for TWELVE YEARS for a
speaker to address the subject of dendrobiums!)
John Law is no stranger to OSA. He spoke to us in
September of 1989 on "growing orchids from seed",
in May of 1991 on "African orchids", and in
November of 1995 on "miniature orchids". Those who
have heard John's programs know that he is
informative and tries to include some hands-on
participation from the members of his audience.
Joe Freasier will have divisions of cattleya
hybrids for sale at our February meeting. All
divisions will be priced at $5.00. Joe purchased
the entire orchid collection of a former member and
divided the plants about a month ago. This
represents an opportunity for OSA to earn extra
dollars because 20% of the sale of the plants is a
donation to OSA. (Anytime anything is sold during a
meeting by a member, 20% of the sale price is a
donation to OSA.) Please note that since these
divisions were made recently, they are NOT being
sold as "established". Some, however, may have
already developed new roots.
FREE WOOD VIOLETS! (Bring your own shovel.)The
violets that seeded themselves in my yard and have
resisted all attempts to eradicate them (including
being doused with full strength bleach), are in
bloom. These plants have never been fertilized,
watered supplementally during the hottest summer
months, or encouraged in any way to thrive. Large
holes which resulted from clumps which have been
dug out in the past (and transplanted to other
areas in the valley), have filled in with...MORE
VIOLETS! A note to pet owners: these plants may be
trampled on, "dumped" on, and "sprinkled" on by
Fido, and their response is to grow faster and
larger. They're the next best thing to plastic!
They will grow in ANY location in a yard, and they
multiply quickly. If you want me to save a few
clumps for you. Otherwise, next time my yard-
barber appears, he has instructions to mow down
everything in sight!
COMMUNITY SERVICE REPORT: Our first
program for 1998 was presented on January 14 for
the Saguaro Garden Club, at the Pyle Center, 655 E.
Southern, Tempe, at 10 a.m. We were pleased to
discover that a few of the ladies in attendance had
some orchid-growing experience. The members of the
audience admired the blooming display plants
provided by Bernice Ehrlich, Phillip Liu, and
myself, and asked many questions about orchid
culture. The lady who won the doorprize phal plant,
water-jug greenhouse, copy of Bob Gordon's
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO GROWING PHALAENOPSIS ORCHIDS,
and the small container of fertilizer, was thrilled
to own an orchid! We also gave her several phone
numbers to call for consultations, and we told her
we would periodically check with her regarding the
health of the plant.
Our NEXT community service program is scheduled
for March 20, 10:30 a.m., and will be presented for
the Deer Valley Senior Center, 2001 W. Wahalla,
Phoenix. We have not presented a program at this
location, but the name of the Activities Director
may be familiar - Charlotte Hillhouse. She was
formerly the Activities Director at the Desert West
Senior Center, 6501 W. Virginia, Phoenix. We
presented a program at Desert West on June 20,
1995.
We need members to donate small phals for
doorprizes for our community service programs.If
any member has a doorprize phal to donate for use
in the Deer Valley program, bring the plant to
either the February or March monthly meeting.
Members who have day jobs and are unable to
actively participate in our program presentations,
may nevertheless feel they have made a significant
contribution to the continuing success of our
community service agenda by donating one or more
plants for doorprizes.
Our Community Service Schedule sometimes changes
quickly! Since we limit the number of such programs
to two per month, the sooner a request for a
program is made, the better. We welcome requests
for future programs, and any member may feel free
to suggest to an Activities Director or school
teacher that he or she contact us. Also be aware
that we are not limited to presenting programs in
the Phoenix metro area. Have orchids, will travel!
NEW ONLINE ORCHID DISCUSSION GROUP: Thanks to
Harry Tolen for sending along the information
regarding Orchid Discussion Online (ODO). This is a
discussion list in digest form conducted via e-mail
in REAL TIME. To subscribe to ODO, send a blank
e-mail with the subject "subscribe" to:
subscribe@vengers.com The orchid chat group is
active almost every night, usually between 8 pm and
11 pm EST.
In addition to the chat group information, on
Venger's web site
(URL:http://vengers.com/index.htm) you will also
find many orchid photos, culture files (from
Angraecum calceolus to Zygopetalum mackayii),
Sander's search (for the parentage of two hybrids
of your choice - FREE), and information on a twice
monthly orchid auction. This is a very
comprehensive, user-friendly web site. Check it
out! No computer? No internet access? No problem!
Don't be shy! We happily share all information -
from the internet or from any other source.
With Rod Venger's permission, we have placed a
hard copy of the following subjects from his web
site, in OSA's library: "A Basic Guide to Home
Orchid Culture" and "Working With Compots". The
copies are contained in a notebook which may be
checked out by OSA members.
Also with Rod's permission, we are including
here the results of his experimentation with water
culture. OSA members may recall that Deacon Bell
experimented with water culture of phalaenopsis,
and he wrote two articles for "The Arizona
Orchidist". The first article appeared in the
December, 1996 issue of our newsletter, and the
second (final report) appeared in the August, 1997
issue. (If any of our newer members have not read
these two articles, please let us know. We will be
happy to supply copies of Deacon's articles.
Growers receiving complimentary copies of the
February, 1998 issue of our newsletter are also
welcome to request copies of Deacon's articles on
water culture.) In exchange for Rod's permission to
reprint the results of his water culture
experiments, we will send him copies of Deacon's
articles. Rod expressed an interest in comparing
Deacon's results with his.
WATER CULTURE
by
Rod Venger
Venger's Orchids
1220 Pando Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO. 80906
(719) 576-7686
http://vengers.com/culture/water.htm
"Water culture is something we've been
experimenting with since Nov. '95. The idea is
simple. Culturing orchids in no media except for
water. The water is present all the time. For those
wanting to experiment with this method of orchid
culture, we're presenting a few guidelines to help
you.
Container
The container we prefer most is glass though
we've even used Rubbermaid containers with as good
a success as with glass. The container needs to be
deep enough to accommodate a large root system and
the rim of the container should support the bottom
leaves of the plant if possible. For pseudobulbous
plants, a stake can be tied to the plant which will
support it in the container.
Starting Out
Once you've selected which plants you want to
grow and the containers you want to grow them in,
consider these basics:
(1) Always use tepid water when initially
filling or replacing the water in your containers.
'Tepid' has no discernable temperature. It will
feel neither warm nor cold.
(2) Fertilizer strength and type should be the
same as for potted plants. We keep fertilizer in
the water at all times.
(3) Water changes should be done weekly with
daily additions if needed. Do not allow the water
level to drop below the top of the roots for any
length of time. So long as the water level is
correct, there is virtually no risk of bacterial or
fungal infections. Do not remove the algae growth
from either the roots or the inside of the
container. It's our feeling that it assists with
gas exchange within what is basically a stagnant
body of water. At the end of each week just dump
the water and replace.
(4) Temperature and light is exactly the same
for water cultured plants as it would be if the
plants were potted. In other words, follow the same
cultural guidelines for the hybrid or species
you're growing. Bear in mind that the water will
quickly reach room temperature. A cold room will
stunt the growth of the plant. A hot room will also
stunt the growth of the plant. 65-85 degrees should
be the outside ranges of the room with the max in
the 80-85 degree range for intermediate growing
orchids.
(5) 'Repotting' is basically not needed until
the root system has so overwhelmed the container
that getting the plant out of the container would
cause damage doing so. The roots in these
containers will not rot and only rarely die so
expect to see more roots than you're used to
seeing.
(6) Miscellaneous thoughts: We have yet to have
a plant die in our experiments. Some plants do seem
easier than others though. Phrags especially seem
fond of the method, while phals, though growing
nicely, seem somewhat slower than pot culture.
Cattleyas, catasetums, dendrobiums, mormodes,
oncidiums, paphs, zygos ALL do well. Bear in mind
that plants just won't be suitable for this method
if they need a rest period. Give it a try, have
fun, and be sure and let us know how things work
out! If you have any specific questions, feel free
to e-mail me." <venger@vengers.com>
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