March 2007 - Volume 4 - Number 3 Published by the South Florida Orchid Society

President’s MessageDear fellow orchidists,

I hope that everyone enjoyed our wonderful 62nd Mi-ami International Orchid Show! It was certainly a beau-tiful event and I want to congratulate everyone thathelped. We all owe a huge “thank you” to Richard Bran-don, our Show Chairman, as well as to the various Com-mittee Chairs and volunteers.

Although our attendance was down after a second move,our new location was well-received by both vendors andthe public. The Sheraton exhibition center seems to bea perfect fit for our coming Miami International OrchidShows, as well as for the 19th World Orchid Confer-ence next year. The hall is being renovated this yearand for future events we’ll see a brand new look. Itshould make our future events even more beautiful andappealing.

If you haven’t yet done it, don’t forget to register forthe 19th World Orchid Conference. You may also signup on-line (www.19woc.com) to volunteer to assist withthe show – use the “Registration” “Volunteer” links toput your name and skills on the list and someone fromthe 19WOC Volunteer Coordination committee will con-tact you. Don’t miss your chance to be an integral partof the biggest orchid event our community has ever seen!

I want to remind everyone that at this season, we be-gin our planning for the coming SFOS year which be-gins in July. I have appointed our 2007-8 nominatingcommittee and they will be presenting their report thismonth. Watch the coming newsletters for the proposedslate of officers and directors and please be present inMay for our annual election.

As a final reminder – April is auction month. Start sav-ing now to take advantage of the bargains that willabound thanks to the generosity of our auction donors.

I look forward to seeing you all at the meeting.

Sincerely,Robert FuchsPresident

Our February presentation wil be a real treat – Ja-son Fischer, of Orchids Limited, will speak to us on thenative orchids of Japan. It will be our chance to learnabout some less familiar species, as well as the approachto orchids in another culture. As a Japanese-American, Jason’s educational inter-ests have been strongly influenced by Japan. He pur-sued Japanese language and culture studies in highschool and college, including studies at the Universityof Minnesota. After 6 years of Japanese language studyin the U.S., he moved to Japan where he married,worked as an English teacher, and continued study ofthe language and people. Being raised in a family orchid business, Jason hashad a life-long education in orchids. He has worked withhis father since the age of 5 and, at around age 14, tookan interest in orchid hybridization and lab work. Atabout the same time, he first started breeding withphalaenopsis, later expanded to paphs and phrags, andnow looks for anything unique. Jason has now returned to Minnesota and to the fam-ily business where he is hoping to open up the Japa-nese orchid market to the U.S., as well as the U.S. mar-ket to Japan. Living in Japan provided him with im-portant orchid contacts there as well as access to manynative Japanese orchids. These plants have a rich cul-ture and history that is little understood outside of theirhome country. Jason has spent much time studying theculture of Japanese orchids and enjoys sharing hisknowledge which was gained through countless hourstranslating Japanese text and conversing with Japa-nese growers. He is now beginning to see his efforts pay off in agreat increase in interest in the Japanese orchids. The plant table for this month will be donated byRichard and Lea Takafuji of Orchid Center in Hawaii.Orchids Limited will supply plants for sale.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting.

Michael CoronadoProgram Chairman

presented by Jason Fischer

March Program:“Native Orchids of Japan”

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THANK YOU KATIEI would like to take this opportunity to thankKatie Caldwell for the wonderful hands-on pro-gram which she provided. It was a big successand everyone loved it. Katie donated severalbeautiful plants for our raffle and, also, gener-ously donated her speakers fee toward the 19thWorld Orchid Conference. Katie's donation willhelp finance a once-in-a-lifetime orchid experi-ence for South Florida's orchidists and it is grate-fully appreciated.

Thank you Katie

LITTLE JEWELS

Most people associate me with the Vanda alliance,when, I actually have a close second love, EquitantOncidiums, now officially registered as Tolumnias.I started growing both at the same time in themid 80’s. It was a space issue so they had to sur-vive under the same conditions. The surprisingthing was they thrived. This happened becausethe Vandas were more important and I did notfret over the Equitants. It was pure luck that Istumbled on the right culture. I generally createproblems for my plants when I second guess mymethods, BUT, this changed when I moved downto Boca Grande, built a bigger greenhouse, reallygot serious, and I now fret over ALL my orchids.Truthfully, they still thrive.

The beauty of this genus and their hybrids is thefull color spectrum they come in. The “show” inthe spring is nothing short of spectacular. To un-derstand their requirements, Equitant growersneed to look at their native habitat. They are en-demic to the Western Caribbean where they growas twig epiphytes, receiving bright filtered light,warm temperatures, cooling breezes, daily show-ers or morning dew, and high humidity. The KEY,is they dry out rapidly because of those fabuloustrade winds. How can we adapt on this coast ofFlorida? This is what I do.

Growing Equitants (Tolumnias) in SouthWest Florida

By Katie Caldwell

I have always grown in a shade house with a roofof plastic in the winter. I now have a permanentroof (clear polycarbonate) and just close up thesides from mid November to mid March openingit up as needed when the heat builds up. I alsomaintain two portable gas heaters. The Equitantsare in the south end of the greenhouse up highwith a big fan blowing air constantly. My shadecloth is 60% over the clear polycarbonate roof. TheEquitants use to hang on Closetmaid shelving thatI hung from S hooks on poles. I became clever afew years ago to maximize my growing lack ofspace. I bought 30” or 36” wide hardware cloth thatI wrapped into a cylinder approximately 12” indiameter connecting it together with electrical ties.The cylinder is hung with a monofilament bridalat the top connected at 4 spots. I hung my plantsall the way around. Then I came up with the ideaof a swivel attachment connected at the top to en-able me to turn the cylinder and make sure theyreceived equal amounts of light. This eliminatedthe one sided growing aspect of these cylinders.

Now I will address the important details of pot-ting. We all experiment with different containers,mixes etc. with our plants. This group has receivedthe most experimentation from me. I now do allsorts of things depending on the size of the plant.The most important consideration is that they needto dry out quickly or they rot. When I purchaseseedlings or compots I put them in tiny clay potswith a small amount of fine to medium grade char-coal, then hang them on my racks. I ran out ofspace last year and put my babies on a tieredbench. The plants can get big and when I dividethem I match the growth habit with potting me-dium. The clay and charcoal works for some of thedivisions, others, I will mount on cork and attachthe plant with strips of panty hose. This also worksif you want to mount them on driftwood. Lately Ihave been experimenting with flat wood slat raftsfor plants I don’t want to divide up. I secure thesewith bits of wire. One more trick is to set the plantin the tiny pot with no medium. They love it andyou can’t over water. The little roots just wraparound the inside of the pot. It is very importantto remove all dead roots and leaves before repottingor mounting the plants. The key to all these meth-ods is they DRY OUT rapidly even with my fre-quent watering of the Vandas.

Continued on next column Continued on page 3

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19TH WORLD ORCHID CONFERENCEDear Fellow Orchid Lovers --

Three years in the making, believe it or not, the19th World Orchid Conference is coming upfaster than you realize, and we need your sup-port to make it the most amazing WOC ever!

PLEASE take a minute to send in a check foryour Orchid Society Sponsorship. If you've al-ready sent in your information and payment,thank you so much for your prompt response.

Sign up now and get the most out of your spon-sorship -- go to WWW.19WOC.com and see howyour society can join in the advance publicityreaching the entire Orchid world and beyond.For your society's sponsorship pledge of only$1,000, your benefits include:

IDENTIFICATION• Society name listed on all appropriate

printed material

ADVERTISING AND DISPLAY• Special Listing in Show Program at the

19 WOC• Special Trophy named in honor of your

Society at the 19 WOC

INTERNET• Link to Society on the 19 WOC website

HOSPITALITY AND TICKETS• 20 Complimentary Show tickets (one day)• 2 Registrants to the ConferenceRemember, 19WOC is a 501 (c) 3 Corporationand your donation may be tax deductible.

My plants get fertilized with every watering and Iflush with plain water every week or so. There isno exact formula for how often you water. Envi-ronmental factors, humidity, sun, etc. play a bigroll. Trust me, mine grow with Vandas. The onlypest problems are scale and mealy bugs. Keep youreyes open because pests come on the scene andbefore you know it, the plant is beyond help. Spraywith orthene in granular form and add a little soapas a wetting agent. Several applications can nor-mally take care of it. Never spray with oil basedsprays, these plants will die. Fungal problemsseem minimal in this group due to the drying outrequirements.

Finding plants to buy can be a challenge so I willshare some sources. Home Depot used to carry alimited selection in the spring. Anita Aldrich ofSundance Orchids in Galveston TX and The Hol-low Orchids and Herbs (ad in Orchids magazine)have been a huge source of plants for me in recentyears.

Be brave and try growing Equitants. The rewardthis time of year is breathtaking. They take upvery little space, have a long bloom period due tothe secondary branching of the inflorescence andcome in every color imaginable. I go in the green-house and it just drives me crazy.

Katie Caldwell

Continued on page 4www.eclecticorchids.com

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Become a part of the 19th World Orchid Confer-ence NOW!

Please complete the attached information sheet,include your check for $1,000 payable to 19WOCand mail to:

19WOC, PO Box 560937, Miami, Fl 33256-0937

Question: Please contact:Amy Simons, Executive Directorphone: 786-62-19WOCemail: director@19woc.com.

Thank you for your prompt attention as we workhard to create an incredible event you'll neverforget.

See you in 2008!

CATTLEYA SPECIALTIES

17899 S.W. 280th Street • Homestead, FL 33031-3310U.S.A.

Tel: (305) 248-6557Fax: (305) 248-9766

Web: www.amazoniaorchids.comE-mail: sales@amazoniaorchids.com

MARCH

Finally, signs of spring with longer and brighterdays. Be careful that the increased light doesn'theat up too much in your greenhouse or win-dowsill. Apply shading if necessary. The in-creased light and warmth of this month willmean an acceleration of growth. Sprouting newroots should be more evident. This month andnext are prime times to check our orchid showsin your area.

APRIL

In April, many orchids will be in glorious flower.You'll probably have to increase the frequencyof your watering because of the new plantgrowth. As soon as you see new roots emergingin cattleyas this is the time to repot. Do it be-fore the roots grow a few inches. Many otherorchids showing new growth can also be repottedat this time. Be on the lookout for bugs. Thewarmer temperatures cause them to hatch out.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR ORCHIDS

From Getting the Lowdown on Orchids

AUCTION NOTICE- Save the date -

Our Auction will be held this year onApril 18th

See You There

7:30 pm - Registration & Judging of Plants7:45 pm - Announcements8:00 pm - Program8:45 pm - Refreshments9:00 pm - Awarded Plants Discussed9:15 pm - Raffle

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SFOS Meeting ScheduleWednesday, March 21, 2007

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ORCHID GROWING TIPS

Replace tagsThe thin plastic tags that come with most orchidswill only last about three years under conditionsin a greenhouse. Use either metal tags which areindestructible or heavy plastic tags to replace themso that you will not lose the name of your orchid.The best time to replace the tags is when you repotthe plant.

Hydrogen Peroxide for MealybugsUse 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to spray on mea-lybugs and soak the pots in the mixture. It willkill both the live bugs and the eggs as well as dis-infect a significant portion of the medium at thesame time. Use a cotton swab to hold open leafaxils to allow the mixture go get into the smallestcreases.

Use a yellow plastic dishpanWhen picking out a pan to use as a water reser-voir in your greenhouse or growing room, use yel-low. Yellow will attract insects to the water andthey will drown! This gives you a two for one punch-- water to evaporate and an insect trap at the sametime. Be sure to watch out for mosquitoes usingyour water to breed, any standing water shouldbe replaced every couple of days.

Keep those little pots of miniatures safeGrowers with many little miniatures will tell youthat it's hard to keep them on a normal growingshelf because the little pots will keep gettingknocked over or tip over on their own. Make yourown hanging screen with chicken wire or hard-ware cloth and clip them to it on the side of yourgreenhouse or growing area. They will stay safeand secure and out of the way.

Another staking tipI recently purchased some long-stemmed silk flow-ers to put in a centerpiece and had to cut off about12 inches of stem. The resulting pieces seem tomake a wonderful stakes for smaller Phals sincethe color is yellow/green and the end of the stakeis already blunted. It provides a stake which isvery sturdy and is still relatively unnoticeable dueto its natural color.

Paph presentation tipWhen Paphs are growing their inflorescences, tipthe pot toward the light so that the buds open fac-ing upwards rather than in the more natural po-

From Bella OnLine

sition facing downwards. When the pot is put backin the natural upright position, the flowers will befacing forward for a more pleasing presentation.

Soak your medium before using it for pottingSphagnum moss is sold in dried form and must besoaked thoroughly before it is used. Warm waterwill speed up the hydration process. It will gener-ally take about 30 minutes before the moss is readyto use. Natural growing mediums will take longer,at least two hours. Plan ahead by putting them inwater the day before you're planning on pottingplants.

Continued on next column

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Registration Form

South Florida Orchid Society10801 S.W. 124 StreetMiami, Florida 33176

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