NFOS December 2015 - Niagara Frontier Orchid Society

Upcoming Dates:
12/8: Christmas Party at Protocol
All meetings are held at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 7 p.m. in
Greenhouse #10 unless otherwise noted
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING FOR THE NEWSLETTER
OR THE WEBSITE?
Please feel free to submit articles, hints, tips, etc. to the
editor: [email protected] OR
[email protected] OR Renee Engels, 160 Handy Road,
Elma, NY 14059
I want to thank everybody that helped at the show... again, it was a great success!!
People really stepped up to the plate with the sales table, raffle table and judging!! Even
registration was a lot smoother this year... We couldn't do it without all of you!! And as
usual, the food was delicious-- thanks to all who brought their special dish in to share-it was all very appreciated!! Sue Charles
ORCHID STUFF…
From: Orchids Limited (orchidweb.com)
(submitted by John Kociela)
How To Grow Phrags:
How to Cultivate a Phragmipedium Plant to Perfection and Get It to Flower Regularly!
First and foremost, growing Phrags is all about the water! The water has to be pure or low in mineral
content. Rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water is best. Some cities, like New York or San Francisco,
that have water originating in granite reservoirs, have really good water for Phrags as well. Just a
small amount of limestone is added to prevent corrosion of municipal water pipes. Water pH of 6.2 to
7.5 is ideal.
Secondly, Phrags need water and a lot of it! It is really difficult to overwater a Phrag as most, if not
all, of these plants come from areas that receive lots of rainfall or have water trickling down or moving
continuously over the roots. Some plants can be under water during flooding for long periods of time.
Phrag besseae for instance and Phrag fischeri are often found growing in or in close proximity to
waterfalls. Phrag boissierianum and wallisii often can be found growing together in wet crumbly
volcanic clay covered by moss. Phrag popowii or caudatum can be found growing in cloud forests
with light moss around their roots. The water is always on the cool side at the roots even though for
brief periods the temperatures can reach into the 90's.
Thirdly, Phrags like a well-drained potting mix that has good aeration and yet the ability to retain
some moisture. The mix should contain Orchiata Bark from the Classic to the Power size and have
some Growstone or perlite mixed in. For some Phrags like besseae, the addition of small amounts
(5%) of peat moss will help hold moisture. Change the potting mix as it breaks down.
Clear pots like Rand's Aircone Pots work really well for the hobbyist as you can see through the pot
for moisture and rooting activity. These pots were designed by Ray Rands (R.J. Rands Orchids) to be
tough and long-lasting and to grow orchids like Paphs and Phrags to their ultimate. The pyramidal
slopped bottoms move water out and away from the central part of the pot while the aircone in the
center extends up into the mix quite a ways to provide excellent aeration. We do notice really good
root development when these pots are used for Phragmipediums.
Watering should be done as the mix approaches dryness but the mix should never dry out
completely. Err on the wet side if anything. Watering at least twice per week is usually the best choice
for most Phrags. Another method is to grow Phrags standing in a saucer of water about an inch
deep. Fill the saucer by watering the plant from the top, letting the water drain through the mix and
filling the saucer. Allow the water to be drawn up by the plant until the saucer is just empty and then
water again from the top, filling the saucer.
Feeding should be done every other week, flushing the mix out well with clear water in between. Use
a feed designed specifically for plants that are to be grown with clean water like our own Green
Jungle Orchid Food, developed by Jerry Fischer along with 2 horticultural scientists with PhD's in
plant physiology and a lot of experimentation and research into what orchids get in the way of
nutrition in the wild.
Temperatures for best results shouldn't exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer daytime and
ideally the night temps should be in the upper 50's to low 60's especially in spring, fall and winter
months. This will insure good growth and proper flowering. Phrag besseae and its hybrids for
instance, will get light colored flowers of not such good shape when bloomed under warm summer
conditions. The cooler the temps, the better the shape and colors for all Phrag species and hybrids.
Florida would not be a great place to grow Phrags for most of the year unless you have air
conditioning.
Light levels are important as well. Most Phrags do best in lower to medium light as for Phalaenopsis
or Paphiopedilums and do not want to have hot leaves in full sunlight. Remember that in winter the
sun is a lot lower in the atmosphere and therefore doesn't have the hot punch it has in spring through
fall months. One should always make sure that Phrags have adequate water available to the roots
when in somewhat stronger sunlight. This will help prevent leaf burn.
We are sure that if you follow the guidelines above, you too can succeed at growing these stunning
plants!
Thanks to Arlene Hassenfratz for the following
link and information. This information is from
greenmethods.com!
Luring Thrips with Extracts
For a long time we’ve known that thrips are
attracted by scent as well as visual stimuli such as
color. But now there may be a way to utilize this
scent-attraction to help thrips trap themselves, thus
removing them from the crop. One new way to do
this, even though this still requires some more
experimentation, is to soak plain old cotton balls in
vanilla or almond extract and place them in the
crop. Apparently thrips are quite attracted to
these scents and will actually make their way into
the cotton balls looking for the source. The good
part is once they burrow into the cotton balls they
find it nearly impossible to extricate themselves.
This is a novel, inexpensive approach that can help
reduce thrips numbers simply by way of trapping
them.
Trapping Gnats with Potatoes
Need to scout for or trap fungus gnat larvae?
Here’s a novel method: Use ¼" slices of raw potato
to catch them. Here’s how: Place a slice of raw
potato on the surface of the media on at least one
pot per section for monitoring purposes, or place
one slice on the surface of the media per pot (or
several on beds). Allow the slices to rest
undisturbed for one week, then flip them over to
check for signs of life. The gnat larvae are attracted
to the slices and will burrow inside of them,
feeding as they go. The inspecting scout will be
able to see the holes if not the actual larvae within
the slices. If larvae are present, simply throw the
slice away, being sure to do so in such a way that
the larvae will be destroyed or at least not emerge
in the environment from which they’re being
removed. In any case, due to spoilage, be sure to
change the slices weekly. Easy, inexpensive, yet
effective.
There were several AOS Awards given at the November Orchid
Show. Miwako Leising received an AOS Award for Cymbidium
erythrostylum 'Miwako's Dream', her first ever award!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
(Picture by Laurie Gallivan)
November 2015 NFOS meeting minutes
11/3/2015
Board Meeting:
Attending: Joe DiDomenico, Susan Charles, Russ Miller, Tony Achtyl, Peter
Martin, donna Lipowicz, Barbara Domagala, Al Baran
Motion by Sue Charles to resolve vendor issue; charge 15% or a flat $500.
November we will self vendor. Unanimous vote on 15% of sales and payment due
at end of show on Sunday. Donna will speak with Marlow and Piping Rock
Orchids about February 2016 show.
Regular Meeting:
Susan Charles gave treasurer’s report. Approximately $7,000 in bank.
for plants for November show.
Expenses
December meeting at Protocol Restaurant. See Diane DiDomenico for forms.
Sign-up book for show work schedule available for signing. Carol (Artwork) and
Hertel Hydroponics as vendors.
NFOS will be using the Botanical Gardens credit card system for sales; they will
be paid a fee for this service.
Show sign-in for judging is 7:00 am and Judging is 8:00 am Saturday. Clean
plants, no leaf shine. Stake spikes so flowers can be seen without bending down
to them. Greenhouse 11 will be an orchid display for the Botanical Gardensplants in-site. Donna L. is overseeing. There will also be three educational
displays and our club table.
Elections:
Recording Secretary: Peter Martin
Treasurer: Laurie Joyce
MORE SHOW ACCOLADES!
The judging went quite well during our fall show. Thanks to all the members that participated in the ribbon
judging, it is an interesting activity and you can learn so much from the judges.
The AOS judging also went well, there were three quality awards given. Two NFOS members received AOS
awards, congratulations to Joe DiDomenico and Miwako Leising. GROS also received an AOS award in their
display. The Botanical Gardens display in house 11 received the AOS Show Trophy for the best exhibit in the
show. The judges hung around until after 3 pm which is much longer than they typically spend, so I guess we gave
them lots to look at.
As we prepare for MAOC next fall consider volunteering to clerk for the judging, it will be even more interesting
with judges from all over the USA and Canada.
Donna Lipowicz
Presidents’ Report – The November Judged Orchid Show
Our November show was a great
success! The displays from our
members were excellent and the
Botanical Garden display in House #11
was outstanding and received an AOS
award. Miwako Leising and I were
fortunate to also receive AOS awards
as well. This is the first time our
society has received more than one
AOS award at a show as far as I can
recall!
The judging went well and the catered
lunch for the judges was well
received by all. The food and drink
throughout was excellent as always
and thanks to those who cooked and
helped out in any way.
The raffle table and sales table did
well as usual and financially we did
about as we expected. It was another
profitable show which will allow us to
bring in speakers in the coming year.
Finally, our shows would not be
successful if we did not have the
support and participation of our
membership. The board, officers, and
I want to thank each and every one of
you who helped out to make this
another successful show.
Happy Holidays,
Joe DiDomenico