Phragmipedium kovachii - The Orchid Society of Nova Scotia

General Meeting of OSNS : Sunday February 14th 2009 at
2:00p.m. at the Keshan Goodman Library in meeting room C
Phragmipedium kovachii
Our Februrary meeting will be held on the
14th ,Valentines Day. I hope everyone can
come out and enjoy it as Dave Latter will be
giving a great talk for beginners on all the
things all orchid owners need to know, culture,
watering, potting, feeding and general care to
make your orchid grow and bloom. Dave has
been growing orchids for many, many years
and he will most likely be able to answer any
questions you have on how to get your plant to
do better. He will also be bringing orchids for
sale so you can take this opportunity to add to
your collection if you like. He has a great
selection and will be able to tell you how best
to care for anything he brings with him.
If Candlemas [February 2] be mild and gay,
Go saddle your horses and buy them hay;
But if Candlemas be stormy and black,
It carries the winter away on its back
Candlemas/Groundhog Day
In This Issue:
Executive member list…….………….……....pg 2
Member’s Corner…………………………..…pg 2
Dates to Remember………….…….……...…..pg 3
Things to take note of……….…...…….…..…pg 4
Information Corner……………………...…....pg 6
Mailing address: OSNS c/o L. MacDonald, 18 Bryden Ave.,
Halifax, NS B3P 1H2
The O.S.N.S. was founded in 1981 and incorporated under the
Nova Scotia Societies Act.
Website: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/Orchidsns/
It's no accident that Groundhog Day and
Candlemas are celebrated together, for both
signify the triumph of light over darkness,
spring over winter.
Candlemas was originally a Celtic festival
marking the "cross-quarter day," or midpoint of
the season. The Sun is halfway on its advance
from the winter solstice to the spring equinox.
The Christian church expanded this festival of
light to commemorate the purification of the
Virgin Mary and her presentation of the infant
Jesus in the Temple. Candlelit processions
accompanied the feast day.
Since the traditional Candlemas celebration
anticipated the planting of crops, a central
focus of the festivities was the forecasting of
either an early spring or a lingering winter.
Sunshine on Candlemas was said to indicate
the return of winter. Similarly, "When the
wind’s in the east on Candlemas Day / There it
will stick till the second of May."(from
www.almanac.com)
Cover photo of Phragmipedium kovachii.
Photo from Piping Rock Orchids
OSNS Executive & Committees 2008/2009
President:
Past President:
Vice President
Bill Bruhm
Wayne Ward
Gail Schwarz
543-7415
582-7966
860-0115
Treasurer/Membership
Secretary
Newsletter Editor
Ruth Ann Moger
826-2837
Marilyn Latter
422-7223
Linda (Josey) MacDonald 477-2415
ramoger@hfx.eastlink.ca
mlatter@ns.sympatico.ca
animalhouse@hfx.eastlink.ca
Program Coordinator:
Publicity:
Table Display:
Gail Schwarz
Valerie Layne
John MacDonald
860-0115
835-3911
431-8152
rschwarz@hfx.eastlink.ca
Library:
AOS/COC Rep:
Show Chair:
John MacDonald
Pam Ferro
Gail Schwarz
431-8152
820-2368
860-0115
whitey@eastlink.ca
pamferro1@gmail.com
rschwarz@hfx.eastlink.ca
Ways & Means
Committee
Web Master
Wayne Ward
582-7966
Renee Clark
wlbruhm@nstu.ca
wayne.wayne@ns.sympatico.ca
rschwarz@hfx.eastlink.ca
layneco@ns.sympatico.ca
whitey@eastlink.ca
wayne.wayne@ns.sympatico.ca
osns@ns.sympatico.ca
February Meeting
The February meeting will be on Sunday the 14th at 2pm in meeting room C at the Killiam Library. We
will be treated to a talk by Dave Latter who will be having a beginner talk for our new and old members alike.
He will be going over the basics that everyone needs to know when trying to grow orchids. It is always great to
have Dave as he has years of experience that we can all draw on and he will be able to answer questions about
basic culture and care as well as point out things that you may not have even thought about. It’s always a good
time when we can help everyone enjoy their new hobby with success. Hope to see everyone there.
Minutes of the January 10th ,2010 Meeting of the OSNS
-Gail Schwarz opened the meeting in Bill’s absence
-16 people in attendance
-Treasurer’s Report from Ruth Ann, we have $600 in our account plus our two GIC’s and some petty cash
leaving us with a NET +489.00
-Agenda for the next meeting was discussed (perhaps a beginners program)
-March meeting will be a slide show of Gail’s trip to Japan
-There is presently a travel subsidy available from COC. It is an educational subsidy to bring in a speaker or
to do group travel deadline for applications is March 15 (max. is $200.)
-Gail showed slides of her trip to Guatemala
-Plant table was also done by Gail
Member’s Corner:
Wolfville Orchid Display and Sale
Saturday, March 6, 2010
10:30am to 4:00pm
Orchids in Bloom, Plant Sales & Supplies, Raffle, Educational Displays,
Informative Talk at 2pm
Free Admission
K.C.Irving Environmental Centre
Acadia University, 32 University Avenue, Wolfville
All campus parking is free on the weekend
All those who can are encouraged to bring plants for display. Since the show is only one day the setup is in
the morning and we can include plants that arrive here by 9:45. The Wolfville people begin setting up around
8:30, and they bring the plants in through the back of the building and up the elevator. For others, the best
thing to do may be stop in front, run in and someone can help you find the back entry. Or take the plants in
through the front as long as you are running in anyways.
Paul
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Library of the OSNS –The library lists are available to view on our website if you misplaced the lists
from the October and November 09newsletters. It will be updated regularly. Please feel free to contact
John MacDonald if you want to have him bring any books or periodical magazines to the next meeting so you
may check them out to take home and read. You can contact him at 431-8152 or whitey@eastlink.ca
Dates to Remember:
( Below Dates taken from May 2009 issue of the COC.)
2010
•
Feb 13-14: The Southern Ontario Orchid Society 30th Annual Orchid Show at the Toronto Botanical Garden,
Edwards Gardens. "http://www.soos.ca/"
•
Feb 19-21: Orchid Society of Alberta "Orchid Fair", Annual Show and Sale, at Grant MacEwan College South
Campus, 7319-29 Avenue, Edmonton. "http://www.orchidsalberta.com/"
•
Feb 27-Feb 28: Orchid Society of the Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd., Burlington, ON. Show chair is
Chris Foden, email fodens@sympatico.ca "http://www.osrbg.ca/"
•
March 21-22: London Orchid Society Orchid Show, at the North London Optimist Community Centre, 1345
Cheapside Street at Highbury, London, Ontario "http://los.lon.imag.net/"
•
March 26-28: The Manitoba Orchid Society Annual Show and Saleat the Assiniboine Park Conservatory. For
more information, please email: secondvp@manitobaorchidsociety.ca
"http://manitobaorchidsociety.ca/index.php"
•
March 27-28: Les Orchidophiles de Montreal Orchidexpo 2010, College de Maisonneuve, 2700 Bourbonniere
St., Montreal, Quebec. For information: Andre Poliquin TEL/FAX: (450)653-9590 e-mail: mor-pol@sympatico.ca
"http://orchidophiles.qc.ca/"
•
April 24-25: The Ottawa Orchid Society show at the Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue, Nepean,
Ontario. Contact Rick Sobkowicz, Show Chairman, at ricksobkowicz@rogers.com
"http://www.ottawaorchidsociety.com"
•
Aug 27-29: Sixth Australasian Native Orchid Conference and Show More information on the ANOS Website:
www.anos.org.au
•
Nov 14-23/2011: 20th WOC Singapore 2011 "Where New and Old World Orchids Meet". Start planning now.
"http://www.20woc.com.sg/site/"
Things to take note of:
Dave Latter in Print:
This is a little pat on the back for Dave Latter, our guest speaker this month, to congratulate him on being
published in another newsletter that I have had the privilege to read. It is the Peruvian Orchid club
newsletter Orquidea, and it is wonderful. The Peruvian Orchid Club put out fantastic newsletters each
month and anyone can subscribe to them. They have been as long as 20-30 pages long and are full of
information and wonderful pictures. This month has made mention of Dave Latter and how he grows one
of his orchids in particular. The article is below for all our members to read. The translation is as it was
sent to me and some of the wording lends to a smile as it is a translation from their published language of
Spanish. The article is below.
David Latter of Halifax, New Scotia, member of the Orchid Society of Nova Scotia for 28 years and he is inaugurating this new section with a beautiful picture of a Cattleya maxima var coerulea. New Scotia is a province in the eastern part of Canada almost totally surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Dave purchased this plant from Ecuagenera in November of 2005 while attending the first conference on Andean Orchids. We know this is an Ecuadorian Catlleya because of its long pseudobulbs and leaves as the Peruvian varieties as much more compact. Dave grows this species with others in a second story greenhouse with a mainly western exposure. The greenhouse glass is bronze tinted low argon with approx 40% shade during the summer. He applies a further 20% shade cloth during the summer months, which is removed in wintertime. He generally grows orchids in intermediate conditions. In the summer it gets very warm during the days, summer daytime temperatures can rise to 32.2ºC and around 15.5ºC at night. His plants require then frequent watering and misting during the summer demanding frequent and fluid ventilation. He fertilizes about 3 times every two weeks. In wintertime, in a sunny day, day temperatures can reach 21ºC and between 14.4 and 15.5ºC during the night. During the months of November, December and to the end of February or early March he mists infrequently, seldom waters and fertilizes weakly once a month. During March the sun warms considerably and he resumes summertime watering and feeding. During the months of November to the end of February many days are dark with little or no natural light. We see here a beautiful Cattleya maxima coerulea with a very good floral disposition; a sharp dorsal sepal and the flowers correctly configured deserving a price in any orchid show. An excellent orchid to open this new section. Thank you Dave! Here are a few events that are up and coming this spring so mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on
anything!.
- Our Spring Show will be held at Spring Garden Place again this year on April 10th & 11th. This won’t
be a judged show this year.
-
March 6th will be our Wolfville Show and Display at the K C Irving Center
-
Canada Blooms – (see December newsletter for flyer)
“I am attaching a flyer for the Canada Blooms trip I am hosting this March also...please pass it along
to all those you may think would like to come spend a few days on a trip with me! This will be a great
lot of fun, and the price isn't bad either!!!” –Neville
Ecuador Orchid Tour
A tour being hosted by Merv Lutes and Lynne Cassidy of the Fraser Valley O.S. and organized by
Ecuagenera is leaving from Vancouver in 2010. Lynne and Merv hosted a tour to Ecuador in 2007 so are very
familiar with the country.
Following are the particulars:
DATE: April 16, 2010
DURATION: 14 DAYS
NUMBER OF PEOPLE: 16
COST: $4,295.00 from Vancouver.
EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT $200.00 (which brings the cost to $4,095.00).
SINGLE PREMIUM: $350.00
This is all inclusive, just bring your spending money.
To register go to the Rostad web http://www.rostad.com/, their phone number is 1-800-361-8687.
Any questions please contact either Merv Lutes 604-535-5185, email lutesara@yahoo.ca or Lynne Cassidy at
604-536-8185, email lynne.cassidy@telus.net.
There is also a tour leaving Calgary on April 2, 2010 hosted by Carl Austin of Orchid Society of Albert
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A single flower of Cattleya Pole-Star ‘Grouse Mountain’ CCM/AOS 86 points at Dec. 12 judging.
Owner Don Bednarczyk with photograph by Judith Higham
This is a cross that will confuse some (C. coccinea x C. briegeri). Most would know these parents as Sophronitis coccinea and
Laelia briegeri, but now the taxonomists are calling them all
Cattleyas. Hold your pencils this is only the latest ploy to confuse
us lowly growers. There will surely be even more changes as the
wind shifts. Editor of CVIOS – January 2010 newsletter.
Farmer’s Almanac Wit and Wisdom
(farmer’s almanac info below can be found at http://www.almanac.com )
As well as being a good time to peruse seed catalogs, now is also when you can
plan your garden for the year ahead.
• Make a diagram drawn to scale before placing your spring order.
• Examine your land in the stark winter days, looking for places where an
evergreen might go nicely.
• Visit a greenhouse or nursery near you and talk with experts about your
growing challenges. Ask them about shrub varieties best for your conditions.
• Remember this rule of thumb for planning perennial gardens: The width of the
garden should be about twice the height of the tallest plant growing in it.
Weather Rules of Thumb
Packed snow begins to squeak underfoot at about 5 degrees F.
At 0 degrees F, it squeaks with a distinct hollow sound.
–Mark Breen, meteorologist, The Fairbanks Museum
If a jet flying overhead doesn’t leave a visible contrail, you can
be pretty sure it won’t rain the next day.
–Jeff Johnson, meteorologist, Northwest Weathernet
Walking a mile through snow takes as much effort as walking 2 miles on bare ground.
–Fred Gadomski, Penn State Meteorology
If a moderate rain falls all day, you’ve probably picked up about an inch of rain. A brief, heavy thunderstorm will
typically produce a quarter of an inch or so.
–Mark Breen, meteorologist, The Fairbanks Museum
Weather Proverbs
While not as scientific, weather proverbs—traditional weather
sayings—often contain a kernel of truth!
If a snowstorm begins when the Moon is young, it will cease at
moonrise.
Fog in January brings a wet spring.
Moonlit nights have the hardest frost.
The Full Moon—January 30
(January 29 on the west coast)
The month will end with the year’s nearest Moon—a full Moon, to boot.
Healing Plants and Spices
From the earliest times in recorded history, plants have been used to heal. Here are some
ways that herbs and the garden can take care of us.
• For winter colds and flu, look to herbs with strong scents—rosemary, thyme, sage,
basil, oregano, and others; their oils have immune-boosting antiseptic and antibiotic
qualities.
• For relief from dry winter air, try a warm compress made from a decoction of cloves and
gingerroot to clear sinuses.
• To ease sore throats, make your own gargle by adding a teaspoon or two of cider vinegar,
sage, chamomile, or lemon juice to warm water.
• For fever, cayenne pepper (in food, broth, or tea) warms the body, promoting heating and
enhancing the body’s infection-fighting ability.
• Cinnamon toothpaste can be used for its antiseptic qualities to kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Soak toothbrushes
in mouthwash to prevent colds from circulating.
Flu season often peaks in early February. Did you know that there’s a new way to predict when the flu
might hit your state? See this tip and more advice on how to avoid getting sick.
Is It a Cold or the Flu?
You are achy, tired, and starting to cough. If it’s a cold, you can probably tough it out, but the flu will
send you straight to bed. Here are a few ways to distinguish the source of your discomfort.
Lore & Legend
It’s no accident that February 2 is both Groundhog Day and Candlemas.
Both signify the triumph of light over darkness, spring over winter. The 2nd is the astronomical
midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
Candlemas, a Christian feast day, got its name from the candlelit processions that accompanied it. Groundhog
Day, a holiday that uses a furry prognosticator to foretell the coming of spring, depends on the presence (or not) of
sunshine for its forecast.
Thus the day is known for weather rhymes, such as Half your wood and half your hay, / Should be gone and be left
on Candlemas Day, a reference to the halfway point of wintery weather.
It was not held as a good omen if the day itself were bright and sunny, for this indicated that snow and frost would
continue, whereas if it were cloudy and dark, warmth and rain would thaw out the fields and have them ready for
planting.
Our Groundhog Day is a remote survivor of that belief!
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Information Corner:
Listen to your orchids - part 1 By Don Bednarczyk
Orchids need the right amount of light and water and to be kept at the right temperature to flourish. But how
do you know if that is what you are giving them? All three are interrelated and cannot be considered in
isolation. So you do not get overwhelmed, we will consider one a month and then bring them together again at
the end. I hope that you will, in the process, get some hints at listening to your orchids.
TEMPERATURE
Temperature is the most often missed piece of the picture. Chemical reactions on average double their rate
every 10 degrees Celsius that the temperature goes up. All plants and animals are just big bags of chemicals
reacting away. You and I are so adapted to living at 37 C and we would be on the limits of life itself if our
temperature was raised or lowered 10 C. Plants are a lot more adaptable, but you can only go so far from the
conditions they have evolved to grow in. We are all familiar with warm, intermediate, and cool growing
plants. And we can push it a bit. But I cannot grow most Phalaenopsis in my house because it is just too cold
in the winter. Someone else cannot grow a Masdevallia because their home is just too warm. That basic
limitation we are all used to.
But a lot of growers do not recognize that plants need a daily rise and fall of temperature to thrive. Why is
that? Plants basically convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar by photosynthesis. They do that using a lot
of enzymes that have evolved to work in a specific temperature range. That is what makes them warm,
intermediate, and cool growers. But at the same time they are making sugar, they are using the energy stored
in that sugar to make proteins, pigments and structures such as leaves, roots, and of course flowers. They use
that sugar day and night. They can only capture energy from the sun during the day. But they use the energy
day and night. So simply put, if they use more energy than they store during the day, they do not grow well.
So we need to slow down their metabolism at night by lowering the temperature. Usually a 5 to 10 degrees C
drop works well. Remember, chemical reactions run slower at lower temperatures. I have tried to grow
orchids at work where the temperature was 20 C, day and night. It was an exercise in futility. They kind of
grew. They got weaker. They never flowered.
So how far can you push lowering the temperature at night? The answer is only so far. And to further
complicate the matter, many of our epiphytic orchids do not actually produce sugar during much of the day.
They have evolved a defense mechanism against drying out in the heat of the day. Their stomata, the pores
that let carbon dioxide into their leaves, also let water escape. So they have evolved a metabolism which
allows them to absorb energy from the sun while holding their stomata closed. Then as it cools off, the
stomata open and carbon dioxide enters the leaf, and then sugar is produced. So they need a period of
darkness which is warm enough to let sugar get produced. Many orchids from the tropics, where the heat
lingers until late at night, have evolved this way. But even there, it is darn cool by morning. Most orchids
from moist alpine areas, where it cools off as fast as the sun sets, did not evolve this way.
Part of your knowing how much and how fast to lower the temperature is knowing where the orchids came from
in the first place. All orchids are not created equal. And hybrids, mixtures of genes from all over the place,
come from nowhere. So what are you to do? If your plants are growing really slowly and the growths are long
and thin, question if the night time temperature is too high. If the pseudobulbs are fat and hard, and there are
little bits of honeydew on the growths in the morning, you probably have got it right.
And many orchids need a yearly temperature signal to tell them it is time to bloom. For some orchids the signal
from changing light conditions is the strongest. Yet for others it is the signal from changing daily high and low
11
temperatures that is the strongest. Some Phalaenopsis demand a cool night temperature for at least a month in
the fall to set their buds. I know of people letting their Phalaenopsis sit at 12-13 C at night for several weeks in
the fall. They reportedly seem to almost instantly bud up when returned to normal growing temperatures.
Some Cattleyas need both a light and a temperature signal to set their buds. If your plants are growing well and
getting plenty of light but just will not bloom, consider looking into missing yearly temperature changes that are
the problem. For instance, in the summer my Cattleyas grow in a greenhouse that goes from about 18 C at night
to about 27 C by day (and up to 34 C on a rare really hot day). And it may be midnight before the temperature
drops below 22 C. The temperatures slowly come down in the late summer and early fall and they get moved
into my light room in early to mid October. There the winter temperature is 15 C by night and 23 C by day with
a more rapid fall in temperature at night
That is not a huge change, but combined with a shorter (12-13 hour) light period, it seems to do the trick. Then
in mid May it is back to the greenhouse and the cycle continues.
Please remember that the temperatures given here are AIR temperatures. The temperature at the plant may be
quite different than the temperature on a thermometer at the other end of the room. A plant sitting in sunlight
will be a lot warmer than the room. Likewise, a plant sitting on a windowsill at night will be a lot cooler than
the room. Feel the plants at different times of the day. Or, if you are technically inclined, get one of those
infrared thermometers and measure actual leaf temperature. It is the differential in temperature at the plant that
you must consider. Room temperature is only a guideline.
January 2010 Volume 41 Issue 1 Page 8
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Plant Table for January 2010 Meeting:
Den. Tooloom x speciosum
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Den. Mini Snowflake
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Den. aberrans
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Den. denudens
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Cattleya loddigessii var punctata
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Lycaste Cassiopeia
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Lycaste Lucianii (Lyc. Lasioglossa x Lyc.
Skinneri)
Slc Circle of Life ‘Glory Be’
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Pot. Dream Circle
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Pot. Golden Circle
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Pot. King’s Ransom
Bob & Gail Schwarz
Greenhouse
Bi Yellow Bird
Ruth Ann Moger
Greenhouse
Pot. Hoku Gem ‘Super Spots’
Ruth Ann Moger
Greenhouse
Pot. Auburn Fire
Ruth Ann Moger
Greenhouse
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Epi. Polybulbon ‘Golden Gate’
Ruth Ann Moger
Greenhouse
Masd. strobelii
Ruth Ann Moger
Greenhouse
Lc. Sylvan ‘Blythe Spirit’ HCC/AOS
Ruth Ann Moger
Greenhouse
Blc. Baby Linda ‘Carmella’
Barry Langille
Windowsill
SLC Crown Jewel
Barry Langille
Windowsill
Paph Proud Tudor
Barry Langille
Windowsill
Pleurothallis Restrepioides ‘Dragon’s Horn’
Barry Langille
Windowsill
☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺:☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺
Submissions for the Newsletter: If there is anything any member would like published in the newsletter, the
dates for submission are the 25th of each month. They can be emailed to me or sent snail mail to Linda
MacDonald, 18 Bryden Ave. Halifax, N.S. B3P 1H2. All suggestions and comments are most welcome.
Please feel free to contact me at any time.
From CVIOS Janary Newsletter 2010 is Cattleya Pole-Star’Grouse Mountain’ CCM/AOS 86 points
at Dec.12 Judging. Owner Don Bednarczyk, photo by Judith Higham.