Helge W.'s posts

Sandra Tillisch SvobodaWe are pleased to welcome Sandra Tillisch Svoboda, current President of the American Orchid Society, who will be speaking on "Breeding with Recently Described Paphiopedilums from Vietnam".  Sandra’s visit is jointly hosted by the Palomar and the San Diego County Orchid Societies.  Accordingly, she will present a talk on Tuesday, February 4 to the San Diego Society on “The Orchids of Bhutan” for those of you who are interested in that topic. This month’s plant table for will be provided by Casa de las Orquideas.

Growing up in Minnesota, Sandra's only exposure to orchids was that prom corsage. After graduating with a degree in nursing, she moved to California and ended up in Santa Barbara. She began her orchid life as a pot washer for her husband Al and became fascinated with the history of her husband's complex paph collection, which included many of the oldies like Paph. F.C. Puddle. Al's knowledge, love, and enthusiasm for orchids were contagious and when they built a second greenhouse, she decided it would be hers and that was the moment that orchids became an important part of her life.    Read more »

General

• Short days and cold nights in January will keep most of your orchids in a semi-dormant growth state but Fall/Winter blooming orchids will initiate spikes at this time.  Watch them very carefully and cut back on water and fertilizer as cooler days and nights prevail.
• Protect your outdoor orchids from winter rains.  Keeping them on the dryer side will allow them to tolerate the cold winter nights we tend to experience in Southern California.  Water and fertilize sparingly during winter warm spells.
• As watering and fertilizing practices diminish for winter, be sure to leach your plants thoroughly. Make your last thorough watering a leaching process in order to address 'salt built up' issues before diminished watering starts. Roots should readily be able to absorb the little water and nutrients that they may get during this period. Roots heavily encrusted with excess minerals are not able to absorb the ones they need and may develop deficiencies or even excess toxic levels during dryer conditions.
• Keep cold-sensitive, warm growing orchids (phals, paphs, tolumnias, most vandas and warm growing dendrobiums and cattleyas such as violacea, dowiana and their hybrids) inside or in a greenhouse to protect them from night temperatures below 50°F. An excellent article on ‘Cold Tolerance of Orchids’ by Sue Bottom of the St. Augustine Orchid Society can be found in their October Newsletter (pgs. 9-11)
• Cold loving orchids, including odontoglossums, miltonias, pleurothallids, masdevallias, draculas, will thrive in cool weather and respond by initiating growth so continue to water and fertilize them during this period but also protect from freezing temps. Take this opportunity to divide or repot them during their winter growth period to encourage new growth and avoid the stress of repotting during the warm season.
• Winter blooming cattleyas and cymbidiums should be in bud or full bloom by now. Provide adequate water and fertilizer, but do so in the mornings so plants dry out before nightfall. Stake cymbidium spikes to guide inflorescences for support of buds and blooms.
• Maintain good hygiene practices to minimize transmission of pests and viruses. Watch for fungus, bacterial rot and cold burn in cold and wet weather. Remove infected tissues and treat accordingly. More information on treating these disorders can be found on the AOS website.
• More details on monthly checklist items for specific genera can be found on the AOS website

General

• Shorter days and cooler nights in November will slow down the metabolism of your orchids and initiate spikes on Fall/Winter blooming orchids.  Watch them carefully and cut back on water and fertilizer as cooler days and nights prevail. Protect outdoor orchids from winter rains.
• Bring in cold-sensitive, warm growing orchids to protect them from night temperatures below 50°. 
• Fall/winter blooming cattleyas and cymbidiums are either in bloom or preparing for blooming. Provide adequate water and fertilizer but do so in the mornings so plants dry out before nightfall. Stake cymbidium spikes to guide inflorescences for support of buds and blooms.
• Maintain good hygiene practices to minimize transmission of pests and viruses. Watch for fungus and bacterial rot as weather cools and wetter conditions prevail.
• More details on specific genera can be found on the AOS website

The October meeting will feature our second culture session of the year that will concentrate on “Preparing your Orchids for Winter”.  Panel members will include Nico Goosens (Lico Orchids), Karl Batchman (Casa de las Orquideas), Harry Philips (Andy’s Orchids), and other expert growers.

Believe it or not, winter is approaching!  Although it does not seem so with all the warm weather we are having thus far.  But to your orchids, the waning sun, shorter days and cooler evenings are telling them that it is time to start slowing down to begin their winter’s rest.  To others it is telling them that the mating (flowering) season is fast around the corner.

Cymbidiums also will be send up their spikes of wonderful colors with rainbow hues.  Some dendrobiums will shrink if watered in winter, while others will welcome the chill to set next year's flowers.  The Black Orchid and related members (cycnoches and catasetums) will drop their leaves and go into dormancy.  Cold sensitive plants such as phalaenopsis, tolumnias, and most vandas will need to be brought in to avoid their demise.  Potted orchids will need care different than orchids on sticks.  Do you know how to care for your loved ones?

Join us on 2 October when your fellow orchid growers guide you into the chilly weather to come. Please bring your questions on winterizing your plants as well as any other orchid related questions you may have.

The opportunity table will be provided by the three commercial growers and should have a very nice collection of plants.

• In spite of the day length becoming shorter in September, this month can still produce very warm days for continued growth of your plants.  Watch them carefully and provide adequate water and fertilizer before tapering off when warm days begin to wane.
• Some cattlyeas and other genera (dendrobiums, oncidiums) are still in active growth mode so take the opportunity to repot those you may have missed before month’s end to allow enough growth before the onset of cooler weather and initiation of the dormancy period.
• Maintain good hygiene practices to minimize transmission of pests and viruses, particularly during the warm summer months when pests and diseases can proliferate very quickly and spread throughout the collection. Carefully inspect plants for scale and aphids and treat early to minimize spread.
• More details on specific genera can be found on the AOS website