Welcome to the Palomar Orchid Society Website!

The Palomar Orchid Society, incorporated in December of 1965 was formed when a few people banded together to talk about orchids. We then grew and bloomed into the roughly 200-member group of orchid enthusiasts that we have today. We represent everything orchid in North San Diego County! Come and join us!!

The Palomar Orchid Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the understanding and cultivation of both hybrid and species orchids. We welcome members of all levels to join us for orchid fun and learning! Our mission is to promote interest in the appreciation of orchids and to provide an opportunity for their display and the exchange and dissemination of information relating to their culture.

February 2013 - Peter Lin

 Peter T. LinPeter T. LinWe are pleased to welcome back Peter Lin as our speaker for February.  Peter will present the topic Neofinetia falcata and its Hybrids’, which will feature this Japanese native orchid species, a bit of history, the many forms and varieties, and a selection of its hybrids within the Vanda alliance.  He also will describe how to grow these marvelous temperature tolerant orchids.

Neofinetia falcata is native to Japan and has been grown there for centuries.  They are highly treasured and come in many flower forms and leaf forms.  It has been used with other vandaceous genera to produce charming compact hybrids.

Peter started growing orchids over 25 years ago, but then stopped due to school and starting a career.  It wasn't until about 9 years ago that the orchid "bug" came back and he is now heavily involved once again.  He is an accredited judge with the American Orchid Society and a hybridizer of mini-catts.  He enjoys meeting with other orchid enthusiasts, and can often be found at various orchid shows and societies around the country.  He also has thousands of photos of his orchids that he maintains on Flickr.   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 02/06/2013 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

February To Do List

 General

  • In general, most orchids should still be kept fairly dry in winter even during warm periods.  If you grow on the coast near the ocean, humidity is usually higher so occasional misting (with pure water, if available) or light watering in extended periods of warm or Santa Ana conditions may be warranted. If you grow further from the ocean, where orchids experience even warmer temps and low humidity and are openly exposed to Santa Ana winds, then you may need to mist and water more often to avoid dehydration, but avoid watering excessively.  Too much water will encourage plants to send out new growths, which will not fare well when the weather turns cold again.  
  • When you do water, do so in the morning and avoid wetting buds and flowers to minimize botrytis (fungal) spotting.  Also keep tabs on the ten day weather forecasts and avoid watering if cooler and/or wet weather is predicted. One wants to make sure orchids are kept on the dry side to allow them to tolerate the cold winter nights we tend to experience in Southern California.  If February brings more normal, cooler weather than January, cut back on water and avoid fertilizing as cooler days and nights prevail.
  • Maintain 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 50o; however, watch under leaves for spider mites and other pests that flourish under dry, less humid conditions.  An excellent article on ‘Cold Tolerance of Orchids’ by Sue Bottom of the St. Augustine Orchid Society can be found on their website.

January 2013 General Meeting

January 2013 - Alan Koch

Alan KochAlan KochWe are delighted to welcome as our first speaker for the 2013 season Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids in Lincoln, CA.  Alan will talk on “Species Habitat and Hybrid Culture”and will teach both novice and advanced growers how to link the way a species grows in the wild with how to grow the species and it’s associated hybrids in your collection. This program is strong on orchid culture and will help us improve the ability to grow and successfully bloom our own orchids.  Alan will provide the plant table as well as offer additional plants for sale at the meeting.  

Alan owns and operates Gold Country Orchids (www.goldcountryorchids.com), where he specializes in miniature and compact Cattleyas. Alan started growing orchids in 1969 with 3 Cymbidiums given to him by an aunt.  While in college he became interested in other orchids and discovered many would grow outdoors in Southern California.  He has moved five times as his orchid obsession has led to the need for more growing space.  With the last move, he purchased 10 acres of land in Lincoln, California for his 250,000 orchids.     Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 01/02/2013 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm

November 2012 Meeting

Annual Holidays Dinner and Officers Installation

Event Date: 
Wed, 12/05/2012 - 6:00pm - 10:00pm

The Palomar Orchid Society will be holding their annual Holidays Dinner and Officer's installation on Wednesday, December 5 at Chin's Szechwan Restaurant,   Read more »

October 2012 Show and Tell

November 2012 - Gil Ho

Gilbert J. HoGilbert J. HoStanhopeas are the upside-down jewels of the orchid world. They are not often cultivated but fairly easy to grow in our Southern California climate with a few basic rules. These plants are highly fascinating as their pendant flowers are among the most highly evolved and specialized of all orchid flowers. The flower spikes emerge through the bottom of the growing basket to hang freely like birds in flight.  With an emphasis on the roughly 70 species currently recognized, Gil's talk will cover basic information about different Stanhopea growing conditions in nature and the origins of Stanhopea collecting and identification. Hybridizing stanhopeas will be mentioned briefly and the talk will conclude with an overview of cutlure conditions for growing Stanhopeas in our Southern California area. This section will serve as this month's culture class.   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 11/07/2012 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Member of the Year 2012

Who do you think has made an outstanding contribution to the club this year?  Nominate him/her for Member of the Year.  Send the name of the individual, along with a description of their contribution, to Debra Funakoshi by Friday, October 26.  Her email address is dlf_3144@att.net.

All current members are eligible except last year’s honoree, which was Debra.  

We will vote at the next meeting to determine who will receive the honor and the name of the honoree will be revealed at the holiday dinner in December.

San Diego International Orchid Show - October 2012

Blc. Toshie's Magic – Alex Nadzan – Best of Section "Cattleya Hybrids", HCC 78
Lc. Schloat's Fancy x L. Lookalike – Phyllis Prestia – Third Place
Pot. (Slc. Golden Wax "Lone Star II" x Blc. Lone Sound "Dogashima") – Alex Nadzan – Second Place
Lc. Tropical Pointer "Cheetah" – Anita Spencer – First Place
Blc. Kathy My Love – Alex Nadzan – Third Place
Lc. Amethyst Star "Purple Flame" – Alex Nadzan – First Place
Ootaara Island Flare "Fragrance" – Alex Nadzan – Third Place
Cymbidium Chen's Ruby 'Gold Digger – Gil Ho – Second Place
Den. blue – Renate Schmidt – Second Place
Amgraecum Shooting Star – Renate Schmidt – First Place
Habenaria medusae – Renate Schmidt – Third Place
Anita Spencer and Dennis Mackewicz
Merle Robboy, Elf Mitton, and Dennis Mackewicz at the booths

These are the orchids exhibited by members of the Palomar Orchid Society that were awarded at the San Diego International Orchid Show October 6 & 7, 2012.

Source: Flickr