Helge W.'s posts

General

• Review and continue to follow recommendations for March since continued cool temperatures throughout March, particularly on the coast, has delayed Spring flowering and onset of growth for some species and hybrids.
• Fine tune the shading of orchids as heat and light continue to increase.
• Remove with sterile utensils any dead flowers or leaves that were damaged by bacterial rot or fungal rot, being careful not to contaminate clean plants.
• If not done yet, spray benches and growing areas with Physan to decrease possibility of bacterial and fungal diseases.
• April brings on new growth for many orchids and the opportunity to repot and divide those orchids that initiate new root growth at this time. Try to repot when roots are small and just beginning to emerge in order to minimize damage to soft tissues and avoid transplant shock, giving plants a head start for the upcoming growing season.
• Repot when orchids have begun to over grow their pots and/or when media has started to break down.  Also consider repotting plants that have been in pots for 2 or more years and are existing, but not thriving. Repotting can revitalize and provide new vigor to such plants.
• It is helpful to thoroughly rinse and soak all media prior to potting. Dry media tends to wick moisture away from plants.  Then keep plants relatively dry to encourage root growth.  If you prefer to repot using dry bark mixes, water newly potted plants thoroughly (2-3x), then keep on dry side to stimulate root growth.

 General

• Continue to follow recommendations for February as low night temperatures throughout February and early March will likely delay onset of the initiation of spring growth.
• Prepare for a busy spring cleaning period. Purchase orchid supplies in anticipation of the spring potting season.
• Avoid reusing pots as they carry potential for viral and bacterial infections. If you must reuse pots, disinfect plastic pots by soaking in a bleach/soap solution overnight.  Clay pots can be reused by cleaning, followed by sterilizing in an oven at 425°F for 2-3 hrs.
• As temperatures and light intensity increases during the month, consider re-positioning shade cloth or moving orchids to avoid damaging effects due to increased light and heat as appropriate.
• To facilitate new growth consider positioning the emerging growths in the direction of the sun. 
• More details on specific genera can be found on the AOS website

Indoors and Greenhouse   Read more »

 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.

Gilbert 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 »

We are fortunate to have return one of our favorite speakers and long time member and supporter of the Palomar Orchid Society, Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids, who will speak to us on “Growing the Best Orchids”.

Fred’s talk will cover multiple aspects of growing orchids including general orchid culture, repotting, potting materials, lighting, fertilization, what orchids grow best together, etc. Fred’s power point presentation will review the ‘best practices’ for growing a variety of orchids and include pictures of some of his novel hybrids and species.  The presentation should be of considerable interest to both the novice and advanced orchid hobbyist.  As many of our members know, Fred is an excellent, highly sought after lecturer in the orchid world so his presentation should not be missed.

Fred has been growing orchids for 34 years and has been hybridizing for 26 of those years. With over 26 years as a professional grower and manager in the horticultural industry, Fred applies these skills at his orchid nursery, Sunset Valley Orchids, located in Vista, California, just north of San Diego. His nursery’s website is http://www.sunsetvalleyorchids.com/ 

Fred is a passionate orchid grower whose curiosity in orchids is wide and varied. Although developing new Cattleya hybrids has been his sustaining interest, he is also actively creating new Bulbophyllum, Paphiopedilum and Aussie Dendrobium hybrids. Moreover, his pioneering work in Catasetum intergeneric hybrids led to the development of several notable hybrids, most recently the grex, Fredclarkeara After Dark, which produced “the closest flower color to black ever witnessed”. This grex received seven FCC’s and three AM’s on the first flowers shown for judging.    Read more »