Due to a last minute cancellation of our planned April speaker, we are replacing the speaker with a program addressing ‘Practical Aspects of Pest Identification and Management’. This is a timely topic as we go forward into Spring where pests and diseases become more of a problem as the weather improves.  Alex Nadzan and Bill Wong will discuss the common orchid pests and diseases we deal with and provide practical methods to address them using both organic and chemical treatments that are readily available to the orchid hobbyist. Topics will include identifying bacterial and fungal diseases, mealybugs, scale, thrips, slugs… [Continue Reading]

Our society welcomes back Tim Culbertson who will talk about development of new Zygopetalum hybrids. Tim is an excellent speaker and orchid enthusiast who will illustrate new directions in Hawaii and in the US to make temperature-tolerant miniature Zygos. These plants are easy to grow and flower, are vigorous, and have low cultural demands; many will grow easily outdoors in Southern California.  Although many Zygos look similar, different breeding lines from around the world have pushed the look of Zygos in radical and wild directions.  Many genera contribute to these new hybrids, and Tim will share will some of these… [Continue Reading]

Some of our members have been asking recently about cultural issues so we would like devote this meeting to orchid culture and address maintaining your orchids in late winter and transitioning to early spring as well as tips on how to prepare for the upcoming growing season. Since we are now into cymbidium flowering season, we also will review aspects on growing, dividing and repotting of these beautiful and easy to grow orchids that are ideally suited for our Southern California climate.  The meeting will be an in-person meeting and will be available on Zoom for those who can’t attend… [Continue Reading]

NOTE: Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in San Diego County, this meeting will be held by Zoom only.We welcome back Betty P. Kelepecz who will speak to us about her trip to Papua New Guinea where she experienced orchids growing in situ and learned about the culture of the natives and fauna in the area. Her presentation will be broadcast by Zoom for members who are unable to attend the meeting in person. The zoom link will be provided in the email accompanying the January newsletter.Betty has been an orchid hobbyist in Southern California since the early… [Continue Reading]

We are happy to welcome back Ron Kaufmann, chair of the San Diego County Orchid Society Conservation Committee and a founding director of the Orchid Conservation Alliance. Ron has been growing orchids for more than 25 years and has travelled extensively to view orchids in the wild in Asia and South America, particularly Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. His talk entitled "Cattleya eldorado: Searching for Gold in the Brazilian Amazon" will describe an unusual orchid habitat near the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River, home to beautiful species like C. eldorado. Cattleya eldorado is a delightful orchid that… [Continue Reading]

We are delighted to welcome back Peter T. Lin who has previously spoken to our society on a number of interesting orchid topics. This month Peter will present a talk on ‘Neofinetia falcata and its Hybrids’.  Peter’s fast paced PowerPoint presentation 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 discuss on 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… [Continue Reading]

We welcome back one of our favorite speakers, Tim Culbertson, who will give us a presentation on ‘Laelia anceps, a Treasure of Mexico’. Although large, these spectacular cattleyas grow well outside in our subtropical climate and with their myriad colors and free-blooming tendencies, they are great plants for every collection. California is a hot-bed of interest in Laelia anceps types and hybrids, and has been for years. Tim will explore the species' influence in hybrids, and how breeders have made combinations of naturally occurring forms to create entirely new strains. By the end of this presentation, attendees will have a… [Continue Reading]

[gmap |align=Right |zoom=16 |center=33.105544112230646, -117.26993081333882 | markers=big red::33.105544112230646, -117.26993081333882 | width=400px |height=300px |control=Small |type=Map]Beginning with the September 2021 meeting, the Palomar Orchid Society will hold its general meetings at the George and Patricia Gowland Meeting Room located in the Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane, just off El Camino Real in southern Carlsbad. The address is 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad, CA 92011.The Gowland Meeting Room offers a flexible layout to accommodate different room configurations such as a classroom setting or panel discussion. The meeting room has a variety of technologies to support presentations.Directions:Traveling South on I-5: Take the Poinsettia Ln. exit and travel… [Continue Reading]

We welcome Carlos Lopez as our second speaker of our in-person meetings this year. Carlos will talk to us about “The Four Seasons of Cattleyas” and will discuss which Cattleya species and hybrids bloom in each season.  This will allow our members to tailor their collections to have blooming cattleyas throughout the year.Many of our members know Carlos from his work at Sunset Valley Orchids. Carlos is a Business student at Mira Costa College who has been cultivating orchids for over 7 years. His orchid venture began at the age of thirteen when he started to follow his father to… [Continue Reading]

We are delighted to welcome Fred Clarke as our first in-house speaker this year who will talk on ‘Becoming an 80 Percentile Grower’. If any of you are wondering what the most important requirements are for growing the best orchids, Fred will teach us about the underlying reasons of how and why orchids grow as they do. He will then explore the fundamentals and advanced growing techniques to best grow them. Orchid plant culture is explained as you have never heard it before so attend the meeting and find out how to become an 80 percentile grower and expect to… [Continue Reading]