September 2005

The Orchid Grower

Upcoming Events

• September 16-18
  Wisconsin Orchid Society Show
  Mitchell Park Conservatory
  The Domes
  Milwaukee, WI
  
• September 23-25
  Illinois Orchid Society Fall Show
  
• September 23-25
  Chicagoland Orchid Festival
  Click for info
  
• October 28-30
  Blackhawk Orchid Society Fall Show, Klehm Arboretum, 2701 Clifton Ave., Rockford, IL.
  
• February 18-19
  Batavia Orchid Society Show
  
• March 5-6
  NEWOS Show
  
• March 18-19
  Illowa Orchid Society 31st Spring Show
  
• April 27-29
  Illinois Orchid Society Spring Show

Meeting Dates

• Sept 18 - Video - The Many Worlds of Orchids
  
• Oct 16 - Video - "Aldo Leopold And the Wild Prairie Orchids" by Charles Johannsen. Scott Weber will lead a discussion.
  
• Nov 20 - Orchids by the Ackers - Chuck Acker will talk about his trip to Peru to acquire Phrag. Kovachii
  
• Dec 18 - Holiday Party
  
• Jan 15 - Olbrich Gardens
  
• Feb 19 - Olbrich Gardens
  
• Mar 19 - Olbrich Gardens
  
• Apr 9 - Olbrich Gardens
  
• May 21 - Olbrich Gardens
  
• June Picnic
  

Officers and Committees

Subit your photos to be included in the newsletter. Every month we want to include a gallery of photos to enjoy. Email your photos to Brook (orchids@tinamoupottery.com).

September Meeting

There will be a video prensentation entitled The Many Worlds of Orchids. There will not be ribbon judging at the meeting because we would like you to consider entering your flowering orchids in the Wisconsin Orchid Society show at The Domes in Milwaukee.  Like always, there will be a door prize, snacks, refreshments and talk about orchids at the club meeting.  If you would prefer to head over to Milwaukee for the show, a car pool is being organized by Meg McLauglin (see below for details). 

Wisconsin Orchid Society Show

The Wisconsin Orchid Society show is Sept. 17-18. We need your blooming plants for the show.  Here’s what you can do to participate:
 
Email your plant list (with full names) by Sept. 10 to Sandy Delamater sldjn@aol.comor call her at 835-8118.  She would appreciate getting the plant names in advance so that she can start making the plant labels.

Drop off your plant(s) at Orchids by the Ackers by Wednesday September 14th, 12 noon. Put your plants in a box with the plant names and make sure that your name is on the box.  This is important so that your plants do not get mixed up.  A list of the plants in the box is very helpful as it expedites the labeling process.
  
Wayne King and Sandy Delamater will be doing the show set up on the 16th.  Meg McLaughlin will be doing the "take down".   A special thanks to them for volunteering to do this.

A car pool will leave from Olbrich Gardens at 1:00 on Sept. 18 (please go to the meeting room).  If you decide not to make the trek to Milwaukee (and we think it’s a great idea to go), then hang out for the first meeting of the "year". 

When to Bring Your Plants Inside

We hope all of you had an enjoyable summer and that you and your orchids survived the heat and drought.  As we approach autumn, the decrease in temperatures will favor certain groups of orchids.  We need to keep a close watch on the temperatures. The best way for me to explain when it is ideal to bring in your orchids, is to find out what temps your orchids grow best in during the day and the night.  Some orchids are warm growers, some are intermediate growers, and some are cool growers.  Each orchid has its range of tolerance, i.e., Cattleyas are intermediate growers, they like temps between 58°-62° F at night and 66°-75° F in daytime.  You can find out what each individual orchid likes by looking it up in an orchid book, or on a web site, etc.  By watching the daily temps you can determine when it’s time to bring in the plants that need those conditions.  Cymbidiums are "cool growers" and they really like to be outside when it’s cool.  I have left mine out when the temps went down to 38º F.

The more you learn about growing conditions, the more you will be rewarded with healthy, flowering orchids.  I will continue to share my orchid growing tips for future newsletters.  I hope that you do too!  Feel free to call me if you have any questions.  Good Luck, see you at the meetings!

Sandy Delamater- 608-835-8118 - sldjn@aol.com

Questions About Your Plants

Bring your plants to the meetings even if they don't have flowers. If your plant is half dead, bring it in, and we will help answer your questions about reiviving it. If your plant has never bloomed, bring it in so we can try and figure out why! If your plant is so big that you need to divide it, bring it in - we’d love to relocate part of it to our windowsills!

Reimbursement News

The reimbersment fees have been adjusted to accommodate the increase in gas prices. The new calculations brought it up to $3.00 per gallon. You can view the revised schedule worksheet at the meetings or ask Meg McLaughlin for a copy.

If you help with set-up or take-down for any of our Away Shows, remember to submit your expenses within 30 days of the show to Don Fago, our new Treasurer & a special thanks to Steve Thimling for serving as Treasurer the past 6 years.  Hats off to you Steve!

Member Voice

Would you like to give a talk at one of our meetings? Share your knowledge, photos from an orchid trip, or anything else orchid related. All you need to do is tell Elaine <egadzicki@charter.net> your idea and we’ll work it into one of our meetings. 

Do you have any good ideas about growing orchids? Have you read a good orchid book or article that you would like to share? Please email Brook <orchids@tinamoupottery.com> with your article for inclusion in our monthly newsletter.

Member Photos

Orchids grown by Svetlana Kot
Cycnodes Wine Delight 'JEM'	Sophronitis cernua
Orchids grown by Sandy Delamater
Burrageara Nelly Isler	Grammatophyllum citrinum	Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos'
Orchids grown by Lori O'Neill
Vanda Ackers Pride	Phal Prairie du Sac x (P llse of Dreams x P Platimum Plus)	Unknown Phal.