PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Meets every third Monday of the month July 2013

The COALITION for ORCHID SPECIES

at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens

10901 Old Cutler Road

Coral Gables, Florida

www.cosspecies.com

Did you know?

In 1731, an English botanist received a dried herbarium species

from New Providence in the Bahamas. "The tuber appearing to

have life in it," he potted and carefully nurtured the plant. It re-

vived, and the next year brought forth handsome pink- and rose-

colored flowers. This was Bletia purpurea.

The name and date are worth noting, for this was the first tropi-

cal orchid to flower in England, foreshadowing a mania for or-

chids that nearly rivaled the tulip madness that swept the Nether-

lands during the 17th century.

Bernard Lavaud is the part owner and grower

of B&G Orchids, newly established in the Redlands late last year. He has extensive orchid experience working with a prominent grower for many years and has an established orchid mainte-nance company with faithful clients who sing his praises for over 6 years in the Miami area. He has a thorough knowledge of or-chids and specializes in orchids for the Florida climate. As a newcomer in the retail aspect of the business, his hope is to share a bit of his knowledge to those whose hobbies include

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 2

orchids so that they can grow their plants well and keep them as beautiful as when they picked them out the first day. His main concentration is on Vandaceous orchids and Species that do well in our region. In addition,

he has a great background in the use of orchids to create beautiful orchid landscapes.

Orchid lovers who meet Bernard or hear one of his lectures will find him easy to understand and knowledgeable in the information he imparts. B&G Orchids are located in the heart of the Redlands and is opened to the public where Bernard and

his Mother welcome all to the nursery.

Contact info: B&G Orchids 23190 SW 157 Ave., Miami Fl 33170 Ph: 786 264 2051 blavaud@bgorchids.com

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Bits and Pieces

Sunday July 21, 2013 Fairchild Tropical Gardens

7:30 to 4:00

Five exciting speakers:

Mr.Duncan Bass

Mr.Guillermo Salazar

Mr. Francisco Miranda

Ms.Cordelia Head

Dr. Jennifer Zettler

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Bits and Pieces

The event will feature Plant sales from J&L Orchids After July 7,

J&L Orchids will give a 10% discount to any pre-orders delivered to the

symposium

and Miranda Orchids

A Silent Auction

A Raffle table

A.O.S. Judging

Continental Breakfast

Lunch

Get your tickets by contacting Erna Maxwell at

hendrinamax@bellsouth.net or at our next meeting.

Tickets will cost $45 for members and $50 for

nonmembers. Tickets will not be sold at the

door.

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Bits and Pieces

Last year’s Symposium

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QUICK CARE FOR YOUR ORCHIDS

A. Phalaenopsis enjoy the light behind curtains and window blinds in this master bedroom.

B. When watering your orchids, take care to avoid wetting the leaves. If water gets trapped in

between the leaves, dry them quickly by using a piece of tissue or a cotton ball.

C. After watering, do not allow residual or standing water to come in contact with the base of

the orchid pot.

D. When the last flower drops, cut your flower spike halfway down the stem. A possible re-

bloom will occur if you continue caring for your orchid.

Here is an article that may help you decide on what type of insecticides to use on your orchids. I found it very interesting and am adjusting my use of neonicotinoid insecticides to help keep the bees happy.

Bits and Pieces

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 7

Bits and Pieces

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 8

June Collage

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 9

Are you in need of a gift for your favorite orchid hobbyist? As a member of the American Orchid Society, you may get a 5% dis-count on all purchases from the following vendors as an added benefit of membership: Exotic Orchids of Maui, June's Orchid Estate, Krull-Smith, Orchid Doctor, Orchid Inn, Ltd., Seagrove Orchids, Sunset Valley Orchids, and Woodstream Orchids. Anoth-er gift option could be to purchase an AOS gift membership or re-newal -- for a 2 year renewal they will receive a certificate worth worth $30 off of an order of $100 or more from your choice of one of the following vendors: Carmela Orchids, Carter & Holmes, Dan & Margie Orchids, Exotic Orchids of Maui, Gold Country Orchids, Hillsview Gardens, Indoor Gardening Supplies, June's Orchid Estate, Kelley's Korner Orchid Supplies, Krull-Smith, Lit-tle Brook Orchids, Marsh Hollow Orchids, Mountain View Or-chids, New Earth Orchids, Norman's Orchids, OFE International, Orchid Doctor, Orchid Inn Ltd., Piping Rock Orchids, Quest Or-chids, RF Orchids, Ravenvision, Roberts Flower Supply, Soroa Or-chids, Inc., Sunset Valley Orchids, Tropical Gardens Orchids. Some of these vendors allow these certificates to be used at the shows where they sell, but be sure to have the certificates in hand. Information on how to contact these vendors and many others may be found in the 2012 Orchid Source.

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 10

Q. Dendrochilum magnum

I just purchased a Dendrochilum magnum and am not sure about its care, medium or environment. Second, I was at a show and discussed the merits of coconut fiber as a medium. Could you tell me the pros and cons of the medi-

um as well as what plants might benefit from it. What is its breakdown time? — Brent Martin

A. Dendrochilum magnum is truly the king of this fine genus and seems to grow easily under cattleya conditions (60 F nights and 80° F days with bright light). We use a medium similar to what we would use for paphiopedilums or on-

cidiums, and prefer to underpot. Keep evenly moist while in active growth and repot in spring before new growths emerge.

Coconut fiber and chips have different properties. The chips are being used successfully as a substitute for equiva-lently sized fir bark and seem to have about the same lasting qualities, though they dry more slowly. Some grow-ers report longer intervals between potting, so there may be benefit in this medium for plants that do not respond

well to repotting. Coconut fiber is not often seen, but ground coconut (coir), a substitute for peat moss, is. — Ned Nash

Coming Soon

COS is planning to have

several field trips to various

local vendors.

Ruben in Orchids is already

onboard.

Keep an eye on this spot for

details to be announced.

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 11

Martin Motes’ July in your Orchid Collection July Climate Data Average high: 90.9 Average low: 76.5 Average mean: 83.7 Average rainfall: 5.79" Although it mostly passes unnoticed to millions locked in their air-conditioned bubbles, July in South Florida is quite different from June. While the pattern of afternoon showers built from the moisture of the morning's sea breeze persists in July, the thunder-storms are sharper and shorter. The clouds linger less and the foliage dries more quickly. Less quantity of rain falls in July than in June and periods of several days typically pass without a drop. This is good news for orchid growers. July (and August) allow orchidists to focus on the first essential of orchid growing, drying the plant out. Frequently, neophyte growers ask "What if I go away for several weeks in the summer and there is no one to water the plants?" The response is "That's wonderful". Experi-enced growers use the break in the rainfall during July and August to dry their plants "hard". Depriving orchids of water for several days until they and the media or baskets they grow in are bone dry is essential to good orchid culture. By drying the plants hard, one deals a severe blow to orchids natural enemy, fungus. Orchids have evolved to with-stand drought because fungus can not. During severe drought fungus' only defense is to cease all growth and retreat into a spore stage. Hopefully(and with good cultural manage-ment) these pathogens will not be aroused from this slumber until the first drizzle of Sep-tember sets in, allowing our plants two months to mature and harden their growth mak-ing them less vulnerable to the September conditions which give some advantage again to the fungi. Careful watering and judicious drying will do more than any other practice to ensure healthy plants. Drought is the orchid plants armor against disease. Be sure that your plants dry as completely as the weather of July permits. Nonetheless, as our plants are in full growth they need adequate water in July therefor after a hard drying, orchid plants need a thorough re-hydration. If the next rain fall is insufficient to saturate pot, roots and media, the grower should add to the natural moisture until he is sure both roots and me-dia are saturated, using two or three applications of water spaced a few minutes apart.

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 12

When the plants stop dripping is the time to apply the next dose of water. Don't stop watering until the "heft" of the pot tells you that it is holding as much water as it can. More typically in July, orchidists should use these opportunities when more moisture is required to substitute fertilizer for water and saturate the roots and the media in the same thorough manner. In July typically think of fertilizing rather than watering. Weekly application of a commonly available balanced fer-tilizer (20-20-20 or 18-18-18) at two teaspoons per gal. will supply the nutrients that our plants re-quire in this period of lush growth. This balanced formula should be alternated every other week with potassium nitrate and Epsom salts (one tablespoon each) to supply the extra magnesium and potassium we now know are plants need on a regular basis. Even better (although not so readily available) lower phosphorus fertilizers containing extra magnesium and calcium with a formula like Peter's Excel(15-5-15) have been shown to be the precise fertilizer our plants need. This for-mula is recommended year round. Hopefully such orchid specific fertilizers will become more widely available. Lowering the phosphorus intake of our plants is particularly important in South Florida because of our alkaline water. Always apply fertilizer in the same way as water, in two to three doses spaced a few minutes apart. Apply the fertilizer to the point of "run off" IE. when the solution starts to fall off the plants; stop and move on to the next plant. Repeat the application a few minutes later when the plants stop dripping. In July more than ever, never, never follow the frequently heard and disastrously bad advice of watering before fertilizing. Always substitute ferti-lizer for water: now and at every season. Roots saturated with water cannot absorb fertilizer but the prolonged wetness can rot your plants. Don't give fungus the upper hand by wetting the plant's foliage and roots more often or longer than necessary. Careful watering is especially im-portant throughout the rainy season. The wise orchidist will have long since finished all of his potting of sympodials and the top work-ing of his vandas but for the rest of us this is the eleventh hour. Autumn is closer than we think and vandas will need at least three months to settle in to their new baskets or pots before the first chill of October tickles their root tips. Unless you can protect them thoroughly from cold, Vanda top cuttings and keikies should not be made after the end of July. If you do take cuttings remem-ber the "3 root rule". Count down from the crown and make the cutting beneath the third or fourth root. Keep as many leaves as possible on the stump and you will be rewarded with a greater abundance of offshoots. Always slip the sterile knife or shears down between the stem and the leaves and then cut transversely to save as many leaves as possible. Be sure to anchor the cutting firmly in its new lodging. Tie them up and tie them down! There is no time for mistakes in July. Thrips are much less of a problem in July as the rain tends to wash them away and doubtless there is an abundance of other lush fodder for them elsewhere in our yards. They can reappear in a pro-longed patch of dryness, so if you need to think of watering in July it may be dry enough to wor-ry about thrips. A prophylactic spraying for thrips in July will also put a damper on scale crawlers. If a second spraying with soap follows the first by seven to 10 days, the population of mites will be scotched as well.

Thanks to Dr. Motes

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DID YOU KNOW? By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 15:24 EST, 5 June 2013 | UPDATED: 15:24 EST, 5 June 2013 Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336530/Orchids-great-expectations-looking-just-like-Charles-Dickens.html#ixzz2XELGykav Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Orchid's great expectations of looking just like Charles Dickens

The 'Mirror Bee Orchid' has long bushy petals and forlorn expression

This flower clearly has great expectations. Not content with its vivid colors and intricate shape, this orchid also looks similar to the English writer, Charles Dickens. With its long bushy petals and forlorn expression, the 'Mirror Bee Orchid' has an uncanny resemblance to the literary heavy-weight.

It's not just the face of Charles Dickens that this remarkable flower is able to copy, it also mimics the pheromones of a female wasps and fools male wasps into mating with it, thereby pollinating it. Photographer, Pedro Garcia Garcia, 46, spotted the rare plant while walking with his camera. Pedro, from Madrid, Spain said: 'I managed to find the flower while walking in 'Parque Sureste', about eight miles outside of Madrid. 'I always take my camera with me when I'm walking there and I stumbled upon the distinctive Mirror Bee Orchid. 'It has a very unique appearance and as soon as I took the picture I thought it reminded me of a person. 'Once I saw the picture on my computer at home, it struck me that it looked very similar to the face of the writer Charles Dick-ens. 'It's a peculiar kind of Orchid, it's around 20mm in length and has an incredible way of attracting male wasps with female phero-mones.' Pedro's interest in photography began when he was 20 years old when he would take pictures of himself and his friends climb-ing mountains in Spain. He has recently rediscovered his hobby and has spent the past two years concentrating on the more technical aspects of pho-tography. Charles Dickens, born in 1812, was initially a journalist, before becoming a renowned and prolific author. He fathered ten children, and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Photographer, Pedro Garcia Garcia, 46, spotted the rare plant while walking with his camera, and thinks it bears a resemblance to Charles Dickens

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 14

Remember we are a SPECIES society and we ask

you only bring orchid species for our silent

auction.

If you want to bid on an orchid, please decide

how much you are willing to pay, bid that

amount and then walk away from the table.

We kindly ask that you not hover around

the table so others may see the what we

are offering.

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 15

Beginner’s Culture Class, 6:45

pm

Tasks for July

1. Dry plants hard once or twice.

2. Apply liquid fertilizer instead of

water during dry patches.

3. Watch for thrips when rain has

been sparse for several days.

4. Finish top cutting and planting of

vandaceous genera. Motes Orchids is located at 25000 SW 162 Ave, that's just south of Coconut Palm Drive (248 St) and SW 162 Ave. Motes Orchids is

2 1/2 miles due east of the Redland Fruit and Spice Park in the heart of the Redland tropical agricultural district. Take Turnpike

south to US 1 at exit 12, continue south on US 1 to 248St, then right(west) on 248St to 162 Ave then left(south) one block to Motes

Orchids. Call 305 247 4398 or email vandas@mindspring.com for further information

Page 16 Coal i t ion for Orchid Spec ies Ju ly

The Florida-Caribbean Regional

Judging Center of the American Or-

chid Society invites you to bring your orchids

in flower to be judged by our teams of experienced

American Orchid Society Judges, or just come to

learn more about orchids and the process of judg-

ing orchids. We meet the THIRD Saturday of

each month at beautiful Fairchild Tropical Botanic

Garden, Corbin Bldg., 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral

Gables, FL Judging begins promptly at 1:00 p.m.

GOT SPECIES? Get your 2011 COS Newsletters on

the web at

www.cosspecies.com

Special Thanks to Webmaster-designer Mike Haynes of ISatis-

fy.com, and Home Page photos by Greg Allikas,

www.orchidworks.com!

Get your raffle

tickets for a

chance to win

fabulous or-

chids from

outstanding

orchid venders.

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 17

“When two friends understand each other totally, the words are soft and strong like an orchid's perfume”

"Mary has written an intriguing, witty story about orchidists while weaving romance and

suspense into it...read this delightful book" --Jean Ward Volusia County Orchid Society

Newsletter

I never wanted to write War and Peace, I’ve always just wanted to be funny. Kosova Koso-

vo, my first book, was written to entertain, but events took over. Hard to get a good laugh

out of wartime though if anyone can do it, it’s a Brit. The orchid world of Miami, on the oth-

er hand, was perfect. My husband, Martin Motes, one of the characters featured in The Or-

chid Thief, told me to forget about Kosovo and concentrate on the real Balkan intrigue, mur-

derous thoughts and wild conspiracy of the orchid scene in South Florida. It worked. Every-

one loves Orchid Territory- guys just as much. From ‘absolutely hilarious’ (Colorado) to "a

hoot" (Memphis); "a kick", Iowa; "Thanks for the great laugh book. Fabulous read" South

Australia; "Total entertainment" St. Louis; to "Bravo! I’m waiting for the film." Singapore.

"In that curious, semi-closed world of South Florida's orchid growers, passions run high,

politics are to the death and nothing is more important than the prize at the Miami Orchid

Expo. With her perceptive eye and vivid pen, the English author creates a charming story

full of humor and wicked comedy. In among the orchids and the long knives of a decades-

long feud are the glorious anthropological insights into social interactions among the char-

acters of the author's world. There is also romance to keep us in suspense till the last page."

- Henry Oakeley, The Orchid Review, March 2006

Born in England, the author met her husband, Dr. Martin Motes in Kosovo. Her memoir of

her time there "Kosova, Kosovo" exhibits the same dry wit and poeres os description as her

new book "Orchid Teritory".

Please patronize our loyal advertisers!

Where Quality is as Traditional as the Orchid Itself

28100 SW 182 Ave. , Homestead, FL 33030

305-245-4570 * rforchids@aol.com *www.rforchids.com

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 18

Susana and Victor Ortiz

Www.csorchids.com

For Sale

Benches from $65.00 and up (4 to 5 step)

For info: call Eddy or Gloria Rodriguez

(786) 683-4616 or (786) 7972054

Page 19 July Coal i t ion for Orchid Species

Remember it is important for you to make

sure you check in in order to get credit for at-

tending the meeting. The number of meet-

ings you attend determine when you get to

pick your holiday orchid.

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 20

Remember we are dedicated to the

culture and conservation of species.

Please bring only species plants for

our silent auction.

Coalition for Orchid Species

The 2012-2013 Board:

President Lou Lodyga

Past President, Mirta Russis Heineman

Vice Pres., Michele DiBianchi

Treasurer: Odalis Navarro

Secretary: Lori Sell

Trustees: Carlos Segrera, Erna Maxwell, Katria Whitfield, Cynthia White, Vivian Waddell, Bill Capps, Ketty

Bergouignan, Carmen Segrera, Rolando Armenteros, Melana Davison

Committees:

Vivian Waddel: Membership

Guillermo Salazar: Conservation

Newsletter Editor : Bill Capps Advertising/Reporter : Lori Sell

Raffle: Carmen Segrera, Pat Chen Yin Photography: open

AOS Rep: Lynn Corson Roster: Melana Davison

Webpage Liaison: Rolando Armenterso Mirta Heineman: Events Coordinator

Library: Jorge Casaudoumecq Cynthia White: Silent Auction

Refreshments:

Sunshine: Mirta R. Heineman Bert Pressman Scholarship: Dr. Rene Izquierdo

William Capps

Newsletter Editor

Coal i t ion for Orchid Species July Page 21