1. shopping
2. gifts
3. flowers

Volume XXXVII, Issue 11, December 2014
a g e fr o
s
s
M
e
your
ent
id
m
the Pres
Hello,friends!
It is
that
time of year
again!
Gather
cash,
and
start
cooking your goodies. Our auction
and potluck dinner begins at 6:30
PM Tuesday!
I have seen the list of plants
that we will have on the auction
table and I am sure you are going to
be very very happy! Dick and Dave
did it again!
The awards for the show tables
will be given that evening and you
can use it to pay for your plants.
Bring along some cash, checks and
friends! I’m really looking forward
to this. See you all then! Be good.
John Foley
President
OFFICERS
John Foley, President
Amy Eli Trautwein, Vice President
Colman Rutkin, Treasurer
Carol Cammarano, Co-Treasurer
Sharon Jaffee, Secretary / AOS Rep
Keith Lichtman, Membership Secretary
NEWSLETTER
Jeff Li, Editor and Photography
TRUSTEES
Ron Altman, D.D.S.
Carol Cammarano
Patrick Cammarano
Gerry Cassella
Roy Fox
Renee Lichtman
David O’Dell
Kathleen Ruoti
Karen Silverman
Our next meeting is:
Tuesday, December 16th, 2014 at
6:30 pm.
We won’t have a Guest Speaker
this month, because we have
our year end Potluck Dinner and
Auction! Be sure to bring your
friends!
The Staten Island Orchid Society meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.
All Saints Episcopal Church, 2329 Victory Blvd. at Wooley Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
October
Show Tables
Paphiopedilum Memoria Nicholas Hamann
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Epidendrum porpax
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Lycaste Chita Dream x Lycaste Shoalhaven ‘Miss Shonan’ 4N
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LC. Blue Angel ‘Glove’ BM / JOGA
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BLC. George King ‘Southern Cross’ AM/AOS
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Oncostele Wildcat ‘Bobcat’
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Cirr. Elizabeth Ann ‘Buckleberry’ FCC/AOS
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Collector s
’ Items
Dendrobium
goldschmidtianum
Reprinted from the AOS Website
(http://www.aos.org/Default.
aspx?id=168)
Dendrobium goldschmidtianum
is one of our favorite orchids
because of ease of growth and
the showy display it puts on every
Christmas. Even better than that,
it follows that December blooming
with a slightly lesser one 6-8 weeks
after that and can push flushes of
flowers throughout the year. Flower
color ranges from intense purpleviolet to soft pink. Long known as
Dendrobium miyakei Schltr., the
species is a member of the Pedilonum
section of Dendrobium which to
this grower’s mind, does not have
any bad orchids. The Pedilonum
section has many showy orchids in
a rainbow of colors and wide range
of temperature tolerences to suit
any grower’s conditions. See the
Orchids AtoZ section of this website
for other species. Pedilonum comes
from the Greek word pedilon which
means slipper or shoe. This refers
to the long mentum, or chinlike
projection, formed by the joining
of the sepals. There was much
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confusion in the section, with species
being known by several different
names, until Dr. Elizabeth Dauncey’s
1994 thesis which corrected much
of the synonmy. There are about
47 species in the section with the
center of distribution being Papua
New Guinea.
The beautiful flowers of
Dendrobium
goldschmidtianum
range in color from deep fuchsia to
soft pink.
Dendrobium goldschmidtianum
is a lowland species found in a
restricted range of southern Taiwan
and Batan island in the northern
Philippines. It reportedly has been
seen growing as an epiphyte on
branches of Ficus retusa. This fig
tree is a popular subject for Bonsai.
Plants
of
Dendrobium
goldschmidtianum can be tall, up to
3 feet (.9m) or more, but they are
space efficient horizontally. In other
words, they do not take up much
bench space, or more correctly, can
be made to not take up much space.
The Grand Champion at the 2007
Tokyo Dome show was a meticulously
staked Den. goldscmidtianum that
was considerably taller than the
above measurement. These are
orchids that typically bloom off
of deciduous second-year canes,
although some related species will
continue flowering from old canes
until they shrivel away to nothing.
One of the most frequent questions
I am asked is “can I cut the old canes
off?”. You don’t need to if they are
still firm. Leave them be, they just
may bloom again!
Although growth occurs all year,
the main flush begins in the spring
and continues through summer. New
canes emerge upright and stay erect
until the weight of the leaves begins
to give them a lax attitude. Once the
leaves drop in the fall the canes will
display a nice arching effect. We like
to keep plants tied upright until we
see bud development. This keeps
them confined to a space efficient
footprint. When we untie them for
flowering the plants become a nicely
arched full plant.
The
following
culture
suggestions are based on our
experience growing plants in South
Florida. Our warm and breezy
outdoor growing conditions are
perfect for optimum growth. These
recommendations also apply to
northern temperate growers but
you will likely see less vigorous
results. Den. goldschmidtianum can
be grown like vandas or catasetums.
Give them plenty of light, water and
nutrients when in active growth,
which is spring through fall. If you are
growing orchids in a cool, low-light
northern greenhouse or windowsill
you will want to moderate this
regimen a bit because growth will be
lessened by your conditions. If you
can summer plants outdoors then
by all means, do so. Small plants,
5-6 live canes under 12” tall, can be
Given the right culture, plants grow
quickly to specimen size and put on
quite a show.
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grown in plastic pots of your favorite
potting mix. Keep plants in a bright
spot and keep them evenly moist
until autumn. Fertilze once a week
while in growth. When temperatures
begin to cool in the autumn, for
us here in Florida that is around
Thanksgiving but will probably be
earlier in the northern tier of states,
start to hold back water. Do not give
plants any water unless canes begin
to look excessively shriveled. When
you feel them they should be firm.
Give plants water only if the canes
begin to really shrivel. DO NOT give
plants any fertilizer at this time.
In mid winter buds should appear.
After they are halfway developed
you may resume watering but just
enough to keep the media barely
damp. In other words, plants are
not in growth in the winter so their
water needs are less. Just give
them enough water to mitigate the
stress of flower production. Resume
normal watering in the spring when
tepmeratures begin to warm and
days lengthen.
If you have the right conditions
and end up with a large 20-cane
plant after a few years you may
want to discard the conventional
wisdom regarding underpotting
dendrobiums. We grow this and
related species in 6-10 inch baskets
of sphagnum moss and find that
the root system can fill a basket
and “eat” the moss in a year or so.
A vigorous plant of Dendrobium
goldschmidtianum can produce and
extensive system of fine roots in a
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very short time if given the right
growing conditions.
If you long for this species but
feel your conditions may be too cool,
too shady or too small, consider
other species in the Pedilonum and
closely related Calyptrochilum and
Calcarifera sections of Dendrobium.
There are many excellent cooler
growing and miniature orchids such
as Dendrobium alaticaulinum, Den.
dichaeoides, Den. fulgidum, Den.
lawesii, and the beautiful Den.
victoria-reginae. Be sure to see the
April issue of Orchids magazine for
a survey of the Pedilonum section of
Dendrobium.
References:
• Cootes, Jim. 2001. The Orchids
of the Philippines. Timber Press.
• Lavarack, B, Harris W., Stocker,
G. 2000. Dendrobium and its
Relatives. Timber Press.
Article by Greg Allikas, February
2009.
November Showtable Tallies
Greenhouse
Ronald Altman = 6
Colman Rutkin = 21
Lights
Eugene Skorodinsky = 8
Window
Roy and Gertrude Fox = 29
The Orchidist s
’ Infirmary
Botrytis
By Susan Jones
Reprinted from the AOS Website
(http://www.aos.org/Default.
aspx?id=119)
A fungal disease affecting many
different types of herbaceous and
woody plants, botrytis strikes during
cool, damp weather in areas where
air circulation is poor. On orchids, the
disease, caused by Botrytis cinerea,
causes unsightly brown spotting
of blooms. The fungus most often
affects Phalaenopsis and Cattleyas,
but may be found in a wide range
of orchid genera. Older flowers are
highly susceptible to infection.
Life Cycle
The fungus winters primarily
on dead and dying plant material,
and begins producing and dispersing
spores during cool, damp weather
in the spring or autumn. Damp
conditions, rapidly rising humidity
or disturbing infected plants may
release spores into the surrounding
growing area. Spores can be
distributed by wind, rain or any
mechanical action. Temperatures in
the mid 60’s to low 70’s F (18–23 C),
and wet plant surfaces or ambient
humidity of at least 92 percent, are
ideal conditions. The fungus can
proliferate very quickly, infecting
healthy plant tissue in as little as 14
hours.
Symptoms
Black rot moves quickly through a
plant and can decimate an orchid
collection if not treated.
Botrytis manifests as small,
brown necrotic spots on orchid
flowers. Those spots may increase
in size and number as the infection
progresses, and may be surrounded
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by a pale pink margin. In severe
infections, the spots can coalesce,
and gray, webbed fungal growth
(mycelium) may become visible.
Prevention
The best form of control for
botrytis is prevention, which involves
sanitation, air circulation and careful
watering.
Sanitation
Inspect the growing area for
conditions favorable to botrytis. As
this pathogen thrives and winters
over on dead and dying plant
material, remove any plant debris,
spent or fallen flowers and leaves
from the growing area to reduce the
possibility of spreading the fungus.
Some growers recommend removing
and disposing of all affected flowers
to help prevent the spread of the
fungus, and even burning or burying
of affected plant tissue.
the humidity during cool, damp
weather will help eliminate any
excess moisture on plant tissue,
thus minimizing the chances of
infection. In most areas, orchids
grown outdoors already have the
necessary air movement in their
environment.
Watering
When watering, avoid wetting the
plant and its flowers, if possible.
Water that remains on petals or
leaves after a rain or watering
encourages fungal growth. Watering
early in the day helps ensure that
the plant and its flowers will be dry
by nightfall. Never allow blooms or
foliage to remain wet overnight.
Companion plants may host a
variety of pests and diseases that
also affect orchids, including botrytis.
Inspect any companion plants in the
growing area for signs of the fungus.
Some plants susceptible to botrytis
Circulation
Keep plenty of fresh air moving
through the growing area and around
plants at all times. A stagnant,
damp environment with inadequate
air circulation promotes the growth
of botrytis. Good air circulation
is a necessity to prevent fungal
infections year round, but most
especially when plants are in bloom.
Increasing the ambient temperature
and air movement and decreasing
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Black rot is easily spread by splashing
water.
include African violets, amaryllis,
Amazon lily, azaleas, begonias,
cacti, caladium, calla lily, camellias,
castor beans, chrysanthemums,
cinerarias,
coleus,
cornflowers,
dahlias, dracaenas, dusty millers,
ferns, fig, fuchsias, gardenias,
gloxinias, heliotrope, passion flower
and poinsettias.
Finally, isolate any new plants
for a minimum of two weeks before
admitting them to your growing
area and into your orchid collection.
During the isolation period, keep
a close eye on the new acquisition
for signs of any pest or disease that
could be spread to other plants.
Control
Once the botrytis spotting
occurs, there is no removing it —
only preventing future occurrences.
A fungicide such as thiphanate
methyl, iprodione, vinclozolin or
Physan can be applied as needed
to prevent further outbreaks. Since
the infection primarily affects
flower petals, many growers do not
recommend the use of fungicides.
As with any chemical, always use
it in strict compliance with the
manufacturer’s instructions.
References
• Fortner,
Linda.
September,
1998. Caring For Orchids Part
Two: Air Movement and Quality.
Suite 101.com: The Orchid
Garden Web site. (http://www.
•
•
•
•
suite101.com/article.cfm/orchid_
gardening/9829)
Orchid Growing — Pests and
Diseases: Petal Blight. Web
site.
(http://www.geocities.
com/orchidgrowing/Pests_and_
Diseases.html)
Schuster,
James,
Extension
Educator,
Horticulture,
and
reviewed by Bruce Palsrud,
Extension Specialist, Pesticide
Applicator Training, Department
of Crop Sciences, University of
Illinois at Urbana- Champaign.
Grey Mold (Botrytis). Web site
(http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/
focus/ graymold.html)
Simone, Gary W., PhD, and
Harry C. Burnett, PhD. Diseases
Caused by Bacteria and Fungi:
Flower Blights In Orchid Pests
and Diseases. Florida: American
Orchid Society, 1995, pp. 69–70.
2003.
Orchids (Orchidaceae) Plant Pest
Problems — Diseases Caused
by Fungi: Petal blight, Botrytis
cinerea. Plant Pest Handbook,
Connecticut
Agricultural
Experiment Station Web site.
(http://
www.caes.state.ct.us/
PlantPestHandbookFiles/ pphO/
pphorch.html)
Susan Jones was the editor of
Awards Quarterly and assistant
editor of Orchids. Reprinted from
the November 2002 issue of Orchids,
The Bulletin of the American Orchid
Society.
Copyright
American
Orchid
Society,
www.aos.org.
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