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The deadline for all articles is the Friday, ten days prior to the monthly meeting. No Exceptions.

Volunteers are urgently needed to assist at the Spring Show. We need people to man the entrance tables, show stewards to walk the floors and people to help man the plant sales table plus helpers to set up the show and clean up afterwards. Help Assistance forms and Display Entry forms are printed on the reverse side of the wrapper for the August Greenhood. Helpers are particularly needed for Thursday and Friday when help is limited due to most people working.

It would help organisers if you volunteered for as wide a range for duties as possible rather than volunteering for a particular position. Also give as wide a range of times as possible you would be available to help (Indicate if you don’t want to do more than a certain number of rosters.) and give the organisers as much flexibility as possible in allocating rosters.

It is pleasing to be receiving the Registrations for the Conference & Dinner .

Display nominations are also coming in and it was very good news to be advised the Tasmanian Orchid Society will be represented with a 4square metre stand. Also Graeme & Gaye will be making their contribution with a display of those special little bits & pieces they have collected during their travels. We have a big area to fill and there is still time to register and participate in this time of sharing our love of orchids and renewing friendships with other society members from within the state and visitors from the mainland and America.

If you are interested your secretary will have registration forms and accommodation details and these need to be returned by September 23.

The Burnie City Mayor has offered to charter a 20 seater bus to show the Burnie attractions to our visitors, who are from Hobart and Launceston. This opportunity will be available to the first 20 people who give their name to me. It will run on the Sunday morning commencing 10a.m. and last for two hours.

Our Society plans to put a display at the Burnie Conference Show on the weekend of 7^th -9^th October. A few of us will travelling up on the Thursday to set up our display.

Oops! Nearly missed the deadline!!!

Spring Show month has arrived and here are some last minute thoughts just in case all has been forgotten.

1. We need all your flowering plants.

2. If you cannot make a display, the Community Stands will welcome your contribution.

3. Re-read the Show Schedule – and if you haven’t owned your plants for six months, just ticket Exhibition Only.

4. Any display queries should be directed to Show Marshall (Jim Smith) or his Deputy.

Any judging rules etc. directed to Judging Registrar (Myself) or Deputy Registrar, David Atkins.

5. We can confirm that your judges will be Peter and Helen Jackson from Sulphur Creek, and our own David Atkins; three of the most experienced judges in the State.

6. DON’T FORGET – YOU HAVE TO BE IN IT ……….. Best of luck to all

Everyone is now getting well indoctrinated in how to present plants for display in the Spring Show and the same applies to the sale table as well.

Our society is desperate for new members and a major way of getting people interested is for them to buy orchids at the show and join the society to get more information on caring for them. The quickest way to lose new members is to sell them plants, which are in poor condition, badly presented, diseased or unsuited to the buyer’s conditions. Nothing is so disheartening as the belief you have been sold a lemon so regard the plant stall as not as a chance to make a quick buck but as a way of enticing new members to the society.

The following is a good guideline to follow.

If using second hand pots, make sure that no nursery labels are left on the pot. You are selling the plant, not the nursery so remove any nursery labels.

Don’t present recently potted or poorly rooted plants. Remember the lift test; if you can’t lift the plant by the leaves without it coming out of the pot; it is not good enough. Such plants will be rejected.

Clean up and present your plants as if for the show bench. Have you ever seen a secondhand car salesman present a scruffy or dirty vehicle? If you want to sell your plants, take a leaf out of the car salesman’s book.

Don’t overprice your plants. Set your prices in whole dollars. Pricing in dollars and cents creates real problems for the sales table regarding change. The minimum price allowed is $4.00 and the society charges 20% commission on all sales. A well-presented reasonably priced plant is a good advert for the society.

If the orchid requires glasshouse or hothouse conditions then clearly state so on the label. Also indicate if not a suitable plant for beginners.

Don’t use the sale table as a dumping ground for rubbish.

In filling in the sales sheets, make sure the numbers and prices on the sales sheets match the numbers and prices on the plants. Sales sheets must be numbered consecutively., one plant per line. Duplicate or incorrect numbering will result in plants being rejected.

Clearly label the plants with their name, flower colour, price and your initials.

Plants must be delivered to the small room to the right at the top of the stairway as indicated by direction signs for checking. They must not be delivered directly to the sale area.

No 1       (Plant No.)                                         LBJ   (Your Initials)

Cym. lowianum      (Plant name)

Green  (Flower colour)                                      $10.00 (Price)

Before I start I must take this opportunity to thank the Tasmanian Orchid Society for their generous donation to the Botanical Gardens. Our government funding has been reduced so this certainly is a big help.

With the warmer weather the Conservatory is full of orchids this month. I have been putting more Cymbidium pots in every day. The size and staying power of a good Cym cannot be denied. They can last for months and with relatively little attention catch the eye with their beauty for a long time. They fill a large space with their presence which is an added bonus. There are some Coelogyne flaccida with their delicate flowers in hanging baskets and pots that allow the flowers to show their growth habit. They have a subtle scent that I don’t mind. They will be better as they get older and bigger in their pot. Dendrobium species are the feature for September. D. nobile and others that I have no name for are looking quite colourful in one bay. There are very few keikis so I must have held off the water long enough this year. The D. speciossum are flowering well.

It is pleasing to see so many visitors taking photos of the different types of flowers. Most are surprised at the variety we are able to grow.

Big reminder for the Spring Plant Sale which is on Saturday the 24th of September between 10.00am and 3pm. Many varieties of heirloom tomatoes and a lot of different vegetable plants will be for sale as well as lots of other plants and goods. The Spring Festival follows on October 8th and 9th. The Gardens look a treat with all the spring rain. If you do come in during the week and I have time I will show you behind the scene at the RTBG.

Take Care

Not really – DEAD that is! But now that we have your attention.

From now on I will be watering my plants in horse manure every day, and the ones in bark, up to twice a week in warmer spells, a week solution of high nitrogen fertilizer will kick start your plants back into life, try and pick a warmer spell to do this, as the fertilizer is only effective in temperatures above 15 C

I have noticed a few Aphids about in the last few days, washing them off with the hose. If they become more of a nuisance spraying will be necessary.

By now you should have been busy preparing your plants for the show, cleaning the leaves, pulling any dried husks from the bulbs etc. etc. so lets all bring our flowering plants in so the public will see the largest display of Cyms. that they have ever seen.

If the weather has started to warm up by the time you receive these notes you could start your repotting and potting on.

Before commencing, make sure you have all the items required, eg. potting mix, dusting sulphur, sterilizing solution, sterilized knife, scissors , and secateurs, name tags, marking pen, and a supply of sterilized pots of the sizes required.

Tip the pot upside down and tap the plant out. Check the root system for condition, if it is healthy with nice juicy white roots with green tips I suggest you pot it on to a larger pot to have a nice specimen plant that should continue flowering. If the root system is wet and soggy brown and rotting then you need to repot. I use the hose to wash away all the old compost and find this loosens the tangled mess of roots without damaging the healthy roots any more than is necessary. Once all the roots are free of the old compost you should be able to commence cutting the old dead roots from as close to the base of the bulb as you can, I find a pair of pointy scissors are best for this.

When all the old roots are cut away you can see if you want to divide the plant in two or more pieces, do not divide the plant into too small a division [two or three green back bulbs with new growths/leads is best]

Before repotting, seal all cuts with sulphur dust, and remove all dead husks from the bulbs being careful not to damage any new growths that might be emerging from beneath. Select a pot of a suitable size to allow at least two years growth, put a few pellets of snail bait in the bottom to get the slaters and a good handful of styrene foam in to encourage good drainage, place the plant in the pot holding it firmly with one hand and fill the pot with your potting mix with the other, after each couple of handfuls give the pot a shake and firm the mix in and around the roots until the pot is full. Having done all this correctly you should be able to pick up the whole plant, pot and all by the leaves if not you need to give the pot a good shake and firm the mix down until you can. Do not forget to put the name tag in after you have dated it. Make sure you have covered only the base of the bulbs not the whole bulb with mix, and the repotting is complete.

Sterilize all the tools you used before moving on to the next lucky little plant and wash your hands, Remember good hygiene will not only save your plants but might save you too.

Good Cymbidium Growing.

What a pleasant change to enjoy a week of energizing warm weather in the later stages of August. In fact we’ve been told that today’s (23 Aug) temperature is going to be 19°C. Yet this is often the coldest part of the winter in our area. Confusing to us; doubly confusing to the plants. Some are blooming earlier than usual others are noticeably dragging their feet.

  Our first task for Spring is to look over any plants which have suffered cold damage and decide what to do for them. I find that overall I lose very few plants and the damage is not nearly as bad as it appears at first sight.

If it is only partial leaf damage and not advancing down the leaf I leave it alone for the present and trim off the dead area when warmer weather arrives. If the damage stays wet and slowly moves down the leaf I cut the leaf off in clean tissue about one centimetre below the damage and seal the cut with flowers of sulphur or, at a pinch, fine garden lime.

Where the damage has extended to a bulb I cut the bulb back until I come to undamaged tissue and then seal with the sulphur. Depending on where the plant flowers from you will probably lose this season’s blooming but it should not stop new growth coming from the butt of the damaged bulb.

The next thing to think about is when to repot and in this instance I am talking about the stage in the plant’s growth and it is usually spring time.

For oncidiums I prefer the new growth to be 2-3 cms long unless new roots are evident, whilst for laelias I repot as soon as I see signs of new growth or new roots. I prefer to catch plants before roots develop as they are very susceptible to damage at this time.

Another approach, if you miss the early repotting, is to leave it until the roots are 6-7 cms long. They are much tougher by then and if you lose tips the roots will usually branch and make new tips that way.

I have no preference as to what genus is potted first. I look over all the plants which require potting and take them as they come.

Repotting is simple. My weapon of choice is a fine bamboo stake sharpened to a chisel point and cut to 20-30 cms in length. I have a few, varying in length and thickness for different size plants and root systems.

The chisel point slides between roots and helps in untangling them without causing major damage.

 Tip the plant out of the pot, remove the old potting mix, trim off any soft or rotted roots, gently remove old husks from the bulbs, trim off old flower spikes and the plant is ready to pot.

I critically examine each plant as I go, strong healthy white roots mean your winter culture has been spot on; clean but shriveled roots mean not enough water over winter and, horror of horrors, wet, black, rotten roots means either the plant is overdue for potting and the mix has broken down or you have been overwatering. Even after 50 years I still check each plant as I go, complacency kills orchids.

Back to potting: Choose a pot that will allow 2-3 years growth, place a small amount of potting mix in the bottom, position the plant with the older section toward the side of the pot and slightly lower than its final position and pour in the potting mix tapping the pot as you go. This filters the mix between the roots and obviates the necessity to firm the mix with your fingers.

Stake the plant if it’s wobbly then a quick dip in Plant Starter or similar root hormone, a sprinkling of slug and snail killer and then to the bench.

 Keep the foliage misted daily but do not water for 10 days or so to allow any root damage to heal, then back to normal culture.

You can, of course, take time off to appreciate your handiwork and see how different your newly potted plants look. Then do some more.

There are many reasons as to ‘Why Grow Masdevallias’.

If you are a beginner and would like to grow something other than cymbidiums – masdevallias, especially the hardier varieties, can be a good choice.  If you are already an orchid grower masdevallias can be a welcome addition to your collection.

The majority of masdevalia species originate from South America and the hardier types, such as M.coccinea and its varieties from Columbia and M.veitchiana from around the Machu Piccu areas in the Peruvian Andes.  If you have a sheltered spot outdoor, preferably with an eastern outlook which has protection from frosts and the hot summer and autumn sun, begin by experimenting with one or two of the above varieties.  The flowers especially M.coccinea var. harryana and var. lindenii bloom late Spring (November to late January).  M.veitchiana will flower intermittently throughout the year.  They hold their colour and are long lasting; they even keep well when picked.

These hardier varieties can be potted in a Cymbidium potting mix.  Don’t over pot – room for 1-2 years growth is all that is needed.  Take care when repotting to not incur root damage as Masdevallias do not make branched roots.  Once damaged, a root will die.  Clean out any dead and blackened roots, and then place plant in pot gradually working potting mix among the roots.  Hold plant firm and tap pot to settle the mix in.  Plant should sit about half an inch below top of pot with mix to its base.

Quarter strength fertiliser every 2-3 weeks is adequate.

Keep plant moist but not over saturated.  Initially give plant a really good watering then when pot feels lighter do so again.  Do not water through the heat of the day.  During summer / autumn early morning watering is recommended.  Flowers also will burn if watered in the sun.

Start with hardier varieties.

Keep moist and shaded from hot midday sun in summer and autumn.

Plenty of air movement.

Potting every 1-2 years and DON’T over-pot.

Watch for aphids and slugs.

Protect from frost – newspaper pegged over plants on frosty nights is good protection.

Bonus:  With a collection of Masdevallias you can have plants in bloom all through the year and in just about every colour – they are so exciting and rewarding.  Good luck!

The recent cold wet weekends have given me the excuse to commence repotting of plants which are not flowering and won't last another year in the current container or the potting media has broken down. Pots have been washed and stacked, supplies of radiata pine bark, leaf litter from the bush and quartz gravel are waiting to be mixed as required.

The smaller the pot the smaller the bark. When repotting I remove the plant from the pot, shake out old mix, wash plants and remaining mix off the roots, trim back long roots, remove old and damaged roots, remove old flower stems dead leaves and canes, trim damaged leaves. Place in pot with mix and firm down (pot should provide enough space for 2-3 years growth). Water and place in a shady position for a couple of weeks to allow plant to re-establish.

As new growths develop keep a eye out for aphids as they can destroy or distort the growth and ruin future flowering. Plants currently flowering should be kept in a cool area and watered regularly.

Feeding with high nitrogen fertiliser can be carried out fortnightly through spring and summer, make sure the mix is very weak and plants are watered prior to applying the fertiliser.

We have had an excellent end to winter and our orchids have moved forward, looking good for the show. Early spring was a bit chilly though and they have certainly slowed down a bit. There is of course over a week between writing these notes and receiving the newsletter, so let’s hope that the weather has warmed up again and our sarcochilus have progressed. There is a big fat high on the way at the time of writing. It will bring warm days, but the nights can be clear, still and perilously cold as the eye of the high passes over. Take care as frosts can occur and sarcochilus can take down to a frost, but not a frost on the leaves. Also, any temperatures below 4^oC can draw a frost in a hollow. It was October 2000 when a high pressure brought quite disastrous frosts to young growth in the garden.

It is time to make sure that liquid feeding is being done; half strength or less of course. Sarcochilus are never completely dormant, just very slow in winter. Throughout winter flower spikes have been forming and coming on slowly and vegetative growth will become apparent soon. Make sure that you do not get over zealous and fertilise to the point that the potting mix breaks down rapidly. You can get an idea if this is happening. The weight of the pot is heavy for its size soon after watering. Broken down potting mix is finer and gluggier and holds more water making the pot feel heavier. You can pot up at any time, but when flower spikes are present is not wise. Add some coarse sand or grit over 0.5cm in size to help with drainage and potting mix breakdown problems. If weight is a problem try some expanded clay           balls  in the mix. These are available from hydroponic shops. Expanded clay balls are good. How do we make sure that there is not salt buildup in the pot when using fertiliser? When watering between fertiliser applications ensure that water comes out of the bottom of the pot. This will wash out any buildup.

Sarcochilus do not mind a little early morning sun. I am not so keen on afternoon sun. Midday sun is not on. Be careful though with black pots. These can absorb heat very rapidly and lengthy exposure to sun can be disastrous. The leaves will also tell you. They will show burn marks very quickly if you overdo it.

This is the frustrating time of the year for flowering sarcochilus. The spikes are there, but they are very slow to mature. The peak flowering season is November and that is exactly why we intend to have a sarcochilus show at that time next year. In the meantime take a trip up to the Devonport and Launceston sarcochilus shows in November. The dates will be included in next month’s notes. A specimen plant with fifty plus flower spikes is a sight to behold.

One final point, sarcochilus in flower will be offered on ebay and some nurseries during the next few months. Be careful on ebay. Flowering plants can go for ridiculous prices. Check the grower’s website if they have one. The same plant may, or may not, be cheaper if bought direct from the nursery. Named clones are fine if you know something about them, but first flowering crosses can be a real problem. Why is the grower selling them? Are they rejects? Do they bring a price beyond their value when in flower? You have to decide the answers. Unflowered crosses are not necessarily pig in a poke if you have done your homework. They will probably be cheaper and you have as much chance as anyone to get a good one. If you can see a picture of the plant, sarcochilus with rounder leaves tend to produce rounder petals and sepals and a more rounded flower, which the judges like.

It is all starting to happen. Although the vagaries of our weather have been strange, with some nice warm days and then bitterly cold winds, flowering has commenced for this genus pleione.

The first of the hybrids are already out with P. Hecla (P. pleionoides x P. humilus) making a nice display flowed closely by P. Elgar (P. formosana x P. humilus). My P. humilus is still in flower and P. bulbocodioides is looking like it will be another week or ten days to flowering. P. formosana ‘Clare’ will open about the same time. Hopefully the Shantungs (the yellows) will all be ready for the Show.

There is still time to do any last minute potting but watch for those emerging roots. Some of mine I did at the end of August already had roots 2.0 to 2.5 cms. long so great care was taken in positioning each bulb in the new mix. I find it easier to pour some finer mix around each bulb and gently tap the pan to settle the mix around it. Placing quartz pebbles on the top when finished helps to keep the bulbs in place until the roots penetrate and it also stops the mix washing away when watering does commence. Remember, no watering yet, just misting on warm days or standing each pan in shallow trays with water covering the bottom quarter of each pan.

Editor Mr M White 72 Esplanade Margate 7054 Ph. 6267 1589

Greenhood can be accessed on the internet at http://www.tos.org.au/ where there are photos of many of the orchids tabled at meetings.