NEXT MEETING: MONDAY, OCT. 5, 2009 · Lindley in 1821. John Lindley was hired by Cattley to draw and describe the exotic plants in his collection.In 1821,Lindley published his book
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Volume 31, Number 2October, 2009
www.geneseeorchid.org
There really isn’t much of a chill in the air
just yet, but as October gradually comesinto view, our thoughts turn to the
inevitable change ofseasons and a busy
orchid schedule. Ourspeaker in October will be Jean
Ikeson, owner of Windsor Greenhouse inFalmouth, Nova Scotia, and a recognized
author on Cattleya breeding. Jean will be pre-senting a program on The BreedingCharacteristics of Cattleya Species, a subject onwhich she published a piece in the AOS maga-
zine, Orchids. Jean is also an AOS ProbationaryJudge affiliated with the Toronto Judging Center.
W indsor Greenhouses specializes inproviding greenhouses for homesand schools in northern climates,
and also maintains an extensive Cattleya collection(both species and hybrids) acquired from the stud
house of the original California firm of StewartOrchids. Jean will be bringing plants from Windsor
Greenhouse for sale at the GROS meeting.
We will be taking Jean Ikeson to dinner at Applebee's, 3349 Monroe Avenue, Pittsford, prior to the meeting. Members wishing tojoin us (everyone pays for his or her own meal) should contact Alan Salzman in advance at 377-3213.
Don’t forget: the Auction is coming on Sunday, October 18th! Details are up onthe website.We’ll have a full plant listing complete with the entire Auctionschedule on the site as soon as we’ve finished unpacking and logging in the
orchids. Once again, there will be a slide presentation at the Auction displaying eachorchid as it comes up for bid. It’s great to be able to see what a particular orchid’s flowers will look like when you’ve got an out-of-bloom orchid on which to bid.
The Show Table will be back, so please remember to bring your flowering plants.We’ll see you there!
NEXT MEETING: MONDAY, OCT. 5, 2009“Orchids 101” 6 :00 p .m.� Soc ial "Hour" 7 :00 - 7 :15 p .m .� Meeting begins at 7:15 p.m.
Senior Adult Lounge at the Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Avenue, Rochester, NY
C. walkeriana v. coeruleaGrower: John Shepard, 2005 GROS Show
Rhyntonleya (Rly.) Island Flare (Rlc. Oconee × Ctna. Peggy San)
Vandaceous
Neof. falcata Hober
Phal. lueddemanniana "
Ascda. Pacific (?) Blue (Peggy Foo × V. coerulea ) Weimer
Rangaeris amaniensis† Wischoff
Aërgs. biloba "
Phal. unknown Fleischman
Eurychone rothschildiana Levy
Oncidium Alliance
Psychopsis (Pyp.) Mendenhall (Butterfly × papilio) Levy
Odm. praestans × Onc. leucochilum Murphy
Wils. Golden Afternoon (Tigrina × Onc. sphacelatum) "
Bakerara Flying High (Alcra. Jet Setter × Odm. McNabianum) "
Milt. Earl Dunn (Goodale Moir × Minas Gerais) "
Bllra. Marfitch (Mtssa. Charles M. Fitch × Oda. Fremar) "
Bllra. Peggy Ruth Carpenter
(Tahoma Glacier × Milt. Purple Queen) Fleischman
Brs. Rex (verrucosa × gireoudiana) Weimer
Brs. Eternal Wind (Bracdiana × Rex) Butcher
Dendrobium
Den. lamyaiae Hober
(-to page 7)
Cattleyas! When people think of an orchid, they generally
think of Phalaenopsis, the “moth orchid,” or
Cattleya, the “corsage orchid.” Cattleyas are
among the most popular orchids for several rea-
sons; they come in various shapes, sizes, colors,
scents, and their culture often forms a compar-
ison for how to grow other orchids. The genus
Cattleya comprises 46 species from Cattleyaaclandiae to Cattleya warscewiczii and several
thousand hybrids, including 32 natural hy-
brids.1 With such diversity within this genus,
there is a plant for everyone, from beginner
to advanced grower.
The first documented large-flowered Cattleyaspecies was found in Brazil in 1817 and later
arrived at the Glasgow Botanic Garden in
Scotland in 1818. The genus Cattleya was
named in honor of the English horticulturist
William Cattley by the famous botanist John
Lindley in 1821. John Lindley was hired by
Cattley to draw and describe the exotic plants
in his collection. In 1821, Lindley published his
book Collectanea Botanica, and the public got
their first view of William Cattley’s favorite
plant, Cattleya labiata. Horticulturists every-
where wanted to see this famous species but
with only two locations available, chances were
limited. By 1825 Cattley had only two healthy
Cattleya labiata plants remaining. Out of his
extensive collection of exotic plants, he consid-
ered his C. labiata to be the most beautiful
plant he owned.
Although John Lindley introduced the world
to the beauty of the Orchidaceae and in partic-
ular C. labiata, he was partly responsible for the
death of countless orchid species. The prevail-
ing theory of the time was orchids needed a
high-heat, heavy-shade, high-moisture, stag-
nant tropical environment to thrive. Only the
most resilient orchid could tolerate those con-
ditions for long and that advice is probably the
fastest way to kill any Cattleya.2
Joseph Paxton, the head gardener to the sixth
Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth, was respon-
sible for the cultivation of the largest and most
impressive orchid collections in Britain during
the early 1800s. Mr. Paxton did not follow the
advice of Lindley and other "experts" of the
time. He provided very bright light and strong
cool breezes to the plants as well as removing
(-to Page 7)
4
5
6
Marlow’s Orchids4 Orchid Collections AcquiredMany new & unusual plants for sale!* Gretchen Miller Bulbophyllum Collection - (Buffalo, NY)
* Charles M. Murray Paphiopedilum Collection - (SC life-long collector)
* Randy Humphries Orchids (Bristol, NY) - Assorted species & Hybrids.
* Dowery Orchids Species Collection - (South-East Virginia) many unusual
species including uncommon Jewel orchids, Cattleya species. Bothrochilus,Cyrtopodium, Laelia, Dendrobiums, Paphiopedilums, Vanda species,
Tricoglottis species & more.
* We are now dividing many large specimen plants from these collections,
as well. Call Jim Marlow to see these seldom-seen orchids! Many of these
plants will be sold at orchid shows outside Rochester in the next 6 months.
www.marlowsorchids.com
2272 Scottsville Rd., Scottsville, NY 14546 (585) 889-7083
Near RIT and Marketplace Mall(Please call ahead!)
Fall Open House
Sat. Nov 7, 9am - 5pm
(-Cattleyas, from Page 2)the wet fog that normally bathed orchids of the
time. Joseph Paxton devised the method of
Cattleya culture that we use today, with an em-
phasis on better drainage, high light, and at-
tention to the plants root structure.2
When discussing Cattleya culture, light is the
most important factor in growing and flower-
ing your plants. A bright east, or shaded south
or west window is ideal with temperatures be-
tween 55 to 60°F at night and 70 to 85°F dur-
ing the day. Mature Cattleyas need to dry out
between waterings, and if in doubt, it’s best to
wait a day or two before watering again.
Humidity should be between 50 to 80% with
a gentle breeze provided by a fan or open win-
dow. Cattleyas like to be fertilized when ac-
tively growing with a dilute fertilizer
appropriate for the growing media.3
The October meeting with Jean Ikeson, owner
of Windsor Greenhouse, will be a chance to
explore in greater detail the breeding charac-
teristics of Cattleya species. Jean will be bring-
ing plants for sale and will be available for
questions during the meeting.
- Jeremy Bechelli
References:
1. http://www.kew.org/
2. The Classic Cattleyas by A.A. Chadwick and
Arthur E. Chadwick
3. www.AOS.org
It’s Really All AboutRelationships!
Ask an orchid expert how often to water, or
what potting medium you use, or what per-
centage of shade to provide, and the expert will
answer, “It depends.” This, of course, invari-
ably frustrates the beginner, but nevertheless,
it’s true. All these cultural factors, and more, in-
teract with each other, so there’s no correct
value for one without knowing the others.
Here’s a summary of some of these relation-
ships, and a few rules of thumb, as well.
1.)The more heat, the more humidity is
needed. Orchids can’t tolerate hot, dry condi
tions. In Connecticut, where I live, hot and
humid weather go together naturally, so this is
not a problem. This relationship does not work
in reverse: if you provide high humidity (which
most orchids enjoy), you don’t need to raise
the temperature. In general, excess heat is
harmful (although in summer it can’t be
avoided.) Most orchids prefer cooler temper-
atures, especially at night.
2.)The more heat, the more you should water,
since the plants will be transpiring more.
Remember, though, that far more orchids
are killed from overwatering than from under-
watering.
3.)The more heat, the less light you should
provide. In other words, give more shade in
hot weather. This helps prevent leaf-burn. For
the same reason…
4.)The more heat, the more air movement is
needed and 5.)The more light, the more air
movement is needed.
6.)The more light, the more you should water,
since the orchids will be growing faster. In gen-
eral, try to provide as much light as the orchid
will tolerate, since light promotes growth and
flowering. As a rule of thumb, most orchids
can’t tolerate full sunlight all day long, but many
do well with 50% sun all day long, or full sun
part of the day.
7.)The more light, the more you can fertilize,
since the plants will be growing faster. Don’t
use a stronger fertilizer solution, but fertilize
more often instead.
8.)The bigger the pot, the less often you should
water, because it takes the medium longer to
dry out.
9.)The better the drainage in the pot, the more
often you should water. For example, clay pots
should be watered more often than plastic; tree
fern more often than bark.
10.)The better the drainage, the less often you
have to repot.
11.)The more you water, the more often you
have to repot.
12.)The more you water, the more often you
can fertilize, because all that watering will tend
to flush the fertilizer out.
So, what’s the ideal mixture of these cultural
factors (if you could control them all)? It would
be to provide conditions similar to the natural
environment, which for most orchids means:
cool to moderate temperature, high humidity,
moderate light (as much as the plant will
stand), lots of fresh air, frequent watering, small
pots with excellent drainage, repotted often (or,
better yet, mounted plants), and frequent but
weak fertilizing.
You indoor growers can provide most of these
ideal conditions in the summer by moving your
orchids outdoors - May is the month to do it.
Pick a spot with dappled sun (or full morning
sun), water every day, and fertilize say, once a
week. If you haven’t tried it before, you’ll be
amazed at how much this increases flower pro-
duction.**
- Larry KuekesConnecticut Orchid Society
Newsletter, Sept. 2009
**There will be a program on this very topic
at our January meeting. January, of course, is or-
dinarily not the best of times to experiment
with outdoor growing in Rochester…- Ed.
AB
7
- Show Table, from Page 3)
Miscellaneous
Gga. quinquenervis
*The aberrant spelling is probably due to fears of copyright issues.
†Rangaeris is a quasi-anagram of the related genus Aërangis.Please note: if there are any names you have questions about, don’t hesitate to call or email.
-Iris Cohen315-461-9226
The Orchid Collection is a publication of the Genesee Region OrchidSociety. It is published ten times per year for our members. Singlemembership is $20.00, family membership is $25.00 annually. Duesshould be sent to the GROS at P.O. Box 20606, Rochester, N.Y. 14602
Phil Matt, Editor. P.O. Box 10406, Rochester, N.Y. 14610
The Genesee Region Orchid Society (GROS) meetsevery month from September through May at theJewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Avenue,Rochester, NY, on the first Monday following the firstSunday of each month. (Dates sometimes vary due toholidays, etc.) The GROS is an Affiliate of The American
Orchid Society and of The Orchid Digest Corporation. Material in ournewsletter, The Orchid Collection, may be freely reprinted in other orchidsociety publications with proper attribution. Copyrighted illustrations,photographs or articles may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the artist or author.
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Savinglots of trees!The Orchid Collectionhas moved to an allelectronic formatwith the October, 2009issue. Questions? Ask any Board member.