Our featured speaker, hobbyist Allen Black, will give his 'Spiders and Stars' talk on novelty Brassavola/Cattleya alliance breeding. If you are growing weary of the meristem, more-of-the-same, big, round, cattleyas, if you want some that are “different, unique, or exciting," this presentation is for you! With lots of beautiful pictures we'll talk about the Brassavola species like B. cucullata, some primary hybrids and other wild and wonderful brassavola and cattleya alliance hybrds. Allen will be selling orchids. He's bringing seedlings of some of his most recent crosses.
    Bring your flowering orchids to exhibit on the Show Table. We will have our normal raffle at the end of the meeting.

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 4, 6:30 pm
Where:   Watson Realty, Enter from the Back Parking Lot
3505 US 1 South, St. Augustine

We normally meet on the first Tuesday of each month. January and July meetings are often rescheduled to accommodate the holidays. The meeting begins with a plant sale followed by a review of the show table plants and presentation by an orchid expert. The meeting closes with a plant raffle where members can expand their collections. It's fun and informative for growers of all levels. Join us, visitors and guests are always welcome!    
Here's a video of one of our meetings!

The first Saturday of the month from February through October, St. Augustine Orchid Society members will be available to talk with you, answer questions and help you repot orchids.    
Here's a video of a repotting clinic!

Date and Time:   Saturday, May 4, 9 am to noon
Where:   Ace Hardware on US 1 South
3050 US Highway 1 South, St. Augustine 32086

  Sue will talk about how to decide which mix is best for your orchids, considering your growing area and watering habits. There may be some orchid keikis and divisions for you to mount and or pot up (one to a customer), bring a clay pot, just in case. To cover the cost of supplies, there will be a $5 charge. If you have more than 1 or 2 of your own plants that need repotting, please bring them to the Ace repotting clinic. The repotting crew is available to give you hands-on tips on repotting at the monthly Ace clinics.
  If you have more than 1 or 2 of your own plants that need repotting, please bring them to the Ace repotting clinic.  The repotting crew is available to give you hands-on tips on repotting at the monthly Ace clinics.  Mentees should consider attending to become more comfortable with repotting their orchids.

Moderator:   Sue Bottom
Where:   Sue and Terry Bottom's Home
6916 Cypress Lake Court, St. Aug 32086
When: Sunday May 26, 1 - 3 pm

The Keiki Club is for our beginning orchid growers. We begin with a short presentation on a timely orchid culture topic and then it’s a free for all to discuss any thoughts or questions you have about growing orchids. Spouses and partners welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!    
Here's a video of one of our get togethers.

The mentoring program works in tandem with our Keiki Club, pairing our novice and/or new SAOS orchid growers with an experienced grower. This program allows our mentees to get one-on-one assistance and answers to their orchid growing questions. If you are interested in learning more, email Mentoring Coordinator Susan Smith.

Bob Scully's Month by Month Orchid Growing:
May in St. Augustine. Summer is right around the corner. Now is the time to maximize growth and develop the plant strength and food reserves needed for good... read more

Dr. Courtney Hackney Tips, Redux:
Repotting Do's and Don'ts. If emails and casual conversations are any indication, repotting is traumatic for many orchid hobbyists. It is not surprising to most of us that have been doing this awhile, because it... read more

Dr. Martin Motes Notes:
Progress of the Season. This April has been a little cooler than usual and only very slightly drier. The weather has fulfilled our expectations of perfect growing... read more
Orchids in May. May is a month of transition in South Florida. Early in the month we can expect the driest weather of the year. Because of the clarity... read more

Culture Article by Sue Bottom:
Repotting Through the Year. Just like our garden plants, orchids struggle with transplant shock after repotting. Simply removing a plant from the pot disrupts... read more

St. Augustine Orchid Society Happenings:
Gail Marshall puts together the SAOS Happenings for all the orchid events around town... read SAOS Happenings

Fred Clarke sent us 20 plugs of this new hybrid, Ctsm. Portagee Star 'Brian Lawson's Sunrise' x Ctsm. lucis and they were distributed to raffle ticket winners at the January meeting. We are going to have prizes for the first one to bloom this hybrid, the one with the nicest flower, and the best grown one. Here's more information about the cross and how to grow catasetums.

In May: You are finally seeing some green, hallelujah! It will start to grow faster now, soon it will be 4 or 5 inches tall and the leaves unfurled, and it will be time to water. Then you will really notice an increase in the growth rate, it will seem an inch taller every day. Top dress the pot with some timed release fertilizer. Catasetums are heavy feeders, they have to do all their growing in 7 months while other orchids get a full 12 months.
Check out Fred's Spring Newsletter for some tips on when to start watering.