2017 SAOS Newsletters
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December - Christmas Auction
Auctioneer Courtney Hackney
Our annual Christmas auction was a great opportunity to eat, drink and be merry with our orchid friends, and we had a very lively group of bidders!
November - Epidendrums, Encyclias and Prostheceas
Vern Bloch, Prior Owner of Palm Bay Orchid Range
Vern talked about the epidendrums, encyclias and prostheceas in the cattleyas alliance, along with some of their hybrids... and he had plenty of examples on the sales table!
Kristen talked about the small and mighty Japanese orchids, particularly the different varieties of Neofinetia falcata. Kristen wowed the crowd with her charm, humor and grasp of the subject.
George gave us a flavor for orchid growing when the cut flower business reigned supreme, and then provided some good orchid growing tips, not to mention a seedling cattleya for everyone to pot up!
Courtney gave a talk on the basics of orchid hybridizing, what tricks and tools hybridizers use when they are trying to exploit the natural variation found in nature to create new forms.
July - What's Wrong with My Orchid
Sue Bottom & Courtney Hackney, SAOS
Sue and Courtney teamed up to talk about orchid problems, how to promote orchid health and what to do when things go wrong. Lots of audience participation with pictures of orchids sent in to the SAOS.
Mark talked about the dendrobiums, more than 2000 species of orchids grouped into 40+ sections, which ones will grow well for us here in Florida and how to grow them.
Glenn did a hands-on demonstration of how to create mounts, select the right mount for your orchid, attach the orchid to the mount and then get the roots growing. All live, without a laptop, great learning experience!
April - Spring Orchid Auction
Auctioneer Courtney Hackney
Courtney picked up mature plants at the Orchid Trail in North Carolina for our spring auction. He discussed each plant's background followed by some lively bidding. A good time was had by all.
Steve talked about his successes when growing orchids in a cypress mulch blend commonly available at the big box stores. He explained how different substances can be added to the mix depending on the genera and cautioned against letting the mix dry out completely which can cause the cypress to dry rot.
Courtney filled in for our scheduled speaker and did a great jump explaining how to get your orchids to rebloom. Make sure your plant is growing well enough that it can store excess energy for blooming and then provide the environmental changes that trigger blooming.
Suzanne Susko grows her immaculate plants in her pool lanai and moves them into a pop up greenhouse during the winter months. She offered many growing tips in her excellent
presentation, available here if you want to refresh your memory!
