2023 SAOS Newsletters

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December - Holiday Auction
Courtney Hackney, Auctioneer Extraordinaire

The auction was tons of fun with Courtney at the helm. Courtney was in rare form and his good humor spread through the group, encouraging lively bidding.

November - Judging Orchids on the Show Table
Alan Koch, Gold Country Orchids

Alan teamed up with Courtney to do an informal judging of our Show Table, talking about the plants, their culture and evaluating whether they would be eligible for AOS awards. They talked about ribbon vs. AOS judging, the judging process and the different types of AOS awards. It was fun and insightful, and several of the show table plants likely would have earned AOS awards.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our November Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to Courtney's November Virtual Show Table presentation.

October - Reblooming Orchids
Courtney Hackney, Hackneau Art & Orchids

Crowd favorite Courtney Hackney talked about reblooming orchids identifying the cultural factors that trigger blooming. Depending on the type of orchid, changes in light, temperature, day length and similar environmental conditions induce flowering. He talked about the best practices for growing and blooming the commonly cultivated orchids.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our October Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

September - Schomburgkias
Bret Ullery, Accent Orchids

Bret Ullery of Accent Orchids in St. Petersburg talked to us about Schomburgkias. He focused on cultural issues, talking about their need for heavy watering and fertilizing, and their ease of growth on mounts or open pots/baskets.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our September Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

August - Hybridizing and Flasking
Tony Millet, Hobbyist and AOS Judge

Tony spoke on the benefits of hybridizing and growing from seed. There was some show and tell involving plant pollinia, plants in pod, protocorm formation in flask and early potting out of flask to near blooming size plants.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our August Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

July - 101 Ways to Kill an Orchid
Ron Kaufmann, Orchid Conservation Alliance

Ron has been growing (and killing) orchids for two decades. His presentation covered some of the ways orchids can be brought to an untimely end, along with suggestions for correcting some common horticultural errors.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our July Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

June - Unusual Mounts
George Hausermann, EFG Orchids

George "The Toolman" Hausermann demonstrated how to attach orchids onto unusual mounts. Sue had a nice variety of different orchid divisions, and George showed his creativity with different ways of growing orchids on eye catching mounts.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our June Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

May - Habenarias
Nicholas Rust, Rustyexotics Orchid Nursery

Nicholas gave a fantastic talk on habenarias and their hybrids showing many pictures of must have orchids. He provided a thorough discussion on how to grow them, focusing on how to handle them as they break dormancy and what to do as they enter dormancy. It was a fantastic program, and we expect to see lots of habenarias on the show table later this year!
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our May Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

April - Rainwater Harvesting
Dotty Woodson, D and B Orchids

Dr. Dotty Woodson from Fort Worth, Texas talked about rainwater harvesting. Rainwater is a great alternative to well water and public water supplies that are often laden with dissolved salts. Dotty talked about setting up rain barrels, either alone or in series, or larger tanks to accumulate enough pure water for your orchids. A big consideration is the delivery system, whether you will use a spigot and watering can or pump to deliver water to your growing area. Here are handouts on making a rain barrel and rainwater harvesting.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our April Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

March - Oncidiums
Steve Hawkins, The Orchid Specialist

Steve talked about oncidiums and oncidium intergenerics. There is quite a variation in types of oncidium orchids from the miniature Tolumnias to the large varieties with long, arching inflorescences. Steve shared his tricks with these easy to grow and flower orchids. After graduating college with a degree in horticulture, Steve started work at Rod McLellan's Acres of Orchids in San Francisco, and ultimately began his own nursery, The Orchid Specialist, in Apopka. He has retired and now grows orchids for his personal enjoyment, and consults with hobbyists that may be experiencing problems.
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our March Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

February - Broughtonias and Their Hybrids
Phillip Hamilton, Bredren Orchids

Phillip Hamilton talked about the Broughtonia species and some of their hybrids, with lots of focus on how to grow them. Phillip showed many images of how they grow naturally in Jamaica to help guide you in your mounting and watering habits, and many beautiful flowers too!
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our February Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.

January - Honey, I Shrunk the 'chids
Kristen Uthus, New World Orchids

Kristen was our virtual speaker this month, joining us from her home in Michigan. Kristen says "Eventually everyone runs out of room for more orchids—unless they’re really small. While their size intimidates some people, miniatures are just as tough as their larger relatives. What makes them so appealing is their variety of form in addition to flower, and they are just plain cute! The fact that they take up so little space means that you can have a lot of different kinds of orchids in a limited area."
    Courtney weaved his orchid tales for our January Virtual Show Table, using pictures of blooming orchids sent in by members. Here's a link to his presentation.