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O.N.T. Newsletter for
November 2004 NEXT MEETING The
next meeting of the Orchid Society of the Northern Transvaal will be held on
Tuesday, the 9th November 2004 at the Dutch Reformed Church,
Dickenson St, Waverley, Pretoria starting at 19:30. Three
speakers will each present a short talk on aspects of cultivation. Please
support the Raffle that will be held in aid of the South African Orchid Council
to raise funds for the World Orchid Conference bid in 2011. Tickets are R5 each
and the prize is a Vanda Pat Delight “Tango” FCC/SAOC AWARD JUDGING Members
are reminded that award judging of plants takes place at the monthly meeting as
well as the Study Group meeting and are encouraged to bring along their plants
for judging. Please remember to contact Pieter de Bruin at least 48 hours before
the meeting if you have a plant for judging so that sufficient preparation can
be made. PREVIOUS
MEETING The
following were selected from the plant table: The following were selected from
the plant table: Best
Africa species –. Angraecum magdalenii – Herman Steyn Best
exotic species –. Dendr. primulinum giganteum – Dennis van Rensburg Best
Hybrid – Brassia ‘Arania Verde’ – Christial Judges
Choice –. Dendrobium primulinum giganteum –Dennis van Rensburg Bruins-Lich
Trophy nomination – Dendrobium primulinum giganteum –Dennis van
Rensburg Arrie
Arnold Trophy nomination – Cattleya
skinneri var alba – Herman Steyn
GROWING MILTONIOPSIS OR PANSY ORCHIDS –
CHRISTIAN GIESEL The
miltonias are classed into two different cultural groups: 1)
Warm growing or Brazilian type (long rhizomes and two narrow leaves on
top of the bulbs) 2)
Cool growing or Colombian type (short rhizomes and usually one broad leaf
on top of bulb) Miltoniopsis
are classed into the subtribe Oncidiinae. They were first separated from Miltonia
in 1889 by Godefroy-Leboeuf but this was always very controversial. The RHS
still registers all new hybrids as Miltonia. There are six species with
several recognised varieties. Miltoniopsis
have a reputation of being more difficult to grow then most other orchids. The
reason is that they have slightly different requirements that do not suit
‘conventional’ orchid growing techniques. First, always look at the habitat
and climatic conditions were the species occur and try to duplicate it as much
as possible. Healthy
Miltoniopsis start with healthy roots. Get a medium that is well draining
but can still maintain good moisture, as Miltoniopsis hate stale medium.
I use 3 parts fine grade bark 0.5 –1cm, 1 part perlite with a 1cm layer of
sphagnum moss on top of mix. Make sure that roots receive lots of fresh air.
Repot yearly, preferably in autumn. Always remove all dead roots but be very
careful not to damage healthy roots. Make sure that the medium is always moist
(never dry) except on very cold days in winter. Do not keep sopping wet, as
roots need to reach fresh air. Always pot the plants in as small a pot as
possible (pot bound). This prevents stale medium and prevents over-watering.
Water always one day before you think the pot will be dry. Flush the pots
regularly with lots of water (1 x volume of pot) to prevent salt build up. The
roots hate salt build up. Fertilise only very weakly twice a month if normal tap
water is used in PTA! Epsom salt can be added to a balanced fertilizer to supply
additional Mg. Healthy
leaves produce more and bigger flowers. Leaves should be light green with a
slight red tint (not yellow or red) or dark green. Light levels require 60-70%
shade all day. Otherwise give morning sun till ±10 am followed by shade.
Humidity should not drop below 60%. Increase with higher temperatures. Plants
are thus best suited for an enclosed area i.e. greenhouse. I have found that the
temperature is not so important as often indicated. My plants have gone down to
0°C and up to 34°C for short periods with no adverse effects except slower
growth. Adjust humidity and watering according to prevailing conditions. Make
sure to get a diurnal range of 6-11°C. Always give the plants good air movement
(put a fan in front of them). Watch for red spider mite as they love to attack
the leaves. Young and small plants will have smaller flowers than mature
specimens. Do not divide the plants too much. Flowers will usually last for four
weeks or longer and are often intensely fragrant. Gases are very dangerous for
the Miltoniopsis flowers and can cause them to drop their buds. GAUTENG STUDY GROUP The
next Gauteng Study Group will meet on Sunday 14th November at the
home of Henriette Stroh, at 11:00. Our end of year Bring & Braai. Contact
Pieter de Bruin for more details. MEMBERSHIP FEES FOR 2005 Time to renew subscriptions for the 2005 season is almost upon us. The South African Orchid Council have advised that affiliation fees will be increased by R10, so membership fees will be up from R130.00 in 2004 to R140.00 for 2005. Please ensure that you pay your subscriptions before the end of December 2004, so that our affiliation fees can be sent off without delay. YEAR-END FUNCTION – SUNDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2004 This
function will take place at the Scouts Hall in 29th Street,
Villieria. It will take the form of a bring-and braai. The Society will provide
the braai-fire, salads and bread rolls. Please indicate if you will be attending
this function by letting us know at the next monthly meeting, or contacting one
of the Executive Committee Members. FOR SALE If
you wish to advertise plants and accessories you can advertise here in the
newsletter and on the website at an exceptionally low fee. Please contact Martin
for further details at ont@webmail.co.za DATES TO REMEMBER 6th-7th
November: Umhlatuzana Orchid Species Society, Annual Show The
18th World Orchid Conference will be held in Dijon, France from 11th-20th
March 2005 An
orchid tour to Taiwan. 14 days: 21 March 2005—3 April 2005. Herman Steyn is
the person to contact at 012-9912345 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING On
16th November 2004 at
the home of Malcolm Foster. NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION If
you have received this newsletter by snail mail but do have an e-mail address
please let Roger (alchemy@global.co.za)
know so that we can send it to you a bit faster. Also, by using email, we can
get other info and news to you as it happens, and not just once a month. ONT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
CONTACT NUMBERS PRESIDENT
Christo Page 012 998 3974
(h) VICE PRESIDENT
Alan Pike 011 9793081 (h) SECRETARY
Paola Copeman 012 5491740
(h) FINANCES
Bossie Bosman 012 332 2530
(h) GAUTENG STUDY GROUP
Pieter de Bruin 012 3773441 (w) MEMBERSHIP
Marietjie Roos 082- 4945777 NEWSLETTER
Roger Dixon 012 845 5631 (w) LIBRARY Riaan
Prinsloo 012 3173728 (w) MEETING CO-ORDINATOR Stan Dawson 012 361 2724 (h)
ROGER
DIXON.
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Please Note: The opinions & recommendations made in articles that appear on this website, are those of the individual authors, and not those of the Orchid Society of Northern Transvaal (ONT). The ONT neither adopts nor endorses such opinions & recommendations and disclaims all responsibility for them. This includes products advertised on this website. |
