September 7: Panel of Orchid Experts

04 1 Cymbidium Fairy Rouge 'Lavendar Fallers' Exibitor V Dinh Photo T Dark

 

When:  September 7, 2016

Time:   7:00 pm – 9:00 pm 

Topic:  Growing your best orchids at home!

This is a meeting you won’t want to miss.  Our next SFVOS meeting will feature a panel of experts who will give you all info on how to get the best results from your own orchids at home.    Our panel of experts will be AOS Judge and our new president, Arthur Pinkers,  Orchid Expert and cymbidium grower extraordinaire, Art Mendoza and our new Vice President and long time orchid grower, Mark Bentow.

The panel will discuss the best way to keep your orchids healthy, how to water and fertilize each type of orchid,  how and when to report and how to coax your orchids to re-bloom.

Bring your questions, and if you have a plant that needs special attention, bring it to the meeting and ask our experts what to do to bring your plant back to optimal health.

Don’t forget to bring your blooming orchids to show in our Plant Forum, and if you can, bring a snack to share with the group.    Bring a guest, and we will see you there!

 

 

 

 

Window Orchid Display Table Example

Everyone loves to display their blooming orchids in their homes.   Putting them all around the house adds a nice decorators touch to each room, but you can also put them all on one table for a more dramatic display.    Your friends and family will love to see what you have blooming, and the display is constantly changing throughout the year, so it never looks the same.

Here is a sample window display you can set up in your home to show off your blooming orchids.  Remember to put it in an East or North facing window.  No direct sunlight as it can burn the tender leaves of some orchids, such as Phalaenopsis.   Also the humidity inside homes is usually quite low, especially in the winter and the hot part of the summer when the air conditioner is running.  You can provide more humidity by using a humidity tray under the orchids.

To set up a homemade humidity tray,  place a shallow pan filled with gravel, decorative pebbles or lava rock on your table and fill with a small amount of water.  Set the orchid pots on top of the rocks, but never let them sit in standing water.  The pots should be above the water level at all times.

Keep your inside orchids clean by hosing off the entire plant in the bathtub or outside about once a month.  Do this in the morning so the plant will have time to dry off completely during the day.  Also never let water accumulate at the growing point on Phalaenopis (the point where the leaves connect at the center).   Water left in the crown can lead to crown rot, so dump out, and blow out any remaining water on the plant before putting back on the table.

Lastly a small fan for air circulation would be very helpful.  Put it on a timer and have it run for a few hours, on and off during the day.   Orchids love moving air.

Best of luck on your home display.