2021 SAOS Newsletters

 

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SAOS News and Newsletters

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!
 
 
Fred Clarke

November - Cattleya mossiae
Fred Clarke, Sunset Valley Orchids

    Fred talked about the beautiful Cattleya mossiae in the wild, with amazing pictures of thousands of flowers covering the trees. We learned about the natural habitat of Venezuela's National Flower and the perils that await C. mossiae.
    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 his presentation.
 
 
Phillip Hamilton

October - Novelty Phalaenopsis
Phillip Hamilton, Bredren Orchids

Phillip talked about growing phalaenopsis with lots of practical information onthe does and don'ts, as well as pests and diseases. He highlighted the differences between the standard and novelty phalaenopsis, and then wowed the crowd with pictures of the novelty phals with their colorful, often fragrant flowers and lovely foliage.
    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.
 
 
Dave Off

September - You Bred What?
Dave Off, Waldor Orchids

Dave is focused on the best cultural practices for the heirloom cattleya collection he manages. His talk "You Bred What?", encourages people to try their hand at making their own crosses after considering what flower and plant attributes the parent plants might offer.
    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.
 
 
Gadget Night

August - Gadget Night
St. Augustine Orchid Society Members

SAOS Members brought in their favorite gadget, substance or trick for growing orchids to share with other members. Each member talked about their special widget and how it works on their orchids. A fun night, challenging our collective imagination, and everyone came home with new ideas!
    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.
 
 
Courtney Hackney

July - Ask the Professor
Courtney Hackney, St. Augustine Orchid Society

Courtney and his trusty assistant Sue answered many questions about orchid cultivation. They began by noting characteristics of some live orchids, then displayed numerous slides illustrating various problems orchid growers experience.
    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.
 
 
Sue, Courtney and SAOS Members

June - Water Quality and Orchids
Sue, Courtney and SAOS Members

Sue and Courtney talked about water quality considerations, how the quality of your water can impact the growth of your orchids. We talked about how the quality of water varies in different geographical areas of the county and what you can do if your water is less than optimum. Several members presented their case histories of how they converted to rainwater collection, reverse osmosis or new well installations.
    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.
 
 
Daryl Venables

May - African Orchids
Daryl Venables, Tezula Plants

Daryl, a native South African, talked to us about African Orchids. His delightful program had beautiful images of the different climates and incredible variety of orchids that grow there, along with tips on mounting these epiphytic beauties.
    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.
 
 
Courtney Hackney

April - Unappreciated Cattleyas
Courtney Hackney, Hackneau Art and Orchids

Courtney talked about some unappreciated but important cattleya species that are in the background of modern cattleya hybrids, such as the Rupicolous Laelias for flatness and intense color, Cattleya bicolor for flatness, flower stems and substance, and Laelia tenebrosa for intensely pigmented dark purple cattleyas.
    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.
 
 
Bill Thoms

March - Bulbophyllums
Linda Stewart, St. Augustine Orchid Society

Linda and other SAOS members are infatuated with bulbophyllums, with their odd shapes, strange appendages and brilliant color. Linda talked about potting them in bonsai pots, and other members shared their techniques with using wooden, tree fern and cork rafts and plastic, metal and clay baskets.
    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.
 
 
Jim Roberts

February - Encyclia Hybrids
Jim Roberts, Florida SunCoast Orchids

Jim gave a good introduction to the encyclia species that are easily grown in Florida and some of their notable hybrids. His presentation focused on the goals of hybridizing encyclias with cattleya alliance plants, talking about what worked well and what was somewhat disappointing.
    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.
 
 
Phillip Hamilton

January - Growing Tips for St. Augustine
Brandon Silvester and Charlie Rowell

SAOS Growers Brandon and Charlie share their orchid growing tips at the January meeting. Charlie talked about growing orchids on mounts outdoors, many on pecky cypress, sharing his tips for the unusual mounts he makes for his orchids. Brandon talked about growing orchids indoors under LED lights. The widely available shop lights fitted with LED's can easily provide enough light for growing and flowering your orchids.
    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.