July Meeting

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Next Meeting: MONDAY, July 12th at 7 p.m.
Hosted by Englewood Area Orchid Society
Speaker: Katie Caldwell
Topic: Growing Tolumnias

Katie Caldwell has been growing orchids for 25 years and specializes in Vandas, equitants and Broughtonia species and hybrids. She was an ecology major in college and always liked tropical botany. She was encouraged to grow orchids by a friend of her inlaws, Ruth Fox. Ruth was quite a honcho in the orchid world and even maintained a condo in Hawaii because of her interest. Katie joined an orchid circle that was part of the St. Petersburg Garden Club and her interest grew. She now has 1,000 feet of growing area.

Katie will be speaking on Equitants oncidiums, now in a separate genus Tolumnia. These were some of the first orchids she grew and they are near and dear to her heart. Katie writes “I received a CCM of 86 pts for one at the Englewood show. I also did some hybridizing last year and have flasks going.”

Katie is a past vice president of West Coast Orchid Society and the Venice Area Orchid

Society. In 2006, she received an FCC/AOS for her Renanthera Mauricette Brin.

Vanda

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Vanda – This group includes Vandas, Ascocendas, Ascocentrums, Rhyncostylis, Aerides and Angraecums.  They prefer to grow in baskets with little or no media.

Light: Brighter light is required for this group. In warmer climates these plants only need to be protected from midday sun.

Temperature:  Nights above 50* F. Days below 100* F. are tolerable with increased water, shading and good air circulation.

Water: LOTS!!!  Vandas do not have pseudo bulbs like cattleyas and dendrobiums, so they cannot store water and nutrients. Many people grow these types in empty baskets with no orchid media. When grown without media, they require daily watering.

Fertilizer:  Fertilize during the warmer months with any good orchid fertilizer. Some growers fertilize two or three times a week. The key is to fertilize on a regular basis. Vanda roots will benefit from periodic applications of KLN, a rooting hormone made by DynaGrow.

Potting:  Because of their large root systems, this group likes to be grown in baskets and hung in a bright location. Never try to remove the plant from the basket once it is established. A smaller basket may be set inside a larger basket. There is no need to repot.

The AOS website (www.aos.org) provides culture sheets for these and other popular orchids as well as a wealth of information on plant culture. If you do not have access to a computer, the VAOS Membership table has copies of most AOS culture sheets.