Fenders’ going out of business sale.

Posted on by

After 38 years in the nursery business, we are finally retiring!

This is a rare opportunity for you! Our personal orchids collected over 43 years of growing orchids plus our new breeding lines will be liquidated in their prime.

Our Closing Sale will be held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday:

April 12, 13, 14  9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

April 19, 20, 21  9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The sale is at our greenhouses in Venice located at 254 Keystone Rd. 34292. There will be NO SHIPPING.

On April 12, 13, and 14, we offer all orchids at 50% off. Come this first weekend for your best selection.

On the weekend of April 19, 20, and 21, all remaining orchids will be 75% off.

To give you an idea of the pricing, our regular pricing for our hybrids is as follows:

3 inch pot @ $12

4 inch pot @ $20

5 – 6 inch pot @ $35

We also have cellpack trays available of many of our new hybrids.

So the pricing for our hybrids will b e 50% off of these prices during the first weekend of our closing sale and 75% off the second weekend on the remaining orchids.

We are keeping only a few orchids. After 43 years of growing orchids, we can’t just stop! We are selling the rest, including our hybrids, stock and show orchids.

Go to our online catalog to gain an idea of the great new hybrids we have to offer.

We have many stock and show orchids plus selected forms of our hybrids. These will be priced individually.

We will also be selling related items including:

Plastic Pots and Plastic Carrying Trays

Growing Benches. To see a photo, click on Growing Benches. These are metal benches measuring 9 ft. x 5 ft.  Approximately 50 available. These may be picked up after hours by appointment only. Limited number of concrete blocks.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN BAGS AND BOXES AS WE ARE SURE TO RUN OUT! ALL SALES FINAL.

Englewood Displays

Posted on by

There were 3 society’s that created displays for the Englewood show. I must say that I thought each is top flight. Sorry but all I had was my cheap camera and I’m not pleased with the photos but it’s all I got. Tomorrow I hope to take better photos, and the displays will be full of ribbons!

VAOS Display

SAOS Display

EAOS Display

The VAOS exhibit had a total of 52 plants from 10 members, 33 ribbons (18 blue, 11 Red, 4 Yellow), Best Catt of Show, Best Den of Show.

Exhibits:  EAOS 1st, VAOS 2nd, SOS 3rd

Ribbons by member:
  • Bill Timm – 3 blue, 1 yellow,  Trophy: Best Den. of Show for Den. bullenianum
  • Peg Fahrenback – 1 blue, Trophy: Best Cat. of Show for C. Mildred Rives
  • Judy Russell – 1 red
  • Ted Kellogg – 5 blue, 3 red, 1 yellow
  • Carol Wood – 4 blue, 3 red, 2 yellow
  • Tony Nacinovich – 1 blue
  • Bob Wallace – 2 blue, 1 red
  • Janet & Dale Hoy – 1 red
  • Carol Liddy – 1 blue
  • Barb & Bob Wagner – 1 blue, 2 red

Fender’s thoughts on fertilizer

Posted on by

Here are some fertilizing tips to help you take advantage of what Mother Nature is giving us.

Pot. Neon Sky
Pot. Neon Sky

Fertilizers for Your Orchids

All of this burst of energy in our orchids is in preparation for their next bloom season. Take advantage of what Mother Nature is giving us and fertilize correctly in the spring. New growth on your orchids and stronger root systems mean you’ll enjoy more and better flowers when they
bloom. That is the goal, right?

So early in this spring’s growth cycle, we have learned to increase the Nitrogen (N) in our fertilizer schedule.  Nitrogen is the first number in a fertilizer formula. We use a bark growing-medium, so using a fertilizer like 30-10-10 or 20-2-20 (or any fertilizer formulation with 20 or 30 as the first number) works well to promote even more new growth to help Mother Nature do her wonders.

Fertilize with this high Nitrogen fertilizer two or three times in the spring.  Then go back to the fertilizer you normally use.  When customers ask us what type of fertilizer they should use in general, we tell them “Whatever is on sale!”  The most important factor is not the brand of fertilizer you use but rather your diligence in fertilizing on a regular basis:  once a week weakly or once every two weeks; even once a month.

We also use Epsom Salts (Magnesium sulfate) for our orchids. Sufficient Magnesium is not normally available in most fertilizers. But it is necessary because it makes your orchids function more efficiently.  Sprinkle one teaspoon to one tablespoon on the top of the orchid’s potting mix and water in.  Or add it to your liquid fertilizer solution at the rate of one teaspoon to one tablespoon per gallon.

Another essential nutrient always missing in the usual fertilizers is Calcium (Ca).  Calcium, like magnesium, is required in large amounts but these chemicals do not play well with others in normal fertilizer mixtures.

The easiest and most efficient way to supply both Magnesium and Calcium is to use a Cal-Mag Fertilizer like 16-3-16 +CA +Mg. This is our “go to” fertilizer in the summer during rapid growth and in the Fall for phals.  This blend we use separately from all other fertilizers.

Be sure to water your orchids thoroughly when you do water or fertilize. And pay attention to those roots hanging outside of the pots. They need nutrition and water also because they are supporting the plant’s new growth.

Spring is also a great time to expand or upgrade your orchid collection. It is an excellent time to purchase smaller orchids because they will grow well throughout the spring and summer for you and will be in great shape for the fall and winter season.  Of course, smaller orchids are usually less expensive so you can purchase more!

Our orchids in 3 inch pots are large enough to be repotted into 4 inch, 5 inch, even 6 inch pots! And when you repot your orchids in the spring, they will take advantage of their new medium and keep growing!  We all know that it is much easier to repot a 3 inch or 4 inch pot into a larger container than to struggle to remove a large orchid from its overgrown container and divide and repot it!

Enjoy your orchids this spring. Take good care of them and you will be rewarded with lots of exciting blooms and more vigorous plants!

Fender’s Flora