"W.O.S. NEWS"

October 2008

The Official Newsletter of

WANNEROO ORCHID SOCIETY INC.

Website: http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/

Telephone 014 892 1848

SECRETARY - Hannah - email 9405 8759

TREASURER - Patrick - email: 014 892 1848

REGISTRAR - Noel - email: 9405 2391

EDITOR - Tony - email: 9342 3799

P.O. Box 236, Kingsway, WA 6065.

NEXT MEETING - Will be held, Thursday 16th October at 8pm, at the Wanneroo Community
Centre, Civic Drive, Wanneroo. Visitors and New Members always welcome.

TOPIC OF THE EVENING: AGM

MEMBERSHIP FEES - Couple/family $32. Single $21. (Includes Badge)
RENEWAL - Couple/family $20. Single $15.

COMMITTEE MEETING : Will be held at the home of Mavis & Tony on the 5th November

Wanneroo Orchid Society September 08 meeting Results.

Popular Vote

Open. Tony & Sandy. Paph Berenice.

Novice. Bill & Sandy Phal amabilis.

Floral. Lita.

The George Webber Mem Trophy.

Tony & Sandy.Paph Gael Camira.

WANNEROO ORCHID SOCIETY
CALENDAR 2008

See The On Line WOS Calendar for 2008

Please note that the date for set-up of display is prior to Show/Display dates in calendar. Acceptance of plants for SHOWS until 7pm
Acceptance of plants for popular vote at Displays until 6pm.

WOS Workshop 12 Oct Sorrento Community Hall, 2 Padbury Circle, Sorrento
WOS Display 30th Oct - 1st Nov. North Beach Shopping Centre
Xmas in January - @ Bruce & Kay's on the 18th Jan

SEE THE WA ORCHID SOCIETY SHOW/DISPLAY DATES HERE

A web site for the Western Australian Regional Orchid Organisation (WAROO) is now on line HERE

Also see the Draft Business Plan for WAROO HERE

Club News
New Members;
Renee, Urs and David
Welcome to you and may you enjoy your stay with us.

New Members at our Shows/Displays;

The Society will try to attract new members at our next two public events, the Workshop and the North Beach Display, by offering a free orchid, a bag of fertiliser and culture notes etc. We can asses the success or otherwise after these two events and decide then whether to carry on with this idea. Bruce has kindly offered to donate a number of Cattleyas for this purpose. Many thanks Bruce.

Seedling Competition Plants
to be presented at the Oct 08 Meeting for assesment

1) Den Moondarra x Den speciosum var: curvicaule.

2) Paph Luciano Pavarotti (Susan Booth'auber x delenatii)

3) Milt Jersey 'Sweet Candy' x Milt Ann Port 'Fairy floss'

4) Onc Jiubao Gold 'Tainan'

WOS Workshop
12th Oct Sorrento Community Hall,
2 Padbury Circle, Sorrento
Come along and join in the fun!!

Ezi-Gro Orchids are now open on Sundays until further notice.

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FLORAL ART/ARRANGEMENT

For October - Orchids in a Bottle
For November - Orchids and Animals

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And Now a Word from Our Sponsor

Exfoliators - Manufacture Premium Perlite in 6 grades
· SUPER FINE · FINE · MEDIUM · COARSE · PREMIUM COARSE · PREMIUM
Premium Perlite is used extensively in horticulture. Various grades can be used for the propagation of plants. Depending on the water holding
capacity and the air porosity required, a specific grade is chosen..
Our representative can help you with the correct choice for your application.
Premium Perlite is used for hydroponics of many plants including orchids.

Ask Dave or Alyson about their Special Deals for members of the
Wanneroo Orchid Society.

GT Orchid Grow 1lt -
Reg Price $14.55 Members $10.30

GT Orchid Bloom 1lt -
Reg Price $14.55 Members $10.30

Phone. 9404 7155. Fax. 9404 7156

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And Now a Word from Our Other Sponsor

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Novice.

Laeliinae Alliance.

15F. 1stBill & Sandy. Lc Gold Digger 'Orchid Glades'

Cymbidium.

16B. 1st Alex & Judy. Cyn Sarah Jean (Ice Cascade) x Fifi (Harry)

Oncidinae.

20B. 1st Helen. Onc Taka 'Har"

20E. 1st Alex & Judy. Colm Wildcat Jaguar.

Vandaceous.

21B 1st Bill & Pauline. Ascda Peggy Foo 'Pink' x Rhn gigantea 'alba'

Australian native Epiphyte.

22A. 1st Les. Den speciosum Moonlight x Royal Purple

22B. 1st Bill & Sandy. Den Victorian Flare FF2 Yondy Brolga 'Big Apricot'
2nd Bill & Pauline. Den unknown.
3rd Bill & Sandy. Den unknown.

Hybrid.

25B. 1st Bill & Pauline. Phrag Don Wimber 4N.

Seedling.

27A.1st Bill & Sandy. Phal amabilis.

2nd Bill & Sandy. Onc Sum Lai Who 'Andy'

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DID YOU KNOW...That, as a member of the Wanneroo Orchid Society, should your Orchid be awarded at a SHOW or MEETING held by the Wanneroo Orchid Society, you are eligible for a $50 subsidy from the club?

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JOONDALUP SHOW SEPTEMBER 2007
See all the winners HERE

JOONDALUP SHOW
The Lakeside Joondalup Show was held from the 13th to the 16th September where a night of disgusting weather did not deter a huge turnout by members to produce a show to remember. Masses of orchid from many genera made for the kind of spectacular display that we would always want for this huge area. Many thanks to all who brought along their plants. The prizes were spread far and wide with many exhibitors taking home a winner.

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Cymbidium Notes for October
Courtesy of Roy Brown.

Repotting should be in full swing, but by the middle of November the temperature will be fairly high, so it would be advisable to have all the repotting done by the first week of November at the latest.

When dividing your plants try not to break them up into sections that are too small, a three pseudobulb piece will have a better chance of flowering the following year.
Try not to overpot your plant. Select a pot that will hold the plant and it's root system, and will allow for a further two years growth.

When you are repotting, hold the plant firmly in one hand, twenty centimetres above the top of the pot and using your fingers, work the fresh pine bark between the plant's roots.

Fill the pot to twenty centimetres from the rim firming the bark as you go. The plant should now be sitting neatly in the centre of the pot with the base of the pseudobulb just below the top of the bark. Give the plant a good watering and place it in a cool shady position for about a week until the roots start into active growth again.

When the flower spikes are finished and the plant repotted, you will find the new seasons lead will shoot ahead; so keep them growing strongly, increase the fertiliser to weekly or fortnightly intervals. In the growing season, Cymbidiums love plenty of light, water and a regular feeding program.

Bringing orchids into your home will provide you with beautiful, long-lasting flowering plants that can be a graceful accent to any part of the house. How to choose the best orchid for your home?

Choose an orchid that suits the conditions of your house. Orchids come in cool-growing varieties (requiring daytime temperatures of 60 to 75 degrees F), intermediate-growing varieties (requiring daytime temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees F) and warm-growing varieties (requiring daytime temperatures of 70 to 85 degrees F).
Choose an orchid that's in bloom so you'll be able to pick the flower colour you want.
Choose healthy plants with green leaves and roots that have white tips. (Orchid roots grow out and over the edge of the pot, so you'll see them easily.)
Buy orchids year-round from nurseries, garden centres, catalogues or Web sites.

Paphs and Cuttlefish

Something that you get in plenty in the long shore line of Mumbai is cuttlefish bones which I normally collect for my African love birds as calcium supplement. It just struck me why not use them for the growing medium of Paphs, especially those we get from South East Asia.

To my surprise plants have responded with amazing growths and blooms. I wash these bones thoroughly to remove any vestige of sea-salt and shred them into one inch pieces. These account for one third of the medium the other being sharp sand and an equal mix of coco peat and leaf mould.

Virus in Orchids (Part 2)
By Mike Harrison
Plant Viruses
Over 400 plant viruses have been identified. Among economically important plants affected by virus are potatoes, tomatoes, sugar cane, corn, wheat, peaches, beans, rice, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, apples, and many ornamentals including of course, orchids.
Viral diseases are generally most serious in plants that are vegetatively propagated by man. Virus may kill localised areas, entire plants, or most commonly, reduce plant vigour and thus yield.
Methods of plant virus transmission are numerous, including direct contact, sap drip and insect vectors such as aphids, thrips, white fly, mealy bugs and grasshoppers.
In cultivation the most common form of transmission is sap transfer from and infected plant by cutting tools, which occurs commonly during grafting, pruning, and cutting flowers. Mechanical and insect transmission may also occur.
The mosaic group of viruses is important; the effect they produce is a mottled or irregular patchwork appearance caused by chlorophyll destruction. Foliage may also be wrinkled. Another symptom is colour breaking in flowers especially in gladioli, pansies and wallflowers. This response, is best known in tulips, which feature streaks or lines of contrasting colours. Many have been in cultivation for years and show no signs of cumulative weakening. In bygone days some strains attracted high prices.

Viruses in Orchids
A number of viruses are known to affect orchids.
For many years growers have been aware of Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Cymbidium Mosaic Virus, Cymbidium Necrotic Ringspot Virus and Odontoglossum Ringspot Virus. In recent times a new group of viruses known as Rhabdovirus, has been identified in collections in Austraila.
In a series of articles in some of the orchid journals including the "Orchadian", and Orchids Australia, over the past 18 months or so, Don Gowanlock of the University of Queensland has detailed the symptoms associated with these "new" viruses. They are excellent articles, and all growers should read them and take note of the pictures.
However, for the average grower, precise identification is not really important. All we really need do is recognise the symptoms of virus infection generally, and take steps to prevent its spread.
The presence of virus in orchids disrupts normal growth, and may cause weakness, distortion and malformation. The effects are especially noticeable in stressed plants. Leaf symptoms include irregular chlorotic or mosaic patterns, necrotic streaks and spots, often in circular or mosaic patterns and erosion of the leaf surface. Other symptoms include reduction and or distortion of stems, leaves and inflorescences, colour-break in flowers and bud drop. Plants weakened by virus are also more susceptible to attack from other diseases and pests.
In the collections of most growers, it will be leaf symptoms that will indicate the presence of virus. While leaf symptoms are many and varied, and may be quite different from genus to genus, the main differential diagnostic features are the more or less circular arrangement of the necrotic spots, and the presence of chlorotic areas, usually in association with the necrotic spots and patterns. Chlorosis is an absence or reduced amount of chlorophyll, giving a yellow or bleached appearance.

Even plants with no apparent symptoms may be infected, with good culture masking the effects, but eventually the signs will show through.
As with other plants, sap transmission will carry virus from an infected orchid to a non-infected orchid. This commonly happens with cutting implements such as scissors, secateurs, knives and the like. Plant leaves rubbing together or even just touching, on the nursery bench, during transport or at shows may also transmit virus. Touching your plants, especially running your fingers along the leaves as many growers do to kill aphids, may also transmit virus. Pollen transfer is also known to result in virus transmission.
Virus particles are very small and can enter through the tiniest of wounds on a plant, wounds that may be quite invisible to the naked eye.
After mechanical transmission, which is essentially the result of cultural techniques and practices, the next main method of virus transmission is by sucking and chewing insects. Aphids in particular are known carriers of virus and other suspects must include thrips, mealy bug, grasshoppers, beetles (especially the Dendrobium Beetle) and scale insects.

Treatment
You cannot do anything about a plant once it is infested with virus. There is no treatment and no cure, so you must at least isolate an infected plant from non-infected plants, and preferably destroy it by burning it.
Do not put it in the bin, or take it to the tip, as someone will pick it up and take it hope with them, thereby perpetuating the problem. Remember also that all parts of the plant will be infected, and divisions and Keikis will carry and perpetuate the virus. Even meristem propagations (ie. mericlone) will usually be infected.
Plants can be tested for virus if they are valuable, but even if you only suspect the presence of virus, you must isolate these plants until they can be checked. There are commercial laboratories where this testing can be done at reasonable rates.
It sounds hard to say but you really MUST DESTROY infected plants. While they remain in your collection they are a potential source of further infection, and you run a real danger of contaminating non-infected plants, not only your own but other people's as well if you take your plants to meetings and shows.
Control
Do not use any cutting instrument from plant to plant without sterilising such instrument in between - by flame or boiling, by alcohol, or by soaking in a saturated solution of Trisodium Phosphate. This means any cutting of plants, including rhizomes, stems, leaves, inflorescences and flowers.
Do not unnecessarily touch or handle your plants, and especially keep your hands off other people's plants at meetings and shows.
When working on your plants (repotting, potting-on, grooming etc) keep your work surfaces clean and use fresh sheets of newspaper between each plant. When you have finished with a particular plant, wrap up all plant debris, old potting material, pots, stakes and the like in newspaper sheets you have been working on, and dispose of the package. Then wash and dry your hands, lay out fresh sheet of newspaper, and start on the next plant.
This may seem like an elaborate and time consuming procedure, but it is simply a habit you must get in to, and it will certainly be worth it in the long run.
Do not re-use pots and potting mixes, stakes, ties and anything else that has been in contact with your plants. The big advantage of using plastic pots is that they are cheap, so you don't have to re-use them.

Do not introduce new plants directly into your collection. Keep them segregated and under observation, especially adult plants and divisions, until you are satisfied that they are clean. Likewise, do not give away, swap or sell any plant, division Keiki?s growth that is infected or shows any suspicious signs.
Do not allow a build up of insect pests within your orchid house. An effective insect eradication program is an important part of creating and maintaining a virus-free collection. As soon as you see something that needs attention treat it immediately. General orchid house hygiene will assist in this area.

Conclusion

To maintain a virus-free collection, you must adhere to guidelines detailed above. Even if your plants appear to be free of virus-like symptoms an you believe them to be uninfected, still follow the procedures. In this way you will completely rule out the possibility of transmitting virus through your collection. In the past couple of years there has been considerable amount of research work done on viruses in orchids, and growers should be aware of the signs and symptoms. Contrary to popular belief, native orchids are not somehow less susceptible to virus infection, and native orchid growers cannot afford to be complacent.

Update

Some time ago I rang Don Gowanlock and spoke to him about sterilisation methods for the cutting implements we use on our orchids. These methods include flaming, boiling, alcohol, trisodium phosphate and sodium hypochlorite (bleach).
Based on his investigations and experience, Don made a number of important points.
* Prior to any form of sterilisation, your cutting blades should be washed or wiped completely clean of any plant debris and sap. Only after this step has been taken will the sterilisation techniques outlined below be effective.
* Sterilisation by Trisodium Phosphate is the preferred method. This involves making up a saturated solution of this compound (dissolving it in warm water to the point where no more will be taken into solution, and undissolved crystals of TSP remain visible in the bottom of the container), then soaking your cutting implements for 10 minutes. After you remove them, they should be rinsed in clean water to remove any residual Trisodium Phosphate solution.
* Flaming is effective only if it is hot enough and for long enough. A gas burner is the best thing to use (cigarette lighters are completely ineffective) and the cutting blades should be brought to the point where they begin to glow.
* Sterilisation by 70% is effective (indeed, 70% is more effective than 100%) as long as time is allowed. The alcohol should be in contact with the cutting blades for 10 minutes.
* Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is probably effective, but longer soaking time should be allowed. As with Trisodium Phosphate, your implements should be rinsed with clean water after soaking.
Don also told me that one of the honour students at Queensland University is currently doing his thesis on sterilisation techniques. The results of this work should be available with in the next 12 months

Western Australian Orchid Spectacular 2008

Bulletin No 22 October 2008

IT’S DONE!! All over bar the shouting!! The WA Orchid Spectacular 2008 has come and gone as these things do. We have had many nice comments from our visitors, from local, interstate and overseas. A huge thanks to all the volunteers who manned the door, the sales tables, the kitchen, the Registration Desk, the bean counters in the back room, the minibus and hire car, the Lecture Room, the judging, the Judges, the set up and dismantling, and the many other tasks that go into making an event like our a major success.

An enormous ‘thank you’ to our Guest Speakers who gave so much of their time to pass on their orchid expertise for our benefit. The Lectures were a class above and were generally well attended by our Registrants.

The Proceedings of the 2008 WAOS are being put together right now with much of the Lectures with many photos from the Guest Speakers, plus pictures of many of the orchids on display. You can reserve your copy of the Proceedings on CD by sending $25 plus $5 to cover postage & handling to PO Box 58, COMO WA 6152. Please make cheques out to WAROO.

The displays this time round were of a quality that we have not seen before in WA and are a credit to the various Orchid Societies/Clubs and Commercials who put so much thought, time and effort onto them. Well done !!

The Bunbury Orchid Society Display surpassed their usual standard and was judged the Best Display in it’s class as well as the best Overall Display. Our congratulations go to them, to Maxine for her Grand Champion Aerangis citrate and also Fran & John for their Reserve Champion Oncidium isthmii X leucochilum. See a full list of all the winners attached.

Did all go well? No, not all. There can always be improvements and your input and suggestions for improvement would be appreciated. We like to think that we will learn from the experience and your WAOS Committee will take a long hard look at the positives and negatives of WAOS 2008 in preparation for the 2012 Australian Orchid Conference, which will be held in Perth. Moves are already afoot in the planning for 2012 even though it is four years away. (It’s amazing how time flies and planning for an event such as this can never begin too soon)

Our email database will be retained for future Conferences and updated as and when changes are required.
To be included on our emailing list for further Bulletins, please contact Tony at waos@iinet.net.au

Tony Watkinson

Publicity

WAOS 2008

WAOS 2008 Champions List

Exhibitor
Maxine
Fran & John
Steve
Tony & Sandy
Stephany
Norm & Jenny
Mike
Frank & Hanny
Fran & John
Maxine
Maxine
Fran & John
Maxine
Mike
Phil & Eileen
Val West
Bunbury Orchid Society
Bunbury Orchid Society

Dawn Higgins

Ezi-Gro Orchids
Richard & Glynis

Exhibit
Aerangis citrata
Onc. isthmii x Onc.leucochilum
Cym Valley Splash 'Awesome'
Phrag besseae
Paph. St Swithin 'Lena"
Dtps. Eaglewood Glacier 'Chesapeake'
Sl. Orpetti Laina
Den. Lustrous x Den. Yondi Tina
Onc. isthmii x Onc. leucochilum
Den. lineale 'Morobe Shower'
Aerangis citrata
Lycaste cochleata x Lyc. Dresden
Aerangis citrata
Cym John Jansma
Dendrobium Unknown
Oriental Influence

Cym. Dr Len Ruby 'Sunset'

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