Gawler Districts Orchid Club Inc.

REVIEW
December 2020
Post Print Approved 100002180

Orchid of the night:

Miltoniopsis Humbug x Herman Sweet
Grown By: Rob & Lyn Albrecht
 GAWLER DISTRICTS ORCHID CLUB REVIEW

Patron Dr. Bruce Eastick

President Trevor Lehmann
Secretary Murray Page
Treasurer Rob Albrecht
Immediate Past President Robert Pfitzner
Life Members: 1991 John & Lyn Howard
Denotes Deceased Member 1994 John & Liz Pohl
1994 Roger & Pauline Rankin
1997 Stan Isaacson
1998 Gordon  & Margaret Hewitt
2003 Ross & Freda Woolford
2005 Allan & Doreen Garner
2005 David & Pat Harmer
2016 Dennis Greenwood
2017 Brian & Mary Heddle
2017 Murray & Margaret Page
2017 Steve Howard
2018 Jim & Evelyn Cuming
2018 Graham & Sue Zerbe

Club Correspondence to:

PO Box 32 GAWLER, S.A. 5118
Phone enquiries to
President Ph. 0418 231 794
Secretary Ph. 8250 0689
Editor Ph. 82544253
CONTENTS
Committee News & Happening with members………………….. 03-07
Registrars report…………………………….……………....……..06-07
Culture Notes, Adverts/ Programme / Dates for Diary / Other
Clubs………………………………………………………………07-12

GDOC 2 December 2020

 UNDER INSURANCE GUIDELINES ALL MEMBERS AND
COMMITTEE ATTENDING ANY FUNCTION OR MEETING
HELD BY THE CLUB MUST NOW SIGN AN ATTENDANCE
BOOK BY NAME AND SIGNATURE

Copyright: All contributions to this review, which have acknowledged authors,

including photos, are covered by copyright. Consent for use of this material elsewhere
must be obtained from the Secretary. The Club accepts no responsibility for transactions
between advertisers and readers for the material content of advertisements and the views
expressed by author. Kyle Howard – Editor. Flower of the month – digital image by
Kyle Howard

Complaints/Suggestions
As in all Clubs and Associations, there are times when members are not
completely satisfied with events, which occur from time to time. The Gawler
Districts Orchid Club is no exception. If at any time you have a complaint or
suggestions, please submit it in writing to the Committee with your signature.
President Trevor Lehmann is arranging a suggestion box for members to put
suggestions. This is your Club, the committee need to know what you want
including topics and Guest Speakers, for example.

Committee News:
The President & Committee wish you all an enjoyable festive season
& good growing in 2021.

To be conducted under the COVID-19 Safe Plan Requirements as advised in the

July Newsletter:
- On arrival, hand sanitiser will be provided at the entrance
- All present are to sign the insurance book as required as well as an attendance
record with name, phone, E-Mail address and time of arrival/departure.
- Physical Distancing of 1.5m is to be in place at ALL times.
- Peter Aigner-Muehler is the Clubs Covid Marshall.
- There will be NO Supper or Popular Vote.
- Plants are to be set up in the Supper Room for Judging. Maximum persons
allowed in the room at one is 18 and cannot exceed this.

GDOC 3 December 2020

Subscriptions 2021: Committee have left subscriptions the same price as
for 2020. SINGLE $25-00, Joint/Family $30-00. A reduction of $5-00 if
you receive the ‘REVIEW’ via E-Mail. Due to the loss of 4 meetings and
no judging at showers in 2020, a SPECIAL ONE TIME OFF subscription
for members will be offered being $17-00 for Single and $20-00 for
Joint/Families, the $5-00 reduction for Review via E-mail will still apply.
SUBSCRIPITONS can be paid to the Treasurer at our Monthly Meetings,
posted to P.O Box 32 Gawler 5118, or transferred directly into the Clubs
bank account:
BANK SA GAWLER BSB 105-009 Account Number: 065534140. If
depositing via bank, please leave your name and ‘Sub’ on the end.

December Meeting 2020: There will not be a dinner prior the meeting.
There still will be the monster raffle as well as the charity donation box.
In view of Covid-19 this year and reduced meetings, the Committee have
decided NO TROPIHIES will be awarded for aggregate winners as with
no Judging at seasonal shows.

Credit Union Lottery Ticket purchasing instructions:

- On a computer or other web connected device access the website:
https://communitylottery.peopleschoice.com.au/pages/group-resources

- You can locate our group by searching “Gawler Districts Orchid

Club” in the top right-hand corner of the website.
- Select “Gawler Districts Orchid Club”
- Once you’ve found your group’s webpage, you can go ahead
and purchase your tickets!

Nominations for 2021: Executive positions for 2021:

President 2x Vice Presidents Secretary Treasurer
3x TWO Year Committee

GDOC 4 December 2020

Nominations to be in writing (obtain from the Secretary) and in hands of
secretary by the end of the December Monthly Meeting.

Minutes of Meetings: As from September’s meeting, a copy of the

minutes will be available for those members wishing them (with sign in
book) in lieu of on Notice Board. One copy to joint members.

Plant Stall: Now John M. Howard. Mob. 0419814981. Club has

sterilizers, Orchiata Bark, stakes, labels, various size pots, fertilizer.
Members may bring in plants to sell with NO COMMISSION to CLUB.
John will have a small supply (other than bark) at meetings. Once this
supply has been sold, the Club will no longer be providing Orchiata Bark.
Members can purchase this from Cobb & Co.

Plants on Tables at Monthly Meetings: Members have requested that

plants remain on the table for 10/15 minutes after close of meeting to
enable them to see the plants. Your assistance in this regard would be
appreciated. These plants are for VIEWING ONLY, PLEASE DO NOT
TOUCH.

Review via E-Mail: The Club can now send out the ‘REVIEW’ by e-mail. If
you wish to be added to the list, please send a request to the Editor, Kyle
Howard. This will ensure we have your correct E-Mail, and the Editor can
advise the Secretary to cancel your hard copy.
GawlerDistrictOrchidClub@hotmail.com

Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/GawlerOrchids

Group: www.facebook.com/groups/GawlerOrchidClub
Instagram: www.instagram.com/Gawler_orchid_club Photo Sharing.

What’s Happening With the Members?

Birthdays for December
Happy Birthday to the Following:-

GDOC 5 December 2020

 Pat Harmer Craig Humfrey Leanne Leo George Marsden
Gary Smith Leanne Smith Dat Tran
Birthdays for January
Happy Birthday to the following:-

John Arthur Denise Cassar John Gale Mike Gray

Margaret Hall Stan Isaacson Malcolm Osborne Murray Page
Lorraine Smith Trevor Smith Peter Steyn Ray Stock

Thinking of you during your illness:-

Peter Steyn

To any member who has been unwell recently we hope you will be
joining us next meeting, we are looking forward to having you back with
us. Birthday & Get Well Wishes can only be acknowledged if the
information is passed on to Mary 82557348.

When picking a winner at home, every man is a judge – Roger Rankin

Orchid Wise.

November & Sarcochilus results will be published in the

February 2021 “REVIEW”

The orchid the judges like dies young no matter how long it lives –
Roger Rankin Orchid Wise.

Registrars Report: There was a lovely collection of many orchid genera

benched. The highlight of the night was the Sarcochilus night which put on
an excellent display of various colours. The winner of the Sarcochilus night
was Sarc. Rachel grown by Jim Shaughnessy, An impressive specimen with
many spikes and flowers. A well worthy winner. The winner in Open
division which was also the Orchid of the Night was miltoniopisis Humbug

GDOC 6 December 2020

x Hermon Sweet. A very well grown plant with 4 flowers. There were large
with a bright maroon colour that was very appealing. The segments were
large and flat. It was a standout orchid on the bench. First division was well
represented with a range of Phalaenopsis’. The winner was Phal. Utopia
owned by Kyle Howard. Nicely shaped flowers that were of white with
lovely purple striping on the edges of the sepals and petals. The flowers were
also large and shows good potential for the future. Second division had a
good number of different genera. The winner was a lovely specimen of C.
Tropical Pointer ‘Cheetah’. A lovely multifloral spike and was exceptionally
well grown. Congratulations to Valerie Clee for this well grown plant.
- Graeme Hazledine.

Culture Notes: December Another year has slipped us by. Hopefully

this was a better year than last, and the coming new year will be even better.
This is the key to successful orchid growing and there is the requirement to try
and go one up on the previous year. Learning is a never-ending process and
success is based on lessons learnt. Some orchids are not meant to grow here.
Summer is well upon us and the growth season is away. Obviously feeding and
watering are they key requirements but there are many other factors. Light
levels are now at their peak, humidity levels at the lowest and there is the usual
army of bugs out there feasting on the soft new growths. With rapid growth
evident in many genera we need to keep them moving but also consider that
they are generally soft at this stage of growth. So, caterpillars find a new growth
much more tempting than a matured growth, heat damage is more noticeable
and much more likely to affect a new growth than an old growth. Hopefully
most of our division etc has been completed by now but alas with so much to do
nowadays this is not always the case so we find more and more growers still
dividing this late in the season. If these plants are well looked after I can see not
too many problems dividing this late, but I would not expect a premium
flowering next year either. Some of the plants that can be done now are the
cattleyas and the Oncidium as their new growths have new roots that are not too
long, and these plants can be divided without too much set back or performance
in the flowering stakes. Some of these plants can also be back cut this time of
year. Back cutting involves cutting the rhizome of a plant that is intent on
growing one forward growth each year and Oncidiums and Cattleyas are classic

GDOC 7 December 2020

species that exhibit this behaviour. The cut is made 3 or 4 growths back from
the lead with a sterile knife dipped in a fungicide. Then place a plant label in
the cut to stop the growth growing back together. The aim is to encourage a
dormant eye on the back half of the division to start growing. The plant can then
be divided next year and you have 2. Zygopetalums are growing fast and most
new growths will be showing new roots as well. The key to dividing a plant at
any time is do it in active growth. If you divide a plant that is resting you may
end up with a dead plant or at least a plant suffering a major setback. The old
damaged roots won’t absorb water or fertilizer very well and there are no new
ones to take over. Even when it finally grows new roots it is that far set back it
may be years before it returns to normal. All divided plants should be kept
shadier, more humid and misted regularly for a while until they settle down and
then returned to their rightful place on the bench. Don’t forget a couple of
watering with Seasol to assist the recovery of the orchid and the new roots.
Terestrials are now in the shed stored in a cool shady place. Next month will see
the annual task of re potting. There are a couple of evergreen terrestrials we can
grow here and as long as you have some cover they won’t need too much heat
over winter. These are Phaius tankervilliae (aka the swamp orchid) and
Calanthe triplicata (aka The Christmas orchid). Both are grown under 55%
shade at my place and under cover all year in a deep pot with a rich peaty
compost. They both have soft wide leaves and look good even out of flower.
Caterpillars and scale love them! Both flowers mark badly if they get wet,
particularly the Calanthe that turns black. It would pay to keep the atmosphere
and the plant very dry when flowering. The Phaius is out in November and
funnily enough the Calanthe flowers in December. Keep up the humidity this
time of year as it is you ally when conditions get hot. There are many ways to
increase humidity. In my shade house I hang old man’s beard everywhere,
baby’s tears grows under the benches and along the paths, I have some
containers of water under the benches and even a few foliage plants scattered
about the place. The floor is bark chip that holds moisture. All these factors
improve the humidity. Provide some extra shade if you can when temperatures
go through the roof and remove it when conditions cool down. We installed
foggers under the covered section, and these are very effective at bumping up
the humidity and bring the temperatures down on those extreme days. Avoid
spraying for pests when temperatures are high. Learn to read the signs of heat
and light damage. Die back, pitting, sun burn, or scold marks and excessive

GDOC 8 December 2020

yellowing of the leaves are clear signs. I also test a few plants leaves and feel
how hot they are and if they are I’ll try to get the temp down. Inspect those
orchids that do not have psuedobulbs to tide them over the summer.
Paphiopedilums and Sarcochilus come to mind so make sure they are kept
evenly moist. They also will show up heat damage via pitting of the leaves and
once creamed by the heat will die a slow death. Inspect the roots anytime you
feel the plant is struggling. Lifting the plant partly out the pot and back in won’t
harm it but if the roots have no growth tips then something is wrong and action
needs to be taken now. Not later. Paphs are very sensitive to salt, especially
some of the species and regular flushing is essential to remove them. This is
why a well-drained mix is a must, not only to get valuable air to the roots but to
enable a regular flushing. If water drains out slowly then it is unlikely your
conditions are very favourable and problems will soon occur if not already
evident. They also have low fertiliser requirements. Pests are plenty and the
green loopers are rife. A month ago I couldn’t walk outside at night under the
street lights because of a moth plague and when there is moth plague there is
looper plague behind it. Fortunately I was prepared and I have a few pots of
sacrificial foliage plants under the benches and sure enough they are covered in
loopers that are easily removed by hand but the orchids apart from my soft
leaved Zygopetalums and Lycastes are untouched. I would still keep an eye out
for scale and mites as conditions become drier. December starts the summer
season and there are still plenty that flower this time of year. Many people won’t
grow summer flowering orchids, maybe it’s because there are no shows or club
meetings are recessed until the new year, I don’t know but I make sure I am not
in that minority. Brassia verrucosa and Brassia brachiata are now out, the
spidery flowers making a wonderful display even if their smell leaves much to
be desired, there are always a few summer flowering mini Cattleyas and
Oncidiums adding colour. I have always loved the Oncidiiane complex. Like the
Laeliinae group a well thought out collection can usually have at least one
member from the group or intergenerics bred from them that flower every
month of the year. I have Encyclias, Native Dendrobiums (yes, even in summer,
but they only last a few days), always Zygoes spot flowering, Sartylis,
Neofinetia , Biffrenaria, Native Cymbidiums ( madidum , canaliculatum and
suave) and their hybrids all providing summer colour. 2014 is about to bite the
dust and 2015 await. Most of these notes are for the learners in the clubs and
hope that these and the beginners group meetings have been useful in helping

GDOC 9 December 2020

you understand and improve your culture. For the rest of the growers I hope
they have been helpful even in a small way. We are all into this together and we
all need to interact, share ideas and dare to try something different. All the best
for Xmas and may Santa bring you many seedlings.
Steve Howard
Programme for 2021:
February 11th A.G.M, followed by winners of 2020
th
March 8 2021 Maureen Hazledine: Preparing plants
for shows
April 8th 2021 Neutrog
May Onwards TBA Based on the COVID-19
Situation

Barrita Orchids
World leading Cymbidium & Sarcochilus breeders.
www.barritaorchids.com scott@barritaorchids.com.au

Cobb & Co Pty Ltd EST 1992: Unit 3/6

McGowan Street, Pooraka S.A. 5095Suppliers of: Pots, Saucers, Trays, Stakes,
Tying, Products, Fertilisers, Insecticides, Secateurs, Gloves, Labels, Potting
Mixes & Mediums, Perlite, Vermiculite & much more. Open: Monday to
Friday 9:00AM – 2:30PM Contact: Office: Ph 8349 7300 Email:
cobbandcosales@tpg.com.au

Nicky Zurcher: See Nicky’s slippers; Exciting new Paphs and Phrags
www.nickysslippers.com.au
Mob. 0405 088 479

Adelaide Orchids Pty. Ltd: “Producing tomorrows champions, today”

Seedling & mericlone flasks & tissue culture services available
Phone: 0407 398 597
Email: jason@adelaideorchids.com

GDOC 10 December 2020

 Sims Orchid
Hybridisers and Suppliers, Cymbidium Orchids
From flask to Flowering size, Mericlones, Seedlings, Show Bench & Pot Plant.
Contact: Moss & Rosemary Bray
123 Barcelona Rd Noarlunga Downs SA 5168
Ph. (08) 8382 8822 Mob. 0418 82221

Other Orchid Clubs –Where & when they meet:

SOME CLUBS MAY BE SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19
North Eastern District Orchid: - Meets in St Phillips Hall Galway Avenue,
Broadview from 7.30pm on the third Thursday of the month.
South Coast Orchid Club: - Meets in St. Bernadette’s Church Hall St.
Marys (Corner South Road and Walsh Ave) from 8.00pm on the 1st
Wednesday of the month.
Daytime Chapter: - Meets in Lou Kesting Hall, Dover Square, off
Broadway, South Brighton at 2pm on the 2nd Thursday of the month
Southern Region Group: - Meets Carrakalinga House 17- 19 Torrens St.
Victor Harbor on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 2.pm.
The South Australian Orchidaceous Society: - Meets at the Uniting
Church building, 312 Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Brooklyn Park on the 3rd
Wednesday of the month from 7.30pm.
Murray Bridge & Districts Orchid Club: - Meets at Seventh Day
Adventist Hall, Corner Myall Ave & Standen St, Murray Bridge on the 4th
Sunday of the month at 1.45pm.
The Native Orchid Society of South Australia: - Meets at the St.
Matthew’s Hall Bridge St. Kensington on 4th Tuesday of Month at 7.30pm.
Cymbidium Orchid Club of Sth. Aust: - Meets at Burnside Community
Centre, 401 Greenhill Rd Tusmore on the 4th Wednesday of the Month at
7.30pm
Orchid Club of South Australia: - Meets at the Enfield Community Centre
540 Regency Rd., on the 1st Thursday of the Month at 8pm. Daytime
Group: - meets at Enfield Community Centre 540 Regency Rd Enfield on
the 2nd Friday of the Month. 2.00pm – 4.00P

GDOC 11 December 2020

 Gawler Districts Orchid Club Inc.
Elderly Centre
14th Street Gawler

Next Monthly Meeting

Thursday December 10th
8:00PM

Topic
- Social Night
- Raffle prizes by members
- Charity Box: Non-perishable donations
suitable to go into a Xmas hamper

Regular Features:
- Plant Benching & Judging
- Lucky Name Badge (Must be wearing)
- Birthday Draw: December
- No Beginner group
- No Popular Vote
- No Supper

GDOC 12 December 2020