Schedule
2006 - January
Orchids in Equador -by Ricky Schnieder
A big thanks to Ricky for his presentation on Ecuador. As the wind blew, and the snow and sleet fell outside, OSMT members at the January meeting were enjoying an excellent and informative program on the orchids of Ecuador. Ricky Schneider has taken several trips to South America and enjoys raising plants from that region in his home greenhouse. As Ricky spoke about his trip, he not only showed beautiful slides of the native plants of Ecuador, but instilled in the audience an appreciation of the country, its terrain and its people. He recommended the book, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies by Jared Diamond, a professor of physiology at UCLA. The author notes that geographic orientation is a key factor in the differences in the availability of plants and that the environmental adaptation vairies with the latitude but not the longitude. A National Geographic special about the book is currently being shown each Thursday night at 9:00 PM on PBS.
2006 - February
Cattleya Repotting Workshop -by Ed Merkle
Presentation Material
Anyone who attended the meeting learned a great deal about repotting Cattleya orchids. Ed walked us through the steps involved in repotting Cattleya orchids, and even provided us with a guide to walk us through the process. Ed talked about a lot of things in addition to repotting Cattleya's, one thing that caught everyone's attention, was a new systemic pesticide that Ed uses that is readily available and safe enough to use in your house. The product is "Rose and Flower Insect Killer" from Bayer (Below right). It can be found at both Home Depot and Lowes for $4.84 for 24 ounces of ready to spray pesticide. Thanks again Ed for the great workshop!
2006 - March
Brian and Gregg's Big Adventure
Where can you find more then a football fields worth of orchids growing within 4 hours of Nashville? Come join Brian Kurowski and Gregg Zollinger as they take you on their adventure to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. See pictures of beautiful orchids growing in a natural cloud forest setting. See pictures of the gardens 30 foot cooling system that they felt first hand in a tour behind the scenes. Brian and Gregg will take you on a great big orchid adventure, so come along for a ride!
2006 - April
Growing Vandas in Middle Tennessee -by John Crenshaw
John, a long time Vanda lover, presented eight species and discussed his trials and successes in the culture for each. As he went through his program he pointed out the ones he found easiest to cultivate, discussed their size, color, and included their country of origin. He emphasized the typical pests and diseases of Vandas and made recommendations for treatment. As John concluded his program, he surprised everyone with door prizes of plants, supplies, and materials and encouraged everyone to try their hand at growing Vandas in Middle Tennessee.
2006 - May
What's wrong with my plant? -Expert Panel
Ricky Schneider, Ed Merkle, and Tom Harper assessed plants brought by members and visitors who wanted to know how to care for thier plant. They made many recommendations as to plant culture and treatment for pests and treatment for pests and diseases. Members of the audience asked additional questions and contributed suggestions as to their experience in growing under lights as well as in a greenhouse.
2006 - June
The OSMT Summer Picnic
2006 - July
The Eric Foundation and Odontoglossum Culture -by Russ Vernon
Russ gave an excellent and informative program on the culture of Odontoglossums and took us on a virtual tour of the gardens and greenhouses of the Eric Young foundation in Trinity, Jersey on the Channel Islands, where Odonts are among the favorite genera grown. Russ encouraged society members to try growing Odonts by looking at the plant's stress factors which ordinarily would limit the enjoyment of the beautiful, cool growing plants in the South. He suggested measures to us in adapting the plants to our growing area; such as misting the plants in the evening, placing moss around the base of the plant to keep it moist, us AC if possible, the cleanest water possible, and reduce the amount of fertilizer used. And, if you can, cut off any spikes that bloom between April and August and let them bloom in September instead. He shared several of his award winning plants and his thoughts on his breeding program for Odonts.
2006 - August
Mega Show and Tell
Due to an unfortunate scheduling error, we had the opportunity for an extended question and answer plant table.
2006 - September
The OSMT fall Show
2006 - October
Dennis D' Alessandro - "The Orchids of Borneo"
Dennis D' Alessandro gave an excellent presentation on "The Orchids of Borneo". He began with the Mulu National Park, the oldest rain forest on the planet, and took the audience on a tour of the cave complex in Brunei which housed over 600,000 bats, to the Kenabalu Mountains where he found Paph. Sanderiana growing in the wild. From the bats, to the head hunting tribes, to the giant lizards and long houses, the presentation was delightful and educational. His stories of the locals were very entertaining. Everyone who made it really enjoyed it and we can't wait for Dennis to visit us again. Dennis was gracious enough to allow us to video tape this fabulous presentation. Members who missed this presentation can contact Gregg Zollinger who can provide a video tape of the presentation.
2006 - November
Phalaenopsis Hybridization: Where did we come from and where are we going. - Tom Harper of Stones River Orchids
Tom Harper of Stones River Orchids from right here in Franklin, TN was back to pinch hit for an injured Tom Larkin with another great talk on Phals. This slide presentation presented information on the key species parents used in Phal hybridization, famous and popular hybrids, and the future direction of the hybrid phal market.
2006 - December
The OSMT Christmas Party
The OSMT Christmas Party was held on December 16th at the River Plantation Club House. The OSMT provided the ham, beverages and paper goods. Libby Jackson organized and hosted the event to great success and enjoyment for those attending.