Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society
Orchid Show: Orchid Show and Sale January 9, 10, & 11, 2026
Members from the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society will be at the Museum of Discovery & Science for Arbor Day April 27th and 28th! Come join us.
Volunteers are needed for the following days and shifts.
Please contact Gigi Granger to volunteer (gigigator@aol.com)
Members from the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society will be at the Museum of Discover & Science for Earth Day April 20th and 21st. Come join us.
Volunteers are needed for Saturday (April 20th, 2013) for the 12pm – 2pm or 2pm – 4pm shifts. Please contact Gigi Granger to volunteer (gigigator@aol.com)
Our August speaker was John Odom from Odom’s Orchids who presented How we grow Cattleyas. The presentation provided both scientific and cultural perspective on the genus.
John Odom studied genetics for his Masters in college under a distinguished professor who won the nobel peace prize and has been growing orchids for the last 43 plus years. He has had the good fortune of knowing some of the most well known orchid hybridizers and acquired several specimens from them. At one time he has had over 5000 awarded orchids and has grown as many as half a million phalaenopsis. Odom’s Orchids is one of the largest Cattleya growers in the world.
Cattleya’s originate from Central and South America from where they were sent to England and named after Sir William Cattley. Known as the corsage orchid, there are over 50 species in the wild and are recognizable easily. Cattleya’s are hardy orchids which are epiphytes in nature and therefore need good air movement. Cattleya’s are able to grow in temperatures as varied as from 40-100 degrees. Though they can tolerate such extremes, they should not remain at these temperatures. They need bright, indirect light such as a screen enclosure or tree canopy coverage with up to 40%-50% shade. If enough light is not provided they can get very green and not bloom. In optimal conditions the leaves should be a medium green color. The roots of Cattleyas are spongy and have water retention ability. The plant should be watered as a whole and not just the roots. Once a week watering can be sufficient. Pay attention to the kind of pot the plant is in since plastic pots retain more moisture and clay pots dry faster. Cattleyas themselves do not have any preference for either pots or mediums they are grown in.
Humidity between 50% and 80% should be provided. This is by wetting the greenhouse floor. Inside the house, they can be placed on a tray of gravel with water added just up to below the surface of the gravel. In Florida, extra humidity does not need to be provided and as the plants are epiphytic, they prefer to grow outside.
Cattleya’s can be fed every week, bi-weekly or monthly. The fertilization should be done on a regular basis. If the planted in a bark mix, a high nitrogen formula such as 30x10x10 is advised. This is because the fungus breaking down the bark feed on nitrogen and therefore the plants do not get as much nitrogen as needed. A high phosphorus formulation (bloom boosters) may be used every 4-6 weeks. John uses a regimen of various protein based fertilizers as well as additives such as Epsom Salt. He constantly experiments to see what works best for orchids and finds that a heavy feeding tends to work best. He uses an injection watering system with a chlorine and sulfuric acid additive to keep the irrigation lines clean, the pH manageable, calcium bicarbonate low and orchids clean. John also prefers to use harpin based fertilizers. Harpin is a protein which activates the plant to grow better.When harpin is prayed into the foliage and stems of an orchid, the receptors recognize the proteins presence and send a signal through the plant that activates the plants natural ability to protect itself. Hence the stimulated plant has more vigor and stamina. Research has shown harpin has multiple effects on different types of plants. In some cases it enhances plant growth. In other cases it increases disease and insect resistance.
According to John, some of the common causes of orchid death are over watering, lack of attention, other orchids took priority, job restraints, lack of fertilizer and chemical control for insects, lack of light when greenhouse roof needed replacing, having too many orchids and not admitting to it. Some of the reasons NOT to let orchids die is that most old plants are not replaceable and they have disappeared. Such plants could have been lost due to virus infections, natural disasters such as hurricanes or benalate issues. Benalate was a fungicide manufactured by Dupont and then eventually manufactured by another company. An accidental herbicide mix in the formula caused several well-known collections to be decimated with specimens lost forever.
===announcement===
Our August speaker will be John Odom from Odom’s Orchids which has over 90,000 square feet of greenhouses and one of the largest mail order orchid company in the US. They are located in Ft. Pierce, FL. The topic will be How we grow Cattleya Orchids. This presentation will divulge information on cultural and other needs of Cattleya’s.
John Odom was born in Fort Pierce, Fl. After graduating from the University of Florida, John worked in the citrus industry and later retired from Ocean Spray Cranberries. He started his commercial orchid nursery over 45 years ago and still maintains it.
Meeting September 10, 2012 – Dr. Martin Motes
Our September speaker will be Dr. Martin Motes who is a distinguished AOS judge and well known Vanda breeder. He has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 18th World Orchid Conference in Dijon. Along with his wife Mary, Dr. Motes has written several books on orchids and Vandas including “Florida Orchid Growing” which offers readers a month by month guide to successful orchid culture in the Sunshine State.
Dr. Motes will be presenting “”The Bright Future for Vandas’ – Exciting New Hybrids”” during the meeting.
BLUE RIBBONS
Meeting October 8, 2012 – FLOS Annual Auction
Thank you to all the participants of the Annual Auction! Our vendors and members generously donated wonderful plants of both species and hybrids alike and made the event another memorable event.
===Announcement===
Our October meeting is our annual fund-raising auction. We are ready for guests by 6:30 so come, get registered, and check out the hundreds of plants you will be able to buy. The auction action starts at 7:00.
Many orchids are donated by vendors. There will be awesome orchids and orchid supplies from:
Come early, bid often!
The Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society will be at the Yellow Orchid on Saturday, December 7, 2013 with plants and supplies. Join us in this unique event where we not only provide everyone with the opportunity to go home with an orchid but also answer your questions about these beautiful plants. FLOS members will be present to demystify orchids from 10am to 2pm.
Yellow Orchid
1600 NE 26th Street
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
(Cross section of NE 26th Street and 16th Avenue)
Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society will be at the Museum again! Join us at the Museum of Discovery & Science on December 14th and 15th as we display beautiful orchids and answer questions of the ever curious minds about these marvels of nature! Members will be available from 12pm to 4pm to show different varieties and impart their knowledge.
Museum of Discovery & Science
401 SW 2nd Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
www.mods.org
The FLOS Home Ramble will provide a tour of five outstanding private orchid collections of FLOS members living in the greater Fort Lauderdale area. Each collection is unique based on the grower’s individual interests and specific growing conditions.
Due to limited parking at the sites, attendees will be required to leave some cars at the church and carpool. Map and addresses will be provided on the morning of the event.
MEET:
Christ Lutheran Church 1955 East Oakland Park Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306
DEPART: 9:30 AM Sharp
RETURNS: 4:30 PM
COST: no charge but attendees must register in advance as space is limited
SUSTENANCE: Light refreshments provided at each home. There will be a break for lunch with your carpool group at a place of your choosing along the way.
CONTACT: Claire Garrett (clairegarr@aol.com) to sign up for what promises to be a great experience.
Brian became interested in orchids at the tender age of 12 and started growing and eventually hybridizing orchids in his backyard. Today his collection is housed in 4000 square feet of greenhouse. Brian discussed the history about Tolumnias. In the 1950,’s, W.W. Goodale Moir began crossing Tolumnia species he collected on trips to the Caribbean area. In nature, Tolumnias are twig epiphytes, small, compact plants with fine roots. Moir laid the foundation for these tiny plants once nicknamed “Moir’s weeds”, to become award winning specimens. Tolumnias generally prefer to not remain wet and like good air movement. When watering, ensure that they are able to dry out. They prefer: 70-80% humidity, medium to high light, and 10° temperature change in day/night. When choosing a growing medium, pick one that suits your conditions. Tolumnias can be grown in little clay pots, without any media with the right conditions, or can be mounted on tree fern slabs.
There are 29 species of Tolumnias with 5 major contributors to the gene pool when hybridizing. Triquetra contribute anthocyanin, the red pigment. Tolumnias with lobe-like side petals, which are likely to be a hybrid with pulchella. Uraphylla has a good lip shape and is a triploid (3 sets of chromosomes). Guianensis has wider petals and increases the flower count when used in hybridizing. Round lips and spider-like features are likely contributed by henekenii. Some of the most notable and awarded hybrids are Golden Glow a primary hybrid of triquetra x urophylla and Tiny Tim triquetra x guianensis.Line breeding and remaking primary hybrids are in the future of Tolumnias.
Brian’s secret for growing orchids, “Grow or Die”. In other words, figure out what works best for your conditions and stick with it. He recommends “weeding out” collections annually as it takes the same amount of space, effort and supplies to grow poor quality orchids as good quality orchids. So mark your calendar for one of two excellent months for this chore, October (FLOS Annual Auction) or January (FLOS Annual Show).
===announcement===
Brian Monk from Blu Llama Orchids will be our July speaker and will discuss Tolumnias! Brian started growing and hybridizing orchids in his backyard, but this has expanded to 4,000 square feet of greenhouse space. He will grow anything green, but focuses on his hybridizing projects, which include the development of multi-floral white and pink Paphiopedilumms, warmth tolerant red Oncidinae and a standard pink Cattleya with a n all white lip. Brian pursues photography as well and won awares during the 2007 Miami International Orchid Show and the 2008 World Orchid Conference. Brian is currently a student judge with the American Orchid Society. (from Blu Llama website).