If it’s spring, then it’s time to be assiduous about checking orchids for damage caused by snails and slugs. These pests can inflict a great deal of damage to virtually every part of an orchid, waiting for the cover of night. Left unchecked, snails and slugs can infest a collection and kill your orchids fairly quickly.
They are hermaphroditic, so every individual has both male and female organs and is capable of laying eggs. Adults lay up to 300 eggs in batches of 10 to 50 each. These eggs hatch in the spring in as little as 10 days during warmer weather, or up to 100 days in cooler temperatures. The average maturation period is about one month.
Telltale signs of their presence include translucent shiny slime trails; holes with uneven brown edges eaten through flower tissue; nibbled roots (thicker roots may have only small pock-mark-like holes eaten into them, while smaller, finer roots may be eaten clean through; tender new root tips are especially vulnerable); and new growths may be damaged or chewed to a nub.
How to control them? A favourite of some humans as well as molluscs, beer attracts snails and slugs. In the growing area place a small container (clean cat-food or tuna tins are ideal) filled with enough beer to drown a snail or slug – use as many containers as necessary. Empty the stale beer and deceased pests every few days and replace with fresh beer. Or dampen dry dog or cat food and place an inverted foil pie tin over it, propping up the tin just enough on one side so the critters can get underneath. Check the tin every morning, removing and destroying accumulated snails and slugs.
Although time consuming, hand-picking is still an effective (and satisfying) method of control. Go out after dark with a torch, pick off and destroy any slugs and snails found. Do not use salt directly on the critters; although this does kill them, it may also get into your plants and growing environment, causing unwanted damage. Better to drop the pests into a saltwater solution.
This is an abbreviated version of an American Orchid Society article by Susan Jones. Read the full article here.
A question that comes up regularly from beginners and people buying Cymbidiums at our show is around dividing plants. One chap who was buying a plant looked doubtful when I advised dividing the plant into two when the time came. ‘Oh no,’ he said, ‘there are plenty of plants in there.’ Hopefully, the information on why he shouldn’t divide a plant into individual pseudobulbs proves useful.
The pseudobulbs (so-called because they look like bulbs) of Cymbidiums – and Cattleya, Miltassia, Lycaste, Bifrenaria, Maxillaria, Coelogyne, etc – that sit above the potting medium are storage units for the plant, holding nutrients, energy and water. Even when they’ve lost their leaves and become ‘back bulbs’ they are still working for the orchid and should not be removed while firm and green. It’s only when you finger-test them and discover they’ve gone soft or become a husk, is it time to take them off the plant.
Leafless pseudobulbs can be seen in this illustration of Cymbidium hookerianum by Harriet Stewart Miner, published in Orchids: The Royal Family of Plants (1885).
When you divide a Cymbidium – which should be done only when there is no growing room left in the pot – be sure to have at least one leafless but firm back bulb with every growing pseudobulb, and please don’t divide a plant into single pseudobulbs. Try to keep two or three growing bulbs together, along with a few back bulbs. Why? It’s all about helping the plant remain strong and healthy, recover from the shock of division and getting it back into flower faster.
Another good reason to keep back bulbs is that they have dormant buds on the sides of their base that can activate into new shoots, which will eventually each form their own pseudobulb.
What happens if you divide a Cymbidium into a single pseudobulb and don’t keep a back bulb? It likely won’t kill the plant, but it will drastically slow its re-flowering as there are no reserves of energy for it. The other complication occurs during dry periods as, again, the plant has no reservoir available.
Effectively, what we call canes on some orchids – such as Dendrobiums – are also pseudobulbs and should only be removed from a plant when they become yellow and shrivelled.
People flooded through the doors of this year’s Tauranga Orchid Show, a wonderful sight for the organising team who no doubt breathed a sigh of relief . Plant sales tables were stripped bare over the course of the two days, which means everyone is happy – purchasers and the out-of-town vendors, some of whom had travelled from Whangarei and Auckland to be with us.
There was a happy buzz in the room, the sort that happens when old friends get together again after a while apart. Food 101 ran a great little cafe during the show and the Racecourse venue was great, as always. Visitors this year though turned left instead of right to find the show and the new room, which is shaped differently to the other, gave the display a fresh look.
Grand Champion orchid was Paphiopedilum Fleuret Isles, grown by Cliff Goodchild, president of the BOP Orchid Society. This plant also won Best Paphiopedilum and Best Specimen Plant. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Reserve Champion was Dendrobium Fortune Lady ‘Muse’ shown by Ninox Orchids of Whangarei. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Tania Langen of Ninox Orchids receives the Reserve Champion trophy from Tauranga Orchid Society president Conrad Coenen. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Best Cymbidium was Cym. Fury Land ‘Fortius’ grown by Ninox Orchids.
There were several new trophies awarded this year and the club was delighted that Susan Enticott, daughter of our late Life Member Brian Enticott was able to come and present the cup donated in Brian’s name.
Susan Enticott (left) with Lee Neale, grower of Laelia jongheana ‘Heart’s Desire’, winner of the Brian Enticott Cup for Best Cattleya. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Odontoglossum Anna-Claire, grown by Trevor and Pam Signal of the Tauranga society, won the new Barry Curtis bowl for Best Oncidiinae plant. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Jo Dawkins (left) and Deborah Parkinson admire Dendrobium Limelight, grown by Cliff Goodchild, winner of the new Best Australian Dendrobium trophy. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Part of the Ninox Orchids display can be seen in the foreground with the Bay of Plenty and Tauranga society displays behind. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Predictions that people would be looking forward to buying orchid plants and attending a show were borne out this morning when there was a rush and a crush at the 2022 Tauranga Orchid Society show, our first public show since 2019.
In the meantime, of course, we’ve had to add a whole lot of new words to our vocabulary (pandemic, lockdown, Covid variant, family bubble) and learn to do new things (scan into public spaces, wear masks).
All through the past couple of years, though, our orchids have remained constant and – if we’re doing well – still survive, thrive and even flower! Bringing a massed display together has been a pleasure, as is the chance to chat to enthusiasts, both locals and those from other parts of the country, and swap notes.
Orchids of all shapes, sizes and colours are on display. The show is open again tomorrow September 24 at Tauranga Racecourse (Greerton), from 10am with the last entry at about 3pm. Prizegiving at 2pm. A cash-out facility is available.
This magnificent Dendrobium speciosum, an orchid native to Australia, is on the Tauranga display. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Chiloschista lunifera, an orchid native to the Eastern Asia, including the Himalayas, is the only member of its family to have red flowers. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Oncidium splendidum is native to Central America. Photo: Sandra Simpson
This Arpophyllum giganteum, another grand specimen plant, is grown outside year-round in the Tauranga area. Photo: Sandra Simpson
It’s never too soon to start thinking about how your plants can look their best for our show on September 23 and 24. Some of the tips suggested here will have to be done at the last minute though.
Protect: If you have an orchid growing outside that you think may be in flower for the show, make sure the plant is under cover as the buds develop to protect it from weather damage. Check the pot and plant carefully for any hungry pests that may also damage the flowers. When watering, be sure to water into the pot and try to avoid splashing the leaves and developing flowers.
This well-staked Cymbidium Pixie Chorus ‘Sun Bright’ was shown by Trevor and Pearl Martin at the recent Waikato Orchid Show. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Stake: Stake any blooms that need it – people like to look into a flower rather than at its drooping back. This is a job that should be done as soon as possible when the flower spike appears. However, if you’re careful it can be done later. Remember, though, that clipping or tying a strong-stemmed plant, such as a Cymbidium, to a stake is best done in the middle of a warm day when the stem is more flexible and less likely to snap! Choose the most unobtrusive stake and clip colour possible, and trim the stake with secateurs (or similar) to the height of the flower spike, again to keep it unobtrusive. Even if you don’t wish to display a staked bloom, you may want to consider staking a spike to support it as you transport the plant to the show.
Trim & Tidy: Trim any damaged leaves to a natural leaf shape and remove any spent canes from hard-cane Dendrobiums (not from Dendrobium nobile types as these flower on leafless canes). Remember to sterilise your cutting tool between cuts, and without fail between plants. Trim or pull out any dead papery sheath material, last year’s flower spikes, and any weeds in the pot. Check the health of back-bulbs by giving them a gentle squeeze. If they’re hollow or pulpy, carefully remove them unless it’s too difficult.
Label: Insert a clearly written plant-name label at the front of the pot. It will stop visitors fiddling with your plant to try and see the name. We do have signs asking people not to touch the display and floorwalkers keeping their eyes open, but …
Water: Give your display plants a good drink and feed one or two days before they come to the show, not that morning as the pot and bark will still be wet as it goes on to the display. Soaking the whole pot in a bucket for an hour will ensure the plant gets a good drink and be able to ‘go without’ for 2-3 days. They cannot be watered once they are on display.
Clean: The day before your plants come to the show wipe the foliage with a damp cloth to remove dust and debris, and/or dip the cloth in a little watered-down milk to add shine to the leaves. You may have to wipe leaves more than once to get them looking good. It’s not a difficult task, just a bit time consuming so have the radio on while you wipe.
Wiping the leaves is a good chance to check your plants for pests. No one wants to be ‘the one’ whose plant comes into the hall with snails, slugs, mealybug, scale, ants, etc and ‘infects’ neighbouring plants. If your plant is badly infected with something, please leave it at home.
The owner of this Stenorrhynchos speciosum has a clearly written plant label, a black pot and some Spanish moss in place. All that needs to be done is to wipe the leaves. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Pot: Plants should preferably be in a clean, black pot. If this isn’t the case, do you have a clean, black pot (plastic or ceramic) slightly larger than the plant’s pot? Pop the whole thing into the black pot and Bob’s your uncle. Why do we prefer a black pot? Because we display the plants on black cloths. A black pot means the viewer’s eye is captured by the flowers and not a competing colour further down.
Bark: If the bark is looking old or there’s moss on top of the pot, scrape off the top layer of bark and replace it with fresh bark, or wind some Spanish moss around the top of the pot as a disguise. Soak the Spanish moss the day before you come and it will help keep the orchid roots moist during the show.
This Cattleya dayana grows on a small mount. It could be propped up on a display table or hung. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Mounted: If your plant grows on a mount, please consider how this might be best displayed. Do you have a stand for it that you can bring that will show it off? The club may be able to help, so please ask ahead of time.
Name: Put your name on the back of the pot. We don’t want to be responsible for lost or forgotten plants so please make sure your pots are named. If you’re bringing several plants to show – and we hope you are – it helps to write a list of the plants so you can check them off when you collect them.
Outsize: If you have a super-big plant to bring, it might be an idea to let the show organisers know beforehand. The layout of the display is being kept simple this year so it might be helpful to know if any allowances need to be made for particular plants.
TOS member Caleb likes the aesthetic of growing his orchids on wood or fern fibre and decided he preferred this way of growing orchids after seeing plants growing on trees. For most orchids their natural habit is to grow on tree branches or in crooks of trees (epiphytes), or on rocks (lithophytes), while only a few grow naturally in the ground (terrestrial).
He’s discovered that humidity makes a difference with this method of growing and that his plants need to be watered and misted much more often than if they were in pots. One mount he hasn’t tried yet but likes the sound of, is to grow the orchid on the outside of a terracotta jar, which can then be filled with water and left, topping up as needed.
Caleb and son Māika checking on the misting in the shade-house. Photo: Nichola
When he’s deflasking new plants, Caleb often puts some into pots and some on to mounts “to hedge my bets”.
His upstairs bathroom has been turned into a growing room with LED grow lights, a humidifier to keep humidity at 70-80 per cent, two fans running constantly, and a couple of heaters on timers in the winter to bring the temperature up to 25-30C in the middle of the day, then cooling off to 18-20C at night. “It’s very labour intensive,” he says of using this room, but so far there haven’t been any complaints “from the accountant” about the power bill.
With humidity in the 70-80 per cent range, Caleb has observed new roots coming out faster and fatter from young plants. The downside is that he’s “rotting the bathroom” so intends to build a new glasshouse.
“And I get a lot of grief about how much time I spend in the bathroom.”
He chooses a mount to last so prefers harder woods such as feijoa, manuka, pohutukawa and rata. After hearing about another club member’s success with growing in charcoal, Caleb is now sealing the ends of his wooden mounts with fire, leaving a scorched residue. His observation is that this helps protect the wood from fungal and insect attack, which will shorten the mount’s life.
Before using tree fern, which he collects from his own property, he soaks it in limed water for 1 to 6 weeks to remove the natural tannins. “Once the soaking water is clear, it’s good to use,” Caleb says. “When there’s excess tannin in the wood, orchids don’t attach or grow as well.”
If an orchid likes to dry faster, his advice is to mount it on wood. “If it likes more moisture, use tree fern, and for even more moisture retention, try orientating the mount horizontally, rather than vertically.”
Angraecum didieri is one of Caleb’s favourites. He grows it mounted, in an open shade house year round but tries to bring it inside on nights below freezing. Photo: Caleb
He advises misting mounted orchids as often as possible and alternates between using rainwater or a dilute feed in a spray bottle. His indoor plants are either taken outside or into the shower to water. Watering is done three times with up to a 30-minute gap between each with the last one being a feed. After some more drying, they are all moved back inside and into position.
After some experimentation, Caleb has settled on using either plastic-coated wire (larger plants) or slightly-elastic bait cotton (lighter plants) to tie his orchids on to mounts. “They’re both easy to use and tension themselves,” he says.
To help achieve a natural look to his mounted plants, he will often add other small, compatible plants, such as epiphytic moss, Hoya, Dischidia, Peperomia and Tillandsia.
Judging by the number of bags of orchids being carried out, people have been missing their orchid shows! Here are a few photos from last Sunday’s event.
Grand champion bloom was Paphiopedilum Norito Hasegawa ‘Papa Aroha’, grown by Chris Whitby. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Reserve Champion was Paph. roschilidianum #2, grown by Jason Strong of Hawke’s Bay, who had five of these plants in the show, each one slightly different to the other. Photo: Sandra Simpson
The eye-catching Rhyncattleanth Young-Min Orange ‘Golden Satisfaction’ was shown by Ninox Orchids of Whangarei. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Another stunner from Ninox was this miniature Phalaenopsis, Mini Mark ‘Holm’. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Cymbidium Richard Tucker x On the Beach ‘Spot You’ won Colin Stephens first place in the section for for first flowering of a seedling. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Bulbophyllum tigridum was shown by Anjo McKernan. Native to China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, this small plant had two fan-shaped flowers on it. Photo: Sandra Simpson
This unusual apricot-coloured Dendrobium is (Richard’s Glory x Graham Banks) x speciosum and was shown by Pat Kenny. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Cattleya Kiwi Beauty was shown by Ross Tucker and was registered by him in 2014. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Cymbidium Ace of Spies, a plant New Zealand-born Andy Easton registered in 2016, was shown by Jane Napper. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Ōtari-Wiltons Bush has received a grant of $11,000 through Te Tahua Taiao Nga Taonga Lotteries Environment and Heritage Fund for a 3-year project aiming to save some of New Zealand’s threatened orchids, some of them with only a handful of plants left.
The project – the first of its kind in the country – will help develop techniques to propagate these orchids from seed so the project team can increase the size of wild populations and create back-up collections at Ōtari in Wellington.
The orchids in the study are Corybas dienemus (nationally critical, surrogate Corybas macranthus); Drymoanthus flavus (at risk/declining, surrogate Drymoanthus adversus); Gastrodia cooperae (nationally critical, surrogate Gastrodia cunninghamii); Pterostylis irwinii (nationally endangered, surrogate Ptersostylis banksii); and Pterostylis micromega (nationally critical, surrogate Ptersostylis banksii). The surrogates are used to compare results, but also to develop methodology.
Ōtari conservation and science advisor Karin Van der Walt says the team will visit populations of the five threatened species to determine how healthy the populations are. “Hand-pollination will be used to increase the seed production in these threatened species, so we do not impact natural reproduction when we collect seed for the project.
“Orchids are interesting plants to work on because they are quite particular about where they live, and their pollination and life cycle are usually quite challenging to figure out.”
For instance, orchid seeds will only germinate in the presence of a specific fungal partner, this process is called symbiotic germination. The relationship between the orchid and fungus benefit both, the orchids provide sugars, B vitamins and a safe house to the fungus while the fungus provides water, minerals and more than 80 per cent of the plant’s carbon requirements. Scientists are however able to simulate the role of the fungus in a lab using a special orchid food, this method is called asymbiotic germination.
“Once we have collected the seeds, we will germinate them using symbiotic and asymbiotic methods. We will use DNA sequencing methods to identify the fungal partner that promotes germination in the wild,” Karin says.
Globally there has been a huge amount of work done on orchids in the wild and how to conserve them, but only a little of that work has been done here in Aotearoa, says Ōtari team manager Tim Park.
“The Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation laboratory has recently been expanded so it is the perfect time to embark on such an exciting project,” he says.
The orchid project is a collaboration between Ōtari and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, with Dr Carlos Lehnebach from Te Papa having described and named several new species of orchids for New Zealand.
“We have more than 100 species of orchids in New Zealand and at least 20 more are waiting to be named,” he says. “Unfortunately, some of these potentially new species are already of conservation concern.
“This funding and the new research facilities at Ōtari will help us to protect these and other rare orchids from extinction.”
Tauranga Orchid Society 