Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a great summer (which unfortunately has just flown by!) and are enjoying those last summery days in September.
FIRST and foremost I want to remind everyone .........THE OCTOBER AUCTION IS COMING!!!
Our October 4th meeting will be a special member auction and will be held at Camp Happy Hill rather than our usual Farmington Senior Center location.
We're expecting to have 50-60 plants, both donated and purchased, for auction in a wide variety of genera. Auction participants will be assigned a 'paddle' to use for bidding and we'll keep track of your purchases to provide you with a total. Barb, our Treasurer, will be able to take cash, check or card payments. Also, any member wishing to donate plants (orchids only please) please let Marissa (mtaylor926@gmail.com) know so we can keep track.
The society will provide cold sandwich platters and water, so we're asking attending members to bring an appetizer or dessert to share.
We will need an approximate head count so we can order the sandwiches so please be sure to reply to this email if you plan on attending. It should be a fun time and a great opportunity to acquire some interesting plants!
It will be at the usual meet-up time, 12:30 (we'll be setting up starting at noon if you want to help) with a plan to start the auction shortly after 1PM.
On to other business -
1) We have been invited to participate in the CT Orchid Society Show to be held Oct 10-11 at the Marriott Hotel in Rocky Hill. COS participated in our March show, after a long hiatus, and we are happy to reciprocate. Barb, Treasurer and Away Show chair, will be reaching out with more details closer to the show. Early fall can be a tough time to have blooming plants, so we need your healthy, blooming plants to be able to put together a display.
2) The annual Massachusetts Orchid Society (MOS) will be taking place the first weekend in November. More to follow.
3) IF YOU HAVE PLANTS SUMMERING OUTDOORS.....Now is the time to get organized before you bring your babies indoors.
* Make sure your indoor growing area is ready to house your plants. It's a good idea, if you have not done so already, to thoroughly clean the space, humidity trays, shelves, wherever you grow them, before the plants are brought in.
* It's also good idea to spray your plants for pests once or twice, depending on how much time you have, before they come indoors. Some insects will go gang-busters as soon as they are inside in warm confines. Horticultural oil diluted with water in a sprayer is a good option. If you have any plants that have been sitting on the ground, I suggest you drown them. Sit them in a bucket of water filled to above the brim of the pot. Some media will float out, but that can be put back. It is a great way to flush out any ants or other critters that have taken up residence.
* WATCH THE WEATHER! As September winds down the night time temps will drop. Most genera are perfectly fine with a few overnights here and there hitting 50, but if you have any delicate leaved plants, especially if we've had rain, you should bring those in first. Phals like a week or two of cool nights to induce flower spikes. Cymbidiums of all types and most Dendrobiums can stay out sometimes until well into October or even November (especially the standards which need a good hard chill to set flower spikes). Keep in mind, a dramatic change between outdoor and indoor temps can make plants unhappy, so try to pick a moderate weather day to move plants indoors and maybe crack open a window.
And if you find you seem to have more plants than before the summer....you're not alone! Sometimes I think my plants have been inviting friends over to stay, because it certainly can't be that I bought more plants while the rest were outdoros.
Looking forward to seeing you at the auctions...bidding paddles at the ready!
--
Ginna Plude
President - Nutmeg State Orchid Society (NSOS)
