Message from the President - April 2026

Hi all.  First and foremost I want to welcome our new members who signed up at our show this year.  We are happy to have you join us!  Note to members - a reminder that we use a distribution list (members@nutmegorchids.org) to shield personal email addresses.  So, please do not do Reply All if you want to respond to an email unless you really need to share your response with the entire group.

Some important housekeeping first, due to the Easter holiday falling on our usual first Sunday of the month meeting date we had to move to the following Sunday, 4/12.  Unfortunately, with a whole day lost it meant more than one organization had to change dates and we were unable to get the afternoon time slot.  So for April only, our meeting is planned for Sunday evening at 6:00pm.  I know this is not ideal but the only other alternative was to cancel the April meeting which we did not want to do right after our show.  There is another group immediately before us, so we will not be able to get in until 6pm so don't arrive too early.  I know this is an inconvenience for some, but it was unavoidable. Karen Timko will be presenting her talk on Orchid Basics .

As many of you know, three board members attended the 2026 World Orchid Conference (WOC) in Dresden this year, so show statistics & financials were not immediately available after the show.  Barb, our treasurer, is due back next week so we hope to have updates for you at the 4/12 meeting.  In the interim however, CONGRATULATIONS!! to Catherine Scheckton for winning the Best Plant in Show trophy for her Phrag Majestic Tresses.  

Up next......................

Later this week I'll send out the election slate to be considered for the May meeting when we will hold our elections.  As a reminder, the membership voted overwhelmingly in favor of moving our elections to May, after show season, to make the transition easier for any new board members.  The two open positions this year are Secretary and one Director position.  We have candidates willing to run for those positions but that does not mean, if you are interested, that we cannot have additional candidates for either position.  Please contact the board (boardofdirectors@nutmegorchids.org) if you need any additional information.

Now that show season is over it is a good time to evaluate the condition of your plants.  If you have plants that are looking a little stressed but still in flower, consider cutting the spike off now so that the plant puts more energy into growth rather than flowers.  This is especially important for young plants.  Some plants may be ready for repotting, but in the majority of cases you want to see active new growth (roots and/or leaves) occurring before you repot so that it adapts to the new pot/medium more easily.  If you do repot, don't overpot.  Most orchids prefer tight quarters so a good rule of thumb is to only increase the pot size 1/2 to 1".   There is a lot of great culture info on the AOS website and you can find the link on the resources page of our website.

I hope to see many of you at the April meeting!

Thanks

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Ginna Plude

President - Nutmeg State Orchid Society (NSOS)