August Monthly Meeting:

Next Meeting
Date: Sunday August 21st,2016
Time: 10:00 am
Venue: Horticultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago Headquarters (Lady Chancellor Road, Port of Spain)

This meeting will feature a talk on growing Dendrobiums by Antonio De Gannes, who was recently promoted as an Accredited Award Judge for the TTOS. You can look forward to him sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience in growing orchids.

There will also be a Raffle. The prize is an Orchid. Will this month be your month to win it? You will never know unless you take a chance.

Don't forget to bring along your flowering orchids for the Monthly Show Table especially those new members to win plant prizes.

Summary of July's AGM

The meeting was held on July 17th at the Horticultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago. The election of new Officers for the term 2016/2017 took place. The newly elected Management Committee comprises:

Members' Choice

Curtis Lutchman won the Members' Choice for July with his beautifully flowered Catasetum (Ctsm.) piliatum 'alba'. He advised it grows on a piece of mango branch located below this strap leaf vandas. There it gets intermediate type lighting and run off fertilizer off the straps once every few months. It is watered every day, even in the dormant period due to its location in the green house where there is a fairly good amount of air movement. The picture on the left shows the winning Ctsm. piliatum 'alba with two inflorescences.

Grenada Orchid Show

We have been invited to participate in Grenada's Orchid Circle Orchid Show, 'Orchid Explosion' from October 28th to October 29th 2016 at the Grenada National Cricket Stadium. Our newly elected Secretary, Judith Davis has kindly taken up the challenge of co-ordinating our participation at this event. All interested members are warmly welcomed to contact her or any other member of Management for more information on attending this show.

A Diamond Celebration of Orchids Part 2!

In continuing with our 60th Anniversary celebrations, our Annual North Orchid Show will take place on 8th and 9th of October at the Trinidad and Tobago Country Club in Maraval.

The Chairman for this event is Antonio de Gannes with Co-chair Christopher Watson. Any member willing to help make this show a great success and aid in the Diamond celebrations are welcomed to contact Antonio or Christopher to join the show committee.

We would like to encourage all members to start preparing their orchids for the show as we would like to fill the venue with orchids from each one of you.

Tickets will be distributed at the August Members Meeting. We are kindly asking that each member take at least 5 tickets.

Members Photography Competition

We are launching our Photography Competition for 2016. Rules for the competition are:

1. All entries must be from a digital original and submitted as digital file and 8 x 10 print.
2. All entries must be accompanied by an entry form (These can be obtained at the meeting or from Committee Members).
3. More rules and guidelines for entry can be found on the entry forms.
4. Deadline for entries is September 18th, 2016.
   
   The Contest will be divided into two classes:
   
   1. In SITU - natural background or in habitat
   2. Portrait - void background

First Prize :$500. Second Prize :$300. Third Prize :$200

Special Thank You!

The New Management Committee sends a special THANK YOU to Dianne Huggins for having been a long serving member on the Management Committee. For the past 9 years, she sacrificed her time and devoted it to the growth and success of Our Society.

Dianne started on the Management Committee in July 2007 as Vice President. She then became Secretary in July 2008, serving until July 2016.

AOS Webinar

These are video presentations hosted by the American Orchid Society monthly. Please frequent their website www.aos.org. There is a lot of reading material, from culture sheets to monthly AOS awards. Their webinars are always very informative.

Cultural Corner

We are now in the rainy season. Care must be taken to avoid the onset of plant diseases and attacks from pests. Plants should be inspected routinely to detect trouble and take early corrective action. This includes repotting if media is not draining properly or not in good condition. Some plants such as Phalaenopsis may need to be brought under a cover to prevent crown rot and even root rot. Select the right insecticide and fungicide for control and use the proper personal protective measure to avoid harmful effects to yourself.

Upcoming Events

August 21st - Monthly Members Meeting at HSTT. Start of Photography Contest.
September 18th - Monthly Members Meeting at HSTT. Start of Dendrobium growing content. Submission s for Photography Contest.
October 6th to 9th - A Diamond Celebration of Orchids Part 2! At Trinidad and Tobago Country Club. Setup starts on 6th.
October 28th to 29th - Grenada Orchid Circle's Orchid Show
November 4th to 6th - TTFNC and UWI Zoology Museum 5th Annual Bioblitz
December - Annual Christmas Luncheon (details to follow)