President's Letter

April 2021

 

Of course we'll swing back and forth- warm sunny days and chilly nights, when it's not raining or snowing- Spring in Pittsburgh is here! I've repotted almost all my Catasetum to be ready when they really start growing furiously, and all my Neofinetia. Next, Paphs. Then I'll look closely for emerging roots on Cattleya that are outgrowing their pots, and repot as needed. This is the time you should be seeing new growth starting on almost everything, and resume a feeding schedule if you have cut back for winter. You may need to water more frequently as things warm up. It really is one of the best times of the year for orchid growers.

 

We've survived a strange year, and may soon see the end of this pandemic. For now, our meetings will still be via Zoom, and we've decided to change our meeting order slightly to accommodate any questions or discussions which arise from Show and Tell. We will have our main speaker after the miniclass, and Show and Tell after the speaker. This way, we hope to have better participant retention, and not have to rush through Show and Tell. We've adapted to many new habits (masks) in the past year, I think we can do this.

 

Since we missed our show in March, we will be having an in-person Member Sales event on Sunday, June 6.  Location TBA. Wayne Roberts, of Robert's Flower Supply, has agreed to take pre orders of supplies which he will deliver to our event. Contact Robert's at rfs@orchidmix.com, or 440-236-5571.  He does have a website

where supplies are listed. 

 

Our April meeting will include another visit by Fred Clarke. He is convinced he can make us all 80% growers - bring your questions!

 

Be well, stay safe and think orchids!

 

Mike Lysy and Sheila Nathanson

OSWP CoPresidents

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