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The Dunes Kalamazoo Orchid Society is a group of orchid enthusiasts who offer comradery and encouragement to all orchid growers.
The society generally meets the first Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m. from September through May. Meetings are held in room 4380 at Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Texas Township campus. Meetings are free and open to the public.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
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May 6, 2012
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Meeting speaker: Russ Vernon from New Vision Orchids
Topic: Lycastes
Lycaste species and hybrids offer large numbers of long-lasting flowers in a wide range of colors. Lycastes have their ancestry in the cloud forests of Central and South America, making them a cool-growing species. The plants are deciduous and lose their leaves, which exposes the spines at the top of their pseudobulbs. Flowers can completely encircle the growing portion of a plant.
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TBA
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Summer Potluck Picnic
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Sep 9, 2012
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Meeting speaker: Prayool Inborlboon from Natt's Orchids
Topic: TBA
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| Oct 7, 2012 |
Stay tuned. We're working on getting a speaker.
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Nov 4, 2012
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It's going to be a very interesting presentation as soon as we can confirm the speaker.
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Orchid 'Blues'
Blue Phalaenopsis Orchids (and Purple and Majenta, too)
 The first thing I thought when I saw a blue Phalaenopsis in the store was that it was a silk flower with a reasonable likeness to an authentic Phalaenopsis. The second thing I thought, upon realizing it was alive, was this it was hideous (all definitions of the word apply).
The breeding of these "Art Shade" flowers is not very complicated. "Mom" is a dose of patented colored dye; "Dad" is a hypodermic needle (or is it the other way around?); and the surrogate parent is a beautiful white Phalaenopsis. The dye is injected into the inflorescence as it is developing and the buds will open with blue, magenta, purple, etc., coloration. When the dye injection is stopped, later buds will open with less coloration. When or if the plant reblooms, it will once again be a white Phalaenopsis.
This fall when I was in Florida, these "Rare Art Shade Orchids" were selling for $40-$50. Seems like you could get a better deal on that white Phalaenopsis someplace else! One last thought, since the dye is being injected into the flower stem of the plant, what are the chances that this is being done under safe, sterile conditions? Virus transfer could be a real possibility. |
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