Garden Club – April 29, 2015 Field Trip to Fullerton Arboretum

The Garden Club met on March 19. We want to thank Carmen, Marjean, Carol, Barbara and Grace for a great luncheon spread that included a variety of small sandwiches and choice of desserts.
Our President, Jerry Koppang informed us of the field trip planned for Wednesday, April 29 to the Fullerton Arboretum. We will be carpooling, leaving from the clubhouse parking lot at 9:30 a.m.
Jerry also talked about a scholarship that is being established for $500.
This will go to veterans who are in the second year of a program in agriculture landscaping or horticulture at Saddleback College. The funds for this scholarship come from the plant sale that the Garden Club holds every year and will be on Saturday, May 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please support this sale so we can increase the number of awards we can give out.
Our guest speaker is one of our own, Dr Faisal Waffran. Dr Waffran who is a neonatologist by profession has demonstrated the same TLC he has treated his patients with, in maintaining an orchid garden in his yard for over two decades. He demonstrated how to split the bulbs and the necessary care
needed to transplant them.
Cymbidium can be grown out doors in pots provided they are facing east or northeast, so they get only three to four hours of sun. Here are some important tips for orchid lovers. Water once a week and soak and allow water to run through to enable washing off the excess salts.
Do not crowd the plants to allow for plenty of aeration. Santa Ana winds can dry them very rapidly. Simply putting the pots at ground level will minimize that. Dry leaves are an indication that the plant has gone through heat stress.
Finally, feed plants every two weeks with liquid fertilizer. When repotting, sterilize the tools you will use with a heat flame. Wear gloves and soak the pots in a mixture of Dawn soap and 25% Clorox bleach. This will avoid infestation with viruses. Spots on the leaves indicate virus infestation. Repotted orchids can take three years to bloom so enjoy the leaves while you wait!
“And finally, how do you get hundred orchids to bloom at the same time? Start with a thousand!”
—Laks Sehgal