 Secret Garden Advisory 
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ADVISORY
The following index has information on file for your use. Articles from past newsletters are here along with culture information sheets KEY TO ORCHID INTERGENERIC HYBRIDS AND ABBREVIATIONS AERIDOVANDA = Aerides X Vanda (Aerdv.) ARANDA = Arachnis X Vanda ASCOCENDA = Ascocentrum X Vanda (Ascda.) BRASSOCATTLEYA = Brassavola X Cattleya (Bc.) BRASSOLAELIOCATTLEYA = Brassavola X Cattleya X Laelia (Blc.) COLMANARA = Miltonia X Odontoglossum X Oncidium (Colm.) EPICATTLEYA = Cattleya X Epidendrum (Epc.) KAGAWARA = Ascocentrum X Renanthera X Vanda LAELIOCATTLEYA = Cattleya X Laelia (Lc.) POTINARA = Brassavola X Cattleya X Laelia X Sophronitis (Pot.) SOPHROLAELIOCATTLEYA = Cattleya X Laelia X Sophronitis (Slc.) VASCOSTYLIS = Ascocentrum X Rhynchostylis X Vanda MOKARA = Arachnis X Ascocentrum X Vanda CHRISTIEARA = Aerides X Ascocentrum X Vanda (Chtra.) LEWISARA = Aerides X Arachnis X Ascocentrum X Vanda (Lwsra.) NEOSTYLIS = Neofinetia X Rhynchostylis (Neost.) RENANTANDA = Renanthera X Vanda (Rntda.)
SPECIAL ARTICLES
CARING FOR YOUR BONSAI Most Bonsai are miniature trees or shrubs and therefore require some sunlight to grow and remain healthy, so find a spot on your patio or porch that you can tend them. When you wish to bring them indoors to enjoy be sure to only leave them inside for a few days and then return them to there spot outdoors for several weeks before moving them indoors again. Bonsai are usually grown in small containers compared to the size of the tree, this is part of the process of dwarfing the tree, but as a result of having them in a confined space they are demanding in there requirements for water, so you must have a regular regimen of watering. As your Bonsai grows you will need to trim it from time to time; this is also part of the dwarfing process. The new growth that your plant puts on may be reduced by as much as 90% without harm to your tree, deciduous trees can be forced to produce smaller leaves by removing all the leaves from the tree at one time to force another crop of smaller leaves. Sometime in the future your Bonsai will need to be repotted, at this time you should prune your tree to prepare it for repotting. You may choose to put your Bonsai in a bit larger container or you may choose to repot it back into the same container. Remove your Bonsai from its container and carefully remove some of the soil from the roots of your plant, prune some of the roots from you bonsai and replant with fresh soil, water well. To fertilize your bonsai in the traditional manner mix equal parts of Super Phosphate, Blood Meal, and Cottonseed Meal, add a small amount of water to make a stiff paste with the ability to roll into a small ball. Place one small ball of this fertilizer into the edge of you Bonsai pot, this natural fertilizer contains Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphate, everything you Bonsai needs. Many plants can be made into Bonsai, but it is always easier to start with a plant that is naturally dwarf or slow growing or easily confined. For a Bonsai for indoors you may choose an Arbicola, Ficus, Fukien Tea, Citrus, or many other plants that adept well to indoor conditions. Many herbs make great Bonsai; Rosemary especially well suited for growing as a Bonsai. Many Succulent plants make great natural Bonsai, many having naturally swollen or caudiform trunks, one of the most popular of these is the Desert Rose (Adenium obesum). The Desert Rose can be grown in a small container and will bloom often with beautiful white and red flowers. Happy Pencheng! Jodie L. Shumaker DIRECTIONS FOR GROWING VANDA ORCHIDS Hang plant in filtered shade, morning sun is fine, water daily to every two days in spring , summer, and fall less in winter. When watering wet roots at least twice, the roots repel water the first watering the second watering will soak the roots causing them to turn green. Find a sunny window in your house for the plant to hang in the winter, a room without a lot of heat will be ideal. Fertilize every one to two months with Peters Blossom Booster fertilizer. A great reference book for growing orchids; 'Home Orchid Growing' by Rebecca Northern. CRAPE MYRTLES Summer is the time everyone thinks of planting Crape Myrtle's, with them blooming everywhere they are hard to resist planting more of this great plant. Crape Myrtles are easy to transplant this time of year if they are grown in containers, just remember to water well until established and prune when planting. Use a slow release fertilizer when planting or wait a month before fertilizing with any other fertilizer. Crape Myrtle's can be pruned severely in the winter if needed and can be shaped in many forms, when the first flowers of the summer start to fade you can prune again to force a second strong bloom. Lichens are a common problem on Crape Myrtle's that are not fertilized properly; these are grey-green scaly or mossy looking growth on the stems and trunks of the plants. A spray of lime-sulfur in the winter when the plants are dormant without foliage will cure this problem but without a proper fertilizing program the problem may return. Crape Myrtles are available mainly in two growth patterns, Dwarf to nine feet and Large to twenty-five feet or more. Some of the varieties we offer: TUSCARORA Large watermelon red, mildew resistant. NATCHEZ Large white, mildew resistant. AMERICAN RED Dwarf, Dark red. SEMINOLE Large, Pale pink, mildew resistant. REGAL RED Large, Dark Red ZUNI Large, Dark Purple, mildew resistant. PEPPERMINT LACE Dwarf, Red and White TONTO Large, Magenta Red, mildew resistant. |
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