April 2022 Meeting

Report From The April 2022 Meeting

President Steve Dorsey opened the meeting by welcoming folks who were joining us for the first time.  2nd Vice President Ben Johnson thanked the members who helped with the past weekend’s show at the Spokane Orchid Society.  He also reported on the awards earned by many of our NWOS members.  This included George and Cylvia Grantham whose Dendrobium fimbriata var. oculatum won Best in Show.  It’s on display on the plant table.

Steve thanked everyone who helped at the recent Potting Clinic which was held at the Volunteer Park Conservatory.  Since that one was very successful he then announced that there will be another Potting Clinic on May 7th.  This one will be held at the Douglas classroom of the Center for Urban Horticulture on the UW campus.  It is adjacent to our regular meeting room below the parking lot next to the greenhouses.

First Vice President Robert Culver introduced our Speaker, Kelly McCracken from High Desert Orchids.  Her topic was “Artificial Lighting”.  She uses lights in her growing areas.  Her talk was very detailed about the various characteristics of light and how plants use all wavelengths of light.  She recommended that we purchase horticultural lights that show light levels.  There is a recommended light values chart that can be accessed on her website (highdesertorchids.com).  Besides talking about how much light plants use, she also discussed what kind of light is best. Kelly introduced us to lighting concepts such as PAR and luminous flux and how our plants are affected.  Included was a chart showing fluorescent vs. LED lights.  A variety of other topics included bar lights, how light values can vary along the length of the bulbs, how high above the plants that the lights should be placed, the use of reflector and the use of full spectrum lights.  Kelly’s talk was very detailed and thorough.  Interest from our members was evident by the many questions and discussions at the end of her talk.

You can find Kelly’s nursery online at High Dessert Orchids.

The April Virtual Plant Table can be found by following this link: April 2022 Plant Table