Members were saddened to hear of the death following a short illness of Albert Fetherston, one of the founder members of our Society. Albert was one of the foremost orchid growers in Southern England, and gained many awards for his superb plants. His plants always contributed greatly to our displays, and his kindness and courtesy were legendary. He will be sadly missed. Our condolences go to Lorna.

Sheila and Dave gave a talk, the theme of which was the culture of Cymbidiums, with hints on the different approaches required when growing in an organic medium e.g. bark versus an inorganic one, e.g. rockwool. They advised on what you can do now in Spring which will impact on your Cymbidiums' growth later in the year.

In the wild, Cymbidiums enjoy 2 seasons; warm and wet followed by cool and dry. This is warm, not hot and cool, not cold. Above 90F they stop growing and they also suffer if the temperature drops below 45F.

Roots start to grow first. with the exception of some species such as lowianum and traceyanum, they will not initiate whilst the plant is still in flower so remove any spikes to encourage plants to start growing.

Growth will be interrupted if plants are allowed to get cold during the night at this time of year. Do not put outside until there is no risk of frost; usually mid-May is about right. It is a good idea to raise the pots off the ground - Sheila recommends grid-style shelving units in plastic, available from Focus DIY. Allow full sun until 12 noon, shade from 12 to at least 2 in the afternoon.

Water freely e.g. every 3-4 days when growing in bark, small pots more frequently. Rockwool can hold water for longer but it's best to check. Rainwater preferred, use half rain and half tap water if rainwater is running low. Use less fertiliser if using any tap water. Feed with a balanced feed such as Peters' 20-20-20 or a high Nitrogen formula to start, then switch to a high Potash formula from mid/late summer. Chempak soluble Orchid Feed is quite cheap (mail order only) or liquid tomato feed at quarter strength. Aim for 500 microsiemens. Feed frequently but use plain water every fourth watering.

Spray for bugs - spraying under leaves of cymbidiums is not easy! A few drops of Physan can be added as a spreader. Dave recommends Soft Soap at 40ml per litre of warm water as a spray. Spray all over the plant, then soak a J-Cloth or similar in the mixture and wipe each leaf. Also Hot Pepper Wax will deter things like red spider mites. Mike said he has been advised to use one bug-killer one year and then switch to a different one the following year rather than alternate during the year as this will help prevent the bugs becoming immune to everything.

Tip: keep some paper an a pencil in a plastic bag in the greenhouse and note down when and what you have watered, fed etc.

Potting:
Sheila uses a 1-1-1 mix of absorbent rockwool (rubbed through a sieve), horticultural foam pieces and small rockwool cubes, the latter two available from Ratcliffes. She finds she only needs to pot every 2/3 years if the roots are in good condition simply by potting on into a larger pot without having to remove much, if any, potting mix. If the roots are not so good it is essential to completely re-pot.

Dave uses bark - small bark for small pots, large bark for large pots. He puts some bark in a bucket, pours over a kettle of boiling water and allows it to stand for 15 minutes. He then drains the water out and rinses the bark with more hot water and then allows it to cool. If only a small quantity of bark is needed, put it in a Pyrex bowl, add half a cup of water and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

If a plant is to be divided, try to make each division at least three bulbs; one lead, two back bulbs. Strip any brown stuff off dead roots but leave the wiry centre as this will help stabilise the newly potted division. Sprinkle any cut areas with cinnamon to prevent rot - flowers of sulphur may also be used but cinnamon is better. Plant firmly enough so that plant does not flop about but don't ram the media too much.

Drench the plants after potting then don't water again for 3 weeks, to allow any damaged roots to callus over.

Plants can last for up to eight years before it is necessary to divide them.