PROGRAM FOR SUNDAY, Oct. 17, 1999
Mike McCaffery, Program Chairman
3145 NW 43RD STREET
Mr. Jerry Conrad - Erinon Nursery
WHAT TO DO IN OCTOBERJERRY HOGSETTE
Gainesville Camellia Society
Gibbing: Application of gibberellic acid to camellias produces different results depending on variety and flower form. For instance, the Tomorrow family opens flowers reluctantly unless the weather is cool. In warm weather, gibbed buds of the Tomorrow family will swell, show some color, and then in most instances fall to the ground unopened. Also, the singles and semi-doubles are easier to open with gibberelic acid in warm weather than the more heavily petalled forms such as the formal doubles. Whenever gib is used, in warm or cool weather, lots of water is essential to enable the blooms to open to their maximum size.
You should have been gibbing since Labor Day for earlier and larger blooms. Treat several buds on large bushes at weekly intervals. To promote growth next spring, do not gib more than 1 or 2 buds on small bushes. To order a gram of gib powder with mixing instructions, mail a check for $10.00 (PLUS POSTAGE) to:
Planting new plants: Now is the best time to plant camellias. Summer-time temperatures are beginning to wane (hopefully) and above-the-ground growth is about through for the year. However, below-the-ground growth, that is the roots, will continue through the winter. Planting in October allows the root systems about six months to increase in size before the leaves begin to grow in the spring. Larger root systems mean larger plants! Be sure to apply pelleted super triple phosphate to new plants. This water-soluble phosphorus will feed the roots but will not stimulate leaf growth.
October is the time to begin putting potted camellias in the ground. This includes grafts made on potted understock last January-March, and air-layers that were removed from parent plants last fall. When planting camellias, be sure the soil line in the pot is at least one inch higher than the soil line of the ground. Once in the ground, plants tend to settle. If camellias settle too deeply, they tend to do poorly and die a slow, lingering death. Meanwhile, the owner is wondering what went wrong. This can be particularly demoralizing for new camellia growers. So, plant your camellias high for best results. Use pelleted super triple phosphate for good root growth, and apply a layer of mulch.
After planting camellias, there are several things to keep in mind. Be sure and apply a layer of mulch. Some growers put pine straw on new plants because it is easy for water to penetrate pine straw mulch. The next choice would be oak leaves. Mulch moderates the soil temperature, both in summer and in winter, minimizes weed growth around plants, and helps retain soil moisture.
Potting air-layers: Branches that were air-layered last spring should be ready to be cut from the parent plants. Some growers remove air-layers in September, and others wait until later in the fall. Although air-layers with well-developed root systems can be planted directly in the ground, moisture can be better controlled by putting them in pots for at least the first year. Before planting, be sure to soak air-layers in water (preferably containing captan) until sphagnum is thoroughly saturated.
Understock: Now is the time to begin looking for inexpensive understock to use for grafting next January-March. Suitable but pot-bound plants can be repotted in larger pots and fertilized with super triple phosphate to encourage root growth.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear Friends,
Hard to believe, but it's time for another meeting already. I understand that I missed a good one last month and that we had good attendance. Terrific. Hopefully we'll have a repeat of that in October. Many things are happening along the camellia circuit and I'll tell you about a few.
On September 17 and 18, my Mother, Kathryn, and I attended the Gulf Coast Camellia Society (GCCS) Meeting in Mobile. As I mentioned my September message, the meeting was in conjunction with the fall meeting of the American Camellia Society (ACS). The ACS Board Meetings were held during the day Friday (Sept 17) and at 5 PM a reception for the combined groups was held on the fan deck of the USS Alabama, which is anchored in Mobile Bay. What lovely weather for the occasion. About 6 PM, we retired to a nearby hanger for our dinner which was followed by the benefit auction. Hulyn Smith and Bill Robertson were the auctioneers and it goes without saying that there were lots of laughs that night. There was also lots of money collected from the sales, with proceeds of approximately $1,500! On Saturday, the general business meeting and educational session began at the hotel at 9 AM after a great buffet breakfast. The business meeting is always short, which leaves lots of time for the interesting speakers scheduled for the remainder of the morning. Elaine Smelley from Moss Point, MS, showed slides of some of the camellias currently making it big at local shows. Then Dave Scheibert from Marshallville, GA, talked about his petal blight studies. Finally Hulyn Smith from Valdosta, GA, brought us up to date on the latest on petal blight control studies performed in his greenhouse.
Because of the combined meetings (ACS & GCCS), there were several people in attendance from California. Art Gonos from Fresno told us his method for cutting and preserving blooms for a show. He cuts his blooms just before they reach their peak (and it takes some practice to know just when that is), then he puts them in hot (probably 105 to 110 degrees F) for about 15 minutes. Next he puts them in water to which his favorite flower preservative has been added and stores them in his refrigerated flower box. When he packs them in containers for transport to a show, he puts in a few packets of a product designed to remove ethylene gas as it is produced by the flower. Ethylene causes the flower to continue to open and further age, which of course changes a show winner into an also-ran. This process preserves flowers for 5 to 7 days at least.
Last but not least, Elsie Bracci from San Gabriel, CA, showed slides depicting the pruning techniques she uses to keep her plants in shape. She and her husband Sergio have their plants outside or in lath houses. She really thins out the plants, but it is amazing how they recover and produce an abundance of beautiful blooms. Her husband then talked about a process for opening camellia bloom prematurely. He saw this at a show in Japan where groups of almost open blooms were kept and opened as needed during the course of a 1-week flower show! Buds that might open in several days (but which may still be completely closed) are placed overnight in warm water in a room with 100% relative humidity. Within about 8 to 12 hours, the blooms open wide. Sergio showed slides made at the Japanese show. Once back in the States, Sergio tried this for a show. He put a not-yet-open bud in a container of warm water and placed it in 100% relative humidity before going to bed. The next morning the flower was wide open and beautiful! He took it to a show and it reached the awards table. But before he had time to photograph it, the bloom closed up tight again. It was not yet ready to remain open!
Saturday afternoon was on our own, and many people toured the nurseries in Mississippi, just 30 minutes or so west of Mobile. One group usually goes to the greenhouses of Jim and Elaine Smelley, which are near the nurseries. Jim and Elaine are some of the best growers in the area and a visit to their place is a real treat. Saturday night we had our annual banquet and afterwards a series of tall tales spun by none other than Charlie Bush from Jackson, MS. Then there was a drawing for a beautiful home made quilt. The proceeds from this were also around $1,500. It was nice to visit with our new ACS Director, Ann Walton, and her husband, Wilton. They are a great addition to the group and Ann is really making changes at ACS! Interesting to note that Louisiana has the largest number of members in the GCCS (53) followed very closely by Florida (51).
Two weeks later, Mother and I took off for Myrtle Beach, SC, to attend the Atlantic Coast Camellia Society (ACCS) Meeting on October 1 and 2. The meeting started with refreshments and an outstanding bar-b-que dinner around the pool Friday (Oct 1) evening. Again the weather was perfect. The rain and heat were gone and the cool breeze and the sound of the surf made it difficult to finally go inside and get to bed. Saturday morning after breakfast there is a Bloody Mary party to loosen the purse strings followed immediately by the ACCS benefit auction. This time the auctioneers were Bill Robertson who was joined by Buck Mizzell. When the dust finally settled, proceeds of about $2,600 had been collected from the sale of donated plants, bread, jelly, wine, and various other items. That evening there was the annual banquet and a presentation by Jim Darden, the Editor of the ACCS Journal. Jim talked about the garden tour he and a group of associates made to England. What a wonderful tour it must have been. He showed slides of rhododendrons that were without a doubt as big as a house and in full bloom. We also saw camellias from seeds and plants brought from Asia to England centuries ago by sea captains. What an enjoyable presentation. Jim will be making a similar trip with another group next May. If you are interested in going, call Jim at 910-592-1424 or -3725, or send him an e-mail at: jdarden@sampson.cc.nc.us
These two meetings are lots of fun to attend and it is a good place to see old friends and to meet new ones. We saw the Gordys at both meetings and the Ritters at the ACCS meeting! Next year the ACS meeting will be combined with the ACCS meeting in Myrtle Beach. If you have not joined one or both of these societies, you might consider doing so. The dues are very reasonable ($12.50), and you will receive a nice quarterly journal to boot.
In the September President's Message I joked that we needed a hurricane to come blowing up the Gulf of Mexico to bring rain but no damage. Some of that has since come true, but unfortunately there was lots of rain and lots of damage in some areas up the east coast. But here in Florida we are getting some much needed rain at a time of the year when it is usually very dry. Just another average year, I guess.
For those of you who want to become camellia judges or for judges who need reaccreditation, the Tampa Bay Camellia Society will be hosting a 1-day judging school on Saturday, November 13, 1999. The course will begin at 10 AM and last until about 4 PM. The instructor will be John Shirah and the costs are $15.00 for administration, $5.00 for materials, and $5.00 for a catered lunch. Registration is due by November 3. For more information call Tetula Coryell at 941-688-0916. Applicants must be ACS members.
Well I've rambled on for long enough. Start your gibbing program if you haven't already done so. There will be shows coming up later this month and in November, and you'll need some flowers to take. Don't forget the October meeting place: Millhopper Road Branch of the Library, 2:00 PM. Hope you can all be there.
Jerry Hogsette, GCS President
Minutes of September Meeting (9/19/99)
The first meeting of the Gainesville Camellia Society for the 1999-2000 season was called to order at 2:13 PM by Mary Sarver as President Jerry Hogsette was still in transit from the Gulf Coast Camellia Society meeting.
Old business:
Reva Pachevsky will chair a committee to incorporate a design displayfor our next camellia show.
New business:
According to John Thrasher (not present, information relayed by Mary Sarver) there will be a camellia Judging School on October 15th at Massee Lane (ACS Headquarters located near Fort Valley and Marshallville, Georgia). The following day there will be a show at the National Fairgrounds in Perry Georgia hosted by the Middle Georgia Camellia Society.
Sidney Marshall, who so kindly reserves our meeting space at the library, has been asked by the library personnel if our society would be willing to make a display for the library to show for a six week duration sometime around March, 2000. The library is willing to fund some of the supplies and is also willing to show potted plants.
Susan Mikolaitis circulated a sign up list for volunteers to bring refreshments to our meetings as a courtesy for Louise Chandler, Chairwoman of the Social Committee, who was unable to attend.
Jay Ellis introduced a new member, Cheng Lee from Macclenny Camellia Nursery who has written articles on grafting camellias for the Camellia Journal and the ACS Yearbook.
Program:
Program Chairman Mike McCaffery introduced Russell Adams from Gainesville Tree Farm and Adams' Eden Nursery who gave a talk entitled "Camellia Companion Plants" which focused mostly on the use of gingers in the landscape.
After the program Russell Adams answered many questions from our members.
Three plants propagated by Chuck Ritter, Sidney Marshall, and Howard Smith were auctioned with proceeds going to the Society's general fund. These plants were Crazy Sue, Grace Albritton, and William Forest Bray Variegated.
Correction to Board of Directors' Meeting Minutes:
In the minutes for the Board of Directors' meeting recorded in the September 1999 Newsletter it was reported that Chuck Ritter produced 159 airlayers for the Society. It should be noted that Sidney Marshall and Howard Smith are also responsible for producing these plants for the Society.
Upcoming ACS Cooperative Shows in Florida and Georgia
October 16th - Perry, Georgia. Contact Marvin Jernigan, 912-922- 2300.
November 13th and 14th - Fort Valley, Georgia. Contact Warren Thompson 852-2559.
November 13th - Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Contact William Lang.
November 17th and 18th - Waycross, Georgia.
November 20th and 21st - Valdosta, Georgia.
December 4th and 5th - Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Contact O. L. Jacobson 904-249-5021.
December 4th - Jacksonville, Florida. Contact Bob Reese.
December 4th - Albany, Georgia. Contact Walter Albritton.
January 8th - Tampa, Florida. Contact Dick Coryell 941-688-0916.
January 8th and 9th - Tallahassee, Florida. Contact Mary Maude
Sharpe 850-878-9625.
January 15th and 16th - Orlando, Florida. Contact Jerry Conrad 407- 886-7917.
January 22nd and 23rd - Lakeland, Florida. Contact Dick Coryell 941-688-0916.
January 29th and 30th - Savannah, Georgia. Contact Debbie Odom 912-355-7361.
February 5th - Savannah, Georgia. Contact Patti King 912-356- 3591.
CAMELLIA SWAP SHOP
Cecil Simmons and Chuck Ritter would like scions of Sanpei-tsubaki. Although it is not listed in ACS Nomenclature books, it is listed in Chuck Ritter's color illustrated book on camellias from New Zealand and is described as follows: A Japonica, pink, veined darker, petals edged white, with a mass of golden stamens. Medium, single. Average, upright growth. E-L Contact Cecil Simmons at 352/376-5683. Contact Chuck Ritter at at 72154.312@compuserve.com or at 352/475-3341
Fred Stone would like scions of these Japonicas: MAI-ZURU - (Flying Crane) - Greenish White. Large, single. VERSCHAFFELTIANA - Bright Pink striped White. Large, formal double. (Belgium - 1849 Verschaffelt). He would like scions also of the Sasanqua, ECHIGO, Yellowish White. Medium, single. He would like information on and availability of MURSAKI NOIRORI. Contact him at afn17696@freenet.ufl.edu or at (352) 336-0110.
Sandra Williams is still interested in getting scions of any miniature camellia. She would also like to get a scion of Webb Stanley (I know, it's not a miniature) or My Pet. Please contact Sandra at willias2@sbac.edu or at (352) 372-3116.
Lionel Worthy welcomes GCS members to take air layers of the appropriate size and type during the months of April, May and June from his camellias. Contact him at lworthy@gnv.fdt.net or at (352) 372-5607.
New Member:
Cheng Lee 99/00
Rt. @, Box 610 Home 1-904-259-2184
Macclenny, FL 32063
chengLee35@hotmail.com
New Address:
Dr. Richard Wheeler
3930 SW. 2nd Ave
Gainesville, FL 32607