Saturday, October 8, 2011
11:00 a.m.
Get Orchids Blooming in Your Home, Charlie Wilkins
12:30 p.m.
Think Outside the Pot – Growing and Displaying Orchids on Mounts, Gene Schurg
1:45 pm
Five Secrets to Growing Great Orchids, Yassir Islam
3:00 p.m.
Pot ‘em up – Get the “Dirt” on Repotting your Orchids, Stephanie Jarrell

Sunday, October 9, 2011
11:30 a.m.
Get Orchids Blooming in Your Home, Ken Meier
1:30 p.m.
Try Something New – Weird and Wonderful Orchids, Stephen Male
3:00 p.m.
No Greenhouse, No Problem – Growing Orchids under Lights, Chryss Mavrides

Monday, October 10, 2011
12:00 p.m.
Get Orchids Blooming in Your Home, Gene Schurg

Research on orchid biology and biotechnology, Plant Cell Physiol. 2011 Jul 26
Hsiao YY, Pan ZJ, Hsu CC, Yang YP, Hsu YC, Chuang YC, Shih HH, Chen WH, Tsai WC, Chen HH.
Department of Life Sciences, Orchid Research Center, and Institute of Tropical Plant Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.

Abstract
Orchidaceae constitute one of the largest families of angiosperms. They are one of the most ecological and evolutionary significant plants and have successfully colonized almost every habitat on earth. Because of the significance of plant biology, market needs and the current level of breeding technologies, basic research into orchid biology and the application of biotechnology in the orchid industry are continually endearing scientists to orchids in Taiwan. In this introductory review, we give an overview of the research activities in orchid biology and biotechnology, including the status of genomics, transformation technology, flowering regulation, molecular regulatory mechanisms of floral development, scent production, and color presentation. This information will provide a broad scope for study of orchid biology and serve as a starting point for uncovering the mysteries of orchid evolution.

Jeju is an autonomous island province that is known for its phalaenopsis orchids, also called “moth” orchids. In 2003, the Jeju government sought to develop United States markets for its orchids. Jeju purchased a nursery in Somis, California in order to export JeJu’s orchid seedlings for cultivation in Somis followed by sale throughout the United States. The Jeju government formed a new entity, American Cheju Trading Co. (ACTC), to manage the Somis nursery. ACTC is the predecessor of appellant JPDC.

In 2003, Jeju invited ANA to act as ACTC’s exclusive U.S. orchid distributor. Yoon accepted on behalf of ANA. ANA and ACTC had been doing business under this agreement for about six months when the Jeju government decided to replace ACTC with a new manager, JPDC.

In January 2004, JPDC succeeded ACTC as manager of the Somis nursery. In the months before the transition, ANA, JPDC and ACTC representatives met several times. According to ANA, they orally agreed that ANA would continue to be the exclusive U.S. distributor for the Somis nursery under JPDC management. According to JPDC, it did not agree to an exclusive relationship and proposed that it would be allowed to sell to new customers. In March 2004, JPDC sent a letter to Yoon proposing an open marketing relationship. Yoon did not sign the open marketing proposal and she testified that she did not agree to it. Several witnesses testified on ANA’s behalf that JPDC’s president and ACTC’s branch manager each told Yoon that the exclusive sales relationship would continue.

From January 2004 until August of 2005, ANA purchased orchids from JPDC. Yoon testified that she also shared ANA’s proprietary customer information with JPDC and invested in improving the nursery, things she would not have done if the agreement had not been exclusive.

Disputes arose between ANA and JPDC concerning quality, price and credits for returns. According to ANA, JPDC failed to fill some orders and filled other orders with un-saleable orchids, which ANA returned but for which she did not receive credits. According to JPDC, ANA unilaterally modified invoices by reducing the orchid grade (and price) and by designating some orchids as free samples or as no-charge returns. By August of 2005, JPDC was demanding $66,453.50 for unpaid July and August, 2005 invoices while ANA was claiming $33,562 in credits for unfilled orders and un-saleable orchids for the period from January 2004 to March 2005.

On September 1, 2005, Yoon and her daughter met at the nursery with JPDC’s new branch manager, Soo Nam Koh, and JPDC’s bookkeeper to try to resolve their dispute. After the parties reviewed the invoices together, Yoon presented a check to JPDC for $28,198 with a notation in the memo: “zero balance as of 8-31-05.” She and her daughter testified that Yoon explained that this check was offered to settle all accounts between them and that this would be the end of their business relationship. According to JPDC’s manager and bookeeper, it was only partial satisfaction of the July and August invoices and did not constitute a full and final settlement of JPDC’s claims. At trial, JPDC claimed $120,000 in unpaid invoices. JPDC’s Branch Manager testified that he did not understand English well, did not notice the “zero balance” notation, and Yoon’s Korean was difficult to understand. He and the bookkeeper testified that Yoon did not explain the consequences of depositing the check.

Meanwhile, JPDC began selling orchids to other United States distributors without ANA’s consent. Yoon testified that she was aware JPDC was developing a customer in Canada, but did not know about the United States sales. ANA presented expert testimony and invoices demonstrating lost profits for unfilled orders and lost profits resulting from sales to third parties during the contract term.

After a 21-day bench trial, the trial court entered a verdict against JPDC on its complaint, finding that the “zero balance” check was an accord and satisfaction of all JPDC’s claims on the orchid invoices. It also awarded ANA $394,023 on the cross-complaint, finding that JPDC breached an exclusive distribution contract with ANA and that ANA suffered $199,146 in losses resulting from unfilled orders and $167,277 in lost profits resulting from JPDC’s sales to third parties.

Upon request of the parties, the court issued a tentative statement of decision, heard arguments on written objections, and entered a statement of decision. The court made specific findings on the ultimate factual issues and found that “the testimony of Donna Yoon, Carol Yoon, Scott Hyun, Seong Kim and John Parks is more credible and more worthy of belief than the testimony of witnesses such as Bang Eun Kim and SN Ko.” The court wrote that this was a case, “where there is a series of significant controversies in which one side’s witnesses and evidence represents the essential truth of what occurred and the other side is distorting the truth by lies and deception.”

In a frenzied rush to add this species to their collections, some unscrupulous orchid enthusiasts illegally exported specimens from Vietnam without CITES certification. While many illegally smuggled plants became available on the black market, some were seized by customs authorities.

Under the CITES convention, seized plants are either returned to the country from which they were smuggled or placed into a designated Plant Rescue Center by CITES authorities. When an illegal shipment of Paphiopedilum vietnamense plants was seized in 1999, the U.S. Botanic Garden agreed to accept and care for the plants.

Seedlings from plants held at the U.S. Botanic Garden are being grown in accordance with CITES regulations and offered to botanical gardens and the general public. It is hoped that by making plants legally and readily available at a reasonable price, illegally collected plants will be devalued and pressure on wild populations will decline.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is a treaty to which the United States and Peru, along with over 160 other nations, are parties. The United States implements CITES through the Endangered Species Act. Certain species of orchids are listed on Appendix I of CITES, including all species of the genus Phragmipedium.

How to Grow Orchids in the Basement

1. An HID fixture of at least 400 watts to illuminate a growing area of 9-12 sq. feet. The higher the wattage, the wider range of orchids you can grow.
2. To increase the size of your orchid garden, simply increase the wattage or number of fixtures.
3. Set your plants on benches or tables below the fixture with ‘High’ light orchids centered under the light and ‘Low’ light orchids placed towards the edges.
4. Lights should be on for 12-14 hours each day. A timer can be used to regulate the duration.
5. Maintain humidity by enclosing the growing area with plastic sheeting, and run a humidifi er 24 hours a day.
6. Use fans to circulate the air within the growing area and to exchange the air with the surrounding basement. Most orchid growers fi nd they need at least two or more fans to achieve this necessary air movement. The fan for moving the air in and out of the growing space will assist in dispersing the heat
   generated by the HID lights.

Suggested Orchids To Grow
Both the light intensity and temperature range in your growing space will determine what orchids you can grow and bloom. Consult other basement orchid growers in your area to learn what works best.

Light: ‘High’ light orchids such as Cattleya, Dendrobium, or Vanda will require a 1000-watt fixture to grow and bloom well. A 400-watt fixture will allow you to bloom ‘Medium’ light or ‘Low’ light orchids nicely.

Temperature: Artificial light conditions usually provide intermediate to warm temperature ranges. In choosing your orchids, refer to the chart below. Night-time temperatures can frequently be the most challenging to provide, so choose your orchids by that factor first.

The orchid’s population has fluctuated over the years. Across 43 sites in Minnesota the count had declined steadily from 2001 to 2006. The plants prefer moist soil and warm temperatures, but like to grow on the higher side of ditches or hollows. The most common threats to the orchids are habitat destruction including the conversion of land for agricultural purposes, conversion of lands for housing or commercial uses, herbicide drift, and spread of invasive species.

Western Prairie Fringed Orchid – Federally Threatened and State Endangered. It is illegal to remove these from the wild.
Family: Orchidaceae (orchids)
Description:
A stout, erect plant 1-4 feet tall that can remain dormant in the soil during drought periods. Blooms mid-June through early July. Flowers are creamy to greenish white. Each flower has a hood-shaped petal with 3 deeply fringed lobes and a long nectar spur in back. The blossoms occur in showy clusters at the top of each plant. Leaves 2–5, elongated, keeled, along an angular stem. Related Missouri species: The eastern prairie fringed orchid is very similar to the western, and at one time they were considered a single species. The eastern prairie fringed orchid has rounded stems and smaller flowers than the western species. It has been known from the eastern half of the state. It is also a federally threatened species. Another similar species is ragged orchid, which is smaller, has greener flowers, a narrower flower spike, and a shorter nectar spur.

Size: Height: 10–33 inches.
Habitat and conservation: Grows on moist sections of upland and bottomland prairies. This species, like the closely related eastern prairie fringed orchid, has been extirpated from much of its former range due to the plowing of native prairies and overgrazing. Both of Missouri’s prairie fringed orchids are federally listed as Threatened. The biggest threat to the populations in northwest Missouri are the invasion of prairies by woody species and the possibility of prairies being plowed.

Distribution in Missouri: In the past, found across the western part of the state. Now it is known only from a few locations in northwest Missouri.

Human value: Missouri’s orchids, even the relatively common ones, are not often seen, so the joy of discovering one in nature is a rare pleasure. Prairie fringed orchids are part of our state’s wild heritage and they and their habitats need to be protected.

Ecosystem value: Prairie fringed orchids are most fragrant at night to attract sphinx moths, their only pollinators. One of the reasons why native tallgrass prairies are so valuable is their amazing diversity, and this species is a rare but unique component of prairie habitat.

KEY: E = early; M = middle; L = late; Months indicated numerically (i.e M/07 = Mid-July).

Blooming Period Common Name Scientific Name
M/04 – L/05 Southern Twayblade Listera australis
E/05 – M/06 Pink Lady’s Slipper, Moccasin Flower Cypripedium acaule
M/05 – L/05 Whorled Pogonia Isotria verticillata
M/05 – M/06 Arethusa, Dragon’s Mouth Arethusa bulbosa
L/05 – E/06 Putty Root Aplectrum hyemale
L/05 – M/06 Bog Twyblade Liparis loeselii
L/05 – L/06 Lilly-leafed Twayblade Liparis lilifolia
E/06 – L/06 Grass Pink Calopogon pulchellus
M/06 – E/07 Rose Pogonia Pogonia ophioglossoides
M/06 – E/07 Ragged Fringed or Green Fringed Orchid Habenaria lacera
L/06 – E/07 Spreading Pogonia Cleistes divaricata
L/06 – L/07 Spring Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes vernalis
L/06 – L/07 Helleborine Epipactis helleborine
L/06 – L/07 Crane-fly Orchid Tipularia discolor
E/07 – L/07 Ragged-lipped or Northern Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes lacera
M/07 – E/09 Little or Becks Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes tuberosa
M/07 – E/08 Rattlesnake Plantain Goodyera pubescens
L/07 – M/08 White Fringed Orchid Habernaria blephariglottis
L/07 – L/08 Crested Yellow Orchid Habernaria cristata
L/07 – M/08 Green Rein Orchid Habernaria clavellata
L/07 – L/08 Yellow Fringed Orchid Habernaria ciliaris
L/07 – M/08 Canby’s Orchid Habernaria canbyi
L/07 – M/08 Green Wood Orchid Habernaria clavellata v.ophinglossoides
E/08 – E/09 Southern Yellow Orchid Habernaria integra
E/08 – M/09 Grass-leafed or Greenvein Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes praecox
M/08 – E/09 Slender Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes gracilis
L/08 – M/09 Lace-lipped Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes laciniata
L/08 – M/09 Autumn Coral Root Corallorhiza odontorhiza
E/09 – M/10 Nodding Ladies’ Tresses Spiranthes cernua

“Orchids are one of the most diversified angiosperms, but few genomic resources are available for these non-model plants. In addition to the ecological significance, Phalaenopsis has been considered as an economically important floriculture industry worldwide. We aimed to use massively parallel 454 pyrosequencing for a global characterization of the Phalaenopsis transcriptome.” – Gene discovery using next-generation pyrosequencing to develop ESTs for Phalaenopsis orchids, BMC Genomics, 2011 Jul 12