BAY NEWS
Newsletter of the American
Gesneriad Society of
Volume 26, No. 2, February 2004
Next Meeting: Sunday,
February 15, 2004
Program: To Be Announced
Message from the President
Judged Show and Sale/Display and
On Tuesday, February 3rd, Katherine Henwood and David Waugh met with Gary Beck of the AVSA-San Francisco chapter. They walked through the auditorium space in the County Fair Building to begin planning for our shared judged show and sale. We appreciate David and Katherine taking their time to do this.
Beginning at our February 15th meeting and at each subsequent meeting, Katherine Henwood will give a brief update on the AGS-SF’s show and sale and display and sale.
Minutes of The American
Gesneriad Society of
January 18, 2003 Meeting
by David Waugh, Secretary
President Terri Campbell called the meeting to order at
Treasurer’s Report: Our financial condition is still
good. We had sufficient funds to pay for
our
Business:
As we did not have nominations or election of officers in November our President put out the suggestion, made into a motion by Katherine Henwood, that the present officers and Board of Directors extend their holding of office through the year 2004. This motion was moved, seconded and voted unanimously in the affirmative by voice.
President Campbell brought up the subject of the newsletter, recounting the comments in the January newsletter, that Lorah Gross (mostly) and she will be doing the newsletter. The idea of having the newsletter sent electronically by e-mail to those who have it was discussed and agreed to be ok. Those who do not have e-mail would continue to have the newsletter sent to them by regular mail.
As our June Show and
Irene Fey, Secretary, requested we change the Standing Rules shown in the Year Book thus:
- Remove item 6 giving persons who join after June 30 half dues.
- Add an item stating that new members joining after July 20, 2003 will get a free one year membership in our parent organization AGGS.
The above items were approved by the membership present.
Jon Dixon, Program Chairman asked for suggestions for year 2004 programs. The suggestions were slide shows on the 2003 AGGS Convention and on alpine and cool growing gesneriads; speakers Patrick Worley, June Fallow, and Ron Parsons who might discuss how he takes his photographs; field trips to Sacramento for their September show and sale, Half Moon Bay for some of the nurseries in that area, the Conservatory of flowers. Jon will research all these items and come up with a schedule to be published in the Year Book 2004.
We then did ‘Show and tell’.
Jon Dixon gave a short program on propagation of nematanthus. They can be propagated from seed or by cuttings. Cuttings do best. Use regular potting soil and put many cuttings in one pot. Fresh new growth is best for cuttings as the woody growth takes longer to root. Put at least one set of nodes underground, two are better. Clip off any flower buds, pinch off the top (this is optional as it does slow the rooting initially), and trim the leaves in half. Cut off any stem at the end of the cutting, just below the node
We then had our raffle of plants and pots from the members. Our two guests were given first choice.
The meeting adjourned about
Note: Pictures from
the January 2004 meeting can be viewed here: http://img.stimpy.net/pics/agssf/january2004/
Show and Tell and Raffle Table
January 18, 2004 Meeting
by David Waugh, Secretary
The following is an incomplete list of ‘Show and Tell’ and the raffle table:
Terri Campbell brought Saintpaulia ‘Buffalo Hunt’ a
beautiful dark wine red. Larry Williams brought Saintpaulia
‘Satin Wine’ and two ‘Marilyn’ one white, and the other blue and white. Katherine Henwood brought Streptocarpus kentaniensis, Petrocosmea minor, Alsobia dianthaflora, and
numerous cuttings of Nematanthus including ‘Castanet’ 
‘Black Gold’ ‘Christmas Holly’ ‘Dibley’s Gold’ ‘Golden West’ ‘Bijou’. Jon Dixon showed off a large planter in the
shape of a conch shell. It had an
insert for planting of unglazed porous ceramic.
He bought this at the Vallejo African Violet Convention in October. He also brought Kohlera
‘Sunshine’, ‘Kaleb’ and ‘Ming’; a Peperomia; Begonia
‘Giretii’; Sinningia calcaria X macropoda
and douglasii X bulbosa;
and Nematanthus cuttings of brazillianthus, fluminensis, crassifolia, ‘WitchesBrew’. ‘Tropicana’, ‘Stoplight’. Ken and Vera Parker brought various cuttings
of Nematanthus including ‘Tropicana, ‘Black Gold’, ‘Bijou’. Celine Chase brought Aeschynanthus
‘Flash’. Alan LaVergne
brought Nematanthus ‘Australis’, Corytoplectus
congestus, Sinningia aghensis,
macrostachya, insularis, cooperi.
The raffle table was loaded with many new and used clay pots; chocolate bars; Philodendron ‘Iquiotas’; Columnea ‘Red Skelton’, ‘Sundancer’, ‘Titian Mink’; Nematanthus ‘Little Red Riding Hood’; Episcia ‘Silver Dust’; various Saintpaulia; a white Streptocarpus; Chirita ‘Aiko’.
Our New Website and Online Newsletter
by Lorah Gross, Newsletter Editor
Many of you are receiving notice of this newsletter through email making it our first electronic distribution of Bay News. Also, a preliminary version of our web page is up at http://www.lorah.net/agssf. Over time I want to include more pictures and links and welcome suggestions for new additions. If you would like me to host pictures for you I am happy to do that as well. Otherwise, if you have your own web page and would like me to add a link to it, please let me know.
At the February meeting I would like to discuss getting our own domain name. The cost to the club would be $15/year. My husband and I already have a server at a co-location facility and pay a nominal fee, so the club would not incur any additional costs above the $15/year domain name registration charge. Most of the common domain names have been taken, but www.agssf.com is available. At the meeting we can discuss other domain names as well.
Since our newsletters are now viewable by the public, I have removed Irene’s home address from the newsletter in order to protect her privacy. If you need to send mail to Irene, please request her address from me. I considered adding the officers’ email addresses to the web page but it would almost certainly result in more spam for them. I already have a spam filter in place for my own email, so I have decided to be the gateway for all email originating from the web page. I will of course forward all email on to the officers.
If you find that you are unhappy viewing the newsletter electronically, please let me know and I can add you back to the snail mail list. Also, if you are receiving copies via snail mail and would like to switch over to the electronic version, please let me know about that too.
New Newsletter Features
by Terri Campbell, President
A new feature of our newsletter will include growing information from our members. For some time, we have been aware that there is a vast amount of gesneriad knowledge among the members of AGS-San Francisco. Our meetings always seem all too short for enough plant conversation. We will have growing information from members in each newsletter this year. Many thanks to Celine and Katherine for providing growing information this time.
Chrysothemis pulchella
Interview with Celine Chase
by Terri Campbell, President
As many of us know, Celine Chase is very knowledgeable about
growing the Chrysothemis. This is a tuberous
During
the winter, the plant should get almost no water. It could be given a little water if bone
dry. In the early spring, around this
time, if the tuber begins to sprout, it can be repotted and watered. The plant should be kept barely moist. The tuber will rot if kept too wet. Fertilize sparingly, as too much fertilizer
will burn the leaves.
Celine grows the plan with a maximum of five branches. If there are more shoots, Celine cuts them off and starts them as new plants in other pots.
Chrysothemis pulchella is an attractive plant which can be grown under lights. When it grows too tall for the lights, Celine places it next to the light stand.
The plant has attractive foliage, and would be a good possibility for the foliage class at a show. The plant should begin blooming in June, and continue until the end of the year. It blooms at the top of the plant, with yellow flowers and darker calyxes.
Note: Picture was
found at: http://www.aggs.org/conv_97/award_html/08.html
Streptocarpus
Interview with Katherine Henwood
by Terri Campbell, President
Growing streps in beautiful Scenic Pacifica is almost too easy, Katherine reports.
They do well in bright shade with a fast draining mix. Katherine uses 1 part peat, 1 part perlite, 1
part small orchid bark and 1 tablespoon of dolomite limestone per 2 gallons of
mix. She usually mixes it up by the
20-garbage canfull.
That way she doesn't have to stop when she’s in a full scale-repotting
mood. She uses whichever of the water
soluble fertilizers she has about, mixed in the
She keeps the spent stalks trimmed off except when setting seed. Recently there has been "talk" on G-files about removing bloomed leaves and disbudding to encourage heavier bloom. She'll give it a try on one of a pair to see if it really makes a difference.
Streps like to be repotted yearly, hate to be soggy and cold, but otherwise have very few problems. Of course, they can be grown indoors in a coolish bright place as well.
Note: Picture was
found at: http://www.lyndonlyon.com/strep2.htm
African Vio-Let-Ter
by Lorah Gross, Newsletter Editor
I received a copy of the African Vio-Let-Ter,
the Central California African Violet Society’s newsletter. There is page of
information on watering basics, which I will bring to the February meeting so
that interested members may read it. Also included with the newsletter was an
announcement of their Show and
2004 Officers
President: Terri Lynn Campbell
Vice President: Jon Dixon
Secretary: David Waugh
Treasurer: Irene Fey (please request Irene’s address from Lorah Gross)
Newsletter Editor: Lorah Gross lorah@lorah.net
Meetings: Usually third
Sunday of each month, 1-4 p.m. at Library of County Fair Bldg., Golden Gate
Park, San Francisco. (Enter from parking lot North side of
2004 meetings: 1/18, 2/15 (in the Recreation room), 3/21, 4/18, 5/23, 6/20, 7/18, 8/22, 9/19, 10/17, 11/21, no meeting in December.
Dues: $10 single, $11
family. Make checks payable to AGS SF, mail to Treasurer.
Website: The temporary location of the website is http://www.lorah.net/agssf