Newsletter of the American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco
Program: Transplanting Seeds and Growing for Show
The Prez Sez...
by Katherine Henwood
One of the things that the Board of Directors discussed was whether to change the name of our club. As you remember, the national society changed the name from the American Gesneriad and Gloxinia Society to The Gesneriad Society and suggested that chapters with that designation should change theirs too to conform with our parent organization. We decided that first we should see if the members want to change the name and if so to what? Suggested were San Francisco Gesneriad Society or the Gesneriad society of San Francisco. The first would be in keeping with other chapters that have a specific location and found favor with the board. Unfortunately we did not have a quorum and so cannot state what the Board recommends. So think it over and we will address the question again.
So what is blooming? I have a couple of Chiritas in bloom, several Saintpaulias and a few Columneas. Not the best time for bloom. There are a couple of hardy streps blooming, both with kenteneinsis in their background, which is a winter bloomer.
Our March meeting will feature transplanting techniques, so bring your babies, a container and some potting media! I hope to see you all there!
March Program
by Terri Campbell
First, we will follow up on our seed planting workshop from last month. We will discuss transplanting seedlings and have a hands-on demonstration. If you have tiny seedlings, please consider bringing them in.
Second, we will have a brief program on Inexpensive Greenhouse Options. Some of us are fortunate enough to have a greenhouse already. Those of us who are not so fortunate may have thought that any type of greenhouse was impossible (sigh). However, there are many inexpensive options out on the market now, as greenhouses of all kinds have become extremely popular. Find out where you can get your inexpensive (or ultra-cheap, bargain basement) greenhouse. Terri should be able to have photos of her new pop-up greenhouse and some amusing stories about it by meeting time. Also, those who already have a greenhouse should be able to tell us some of the advantages of having a greenhouse.
How to Plant the Fine Seeds of Gesneriads
A talk by Jon Dixon (written by David Waugh)
To thwart unwanted fungus growth in the potting medium the potting mix (equal parts of peat {or coir), large vermiculite, and perlite) should be sterilized. The easiest way to do this is to place the thoroughly moistened mix in a large baking dish, or one made of aluminum foil. Cover lightly to help keep the moisture in the mix and then bake for 3 hours at 170 degrees. Baking soil is particularly important when seed pots are enclosed. Cooking soil kills fungal spores, algae, moss, liverwort and fern spores. All of these growths can harm to growth of seedlings.
After the sterilized potting mix has cooled put the mix into 2 ½-3 inch pots. The reason for using smaller pots is that they fit nicely into plastic sandwich size ziplock bags. Enclosing in individual bags is recommended over putting pots in a common tray with a cover for the reason that faster sprouting seeds can be dealt with separately from slowly sprouting seeds. Also, in spite of sterilizing the mix, if fungus should still develop it can be dealt with in the individual pots. Tolfinate (generic Tinactin) powder aerosol spray effectively kills fungus without damaging seedlings.
After the pots are filled with the mix they need to be wetted thoroughly. Holding each pot under a small stream of water from the faucet most easily does this. Hold the pot close to the faucet to limit the force of the water, so as not to disturb the mix or bring perlite to the surface.
Place the seed on the crease in a piece of paper folded in half and reopened. Gently tap the paper over the pot until there is a quantity of seeds on top of the potting mix. Try not to spread the seed too thickly, as heavy germination can result in a solid carpet of seedlings, which are more difficult to pot on. It is best to plant seed in several pots rather than just one. In this way, if one pot is checked by drying out or other disturbance, the remaining pot can yield seedlings. In other words, don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.
Label the pot with name of plant, date sown, and source of seed.
At this point you can gently mist the seed with water from a spray bottle; but if the surface of the mix is thoroughly wet, this isn’t necessary.
Put the pot in a plastic sandwich size ziplock bag and seal it. Place the pot under lights. A bright windowsill without direct sun will work as a substitute location. Expect three weeks on average for germination. Old seed or seed from some species can take up to four months to germinate. This can happen, at times, with streptocarpus seed. At other times, however, strep seed can germinate very quickly.
After the seeds have germinated they should be fed with a weak solution of fertilizer so as not to disturb the seedlings. They can be gently sprayed from above or the pot can be put into a saucer filled with the weak fertilizer solution to be absorbed from below. The secret is to keep the seedlings moist but not wet.
The seedlings can be transplanted when the first true leaves show or maybe just before that happens. It seems to be prudent to do the first transplant sooner than later. After that, transplant every two weeks and keep covered until the plant is well established.
The final transplant should be to a mix of 3 parts coir, 2 parts perlite, 1 ½ parts large vermiculite
How to Harvest and Replant Rhizomes
A talk by Jon Dixon (written by David Waugh)
This is usually done after the plant has gone dormant. However, some plants like kohlera seem to grow all the time.
Take a pot of a rhizomatous plant and turn it upside down on a large piece of newspaper. In the soil there will be lots of “things” that look like grubs or tiny pine cones. Often cultivars with dark colored flowers will have dark colored rhizomes. Once you have segregated the rhizomes you can decide to break them up into smaller pieces or leave them in larger pieces.
Rhizomes that are not actively growing (achimenes, for instance) can be placed on top of some lightly moistened soil in a sealed plastic sandwich bag, and then stored, keeping them just slightly moist, until growth starts. Kohleria rhizomes do not keep well and should be planted within about a month after harvesting. While they are in storage they should be inspected for signs of rot or dessication.
If you wish to start rhizomes immediately put them on top of or slightly below the surface of the potting mix, with the top of the mix well below the rim of the pot. Stick the pot in a plastic bag and wait for growth to start. As the rhizome begin to grow, add soil around the stem until the rhizomes are one inch or more below the surface. The portion of the stem that is buried will produce roots, thus helping to anchor the stem. When the top growth has three or more nodes, tip growth can be pinched for multiple branching from the nodes, making the plant bushier.
Show and Tell and Raffle Table
by Lorah Gross
Jon Dixon brought the following plants for show and tell: Kohleria eriantha ‘Breedlove’, Kohleria ‘Pele’, Kohleria peruviana, Kohleria ‘Brazil Gem’, Columnea harrisii, Nematanthus ‘Primo’ (Jon’s hybrid of brasiliensis x [fluminensis x crassifolia]), Episcia ‘Ronny’ Episcia ‘Chocolate Cream’. He brought the following plants for the raffle table: Chirita sinesis ‘A’, Chirita ‘Dreamtime’, Philodendron sp. ‘Iquiotos’, Chirita ‘Aiko’, and four pots of seed of Sinn. Cochlearis. Terri Campbell brought Nepenthe pilosa x vetchii for show and tell and donated Maxillaria uncata (orchid) to the raffle table. Katherine Henwood brought Achimenes rhizomes for show and tell and donated the following plants to the raffle table: Strep. (white Ruffled), Strep. ‘Black Gardenia’, Chirita tamiana, Chirita ‘Arsuko’, and Strep with pink and yellow throat. Harriette Poss brought Kohleria Dark Velvet, Kohleria cinnouluna, Kohleria Manchu, and Kohleria Sp. Grande flora for show and tell. She donated two Shirtaus, esch. Pagoda Roof cutting, and Spec. grande flora to the raffle table. Gene Sussli brought misc. propagation experiments for show and tell and donated Streptocarpus ‘Royalty’ and a plastic propagation box to the raffle table.
Board Meeting Minutes of The American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco, February 19, 2006 Meeting
by David Waugh, Secretary
A meeting of the Board was called to order at 11:15am by President Katherine Henwood. The following were also present: David Waugh, Gene Sussli, Ken and Vera Parker. As there was not a quorum (at least 5 of the 8 Board members) no action could be taken on any of the subjects discussed.
The first subject of discussion was: Should the name of the Club be changed?
Suggestion one was to change the name by dropping “American” and becoming Gesneriad Society of San Francisco.
Suggestion two was to leave it as it is.
Suggestion three was to change it to San Francisco Gesneriad Society. This would have us conform to the names of other clubs like those in Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Delta (Sacramento), Vestal (New York)
The question was brought up as to whether we should incorporate, and if so as a non-profit. The purpose of incorporating would be to protect individual members from being sued for any reason for some sort of inappropriate activity while working for the Club. It was pointed out that this subject was brought up before and never resolved. We need to know the advantages and disadvantages of incorporation. Gene Sussli agreed to look into the matter.
If we should incorporate, that would be the time to change our club name if we decide to change our name.
The President reread to the Board the letter of August 15, 2005 from Chapters & Affiliates Chair, M. J. Tyler regarding change of name of American Gloxinian and Gesneriad Society (AGGS) to The Gesneriad Society. Where the old name appeared in our by-laws we merely need to make simple amendments to the by-laws. The President stated that these changes were made before the 2006 Year Book was printed.
We have a one day sale on June 3, 2006. The flyers we produce should be completed before May 15 so they can be sent to our mailing list and for passing out to others. The goal is to produce an attractive flyer in black and white rather than in color to cut the production cost.
The flyer for the September 23-24 Show and Sale should be produced before August 21.
The Board meeting closed at 12:10pm.
Minutes of The American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco
February 19, 2006 Meeting
by David Waugh, Secretary
The meeting was called to order at 1:00pm by President Katherine Henwood. The following were also present: David Waugh, Gene Sussli, Larry Williams, Terri Lynn Campbell, Jon Dixon, Irene and David Fey, Harriette Poss, Ken and Vera Parker.
Our 2006 Yearbook was distributed as members arrived for the meeting. Those who did not attend the meeting will be mailed their yearbook. If anyone finds errors please notify David Waugh so that everyone else can be advised. Members are encouraged to look at the agenda for our 2006 meetings and bring items associated with that meeting.
Minutes: There were no amendments to the minutes of the January meeting printed in the February Newsletter.
Treasurers Report: The Treasurer passed around copies of a report of our income and disbursements for the month of January 2006. If you missed the meeting and want a copy contact the Treasurer. We have no outstanding debts, our meeting room rental is paid through March, we have a comfortable balance in the bank, and a cushion reserve in a Certificate of Deposit. We have 32 paid memberships for 2006.
Board Meeting: The Board met before Noon but unfortunately there was not a quorum. Therefore, no action could be taken on any matters discussed. One item discussed was the possible name change of the Club. The present name was picked so that we would be first on any alphabetical list. Since chartered and affiliate clubs of The Gesneriad Society are now worldwide it may be redundant to have the name American in our name. Three possibilities for name change were discussed by the Board: leave as is, change to San Francisco Gesneriad Society, change to Gesneriad Society of San Francisco. (During the meeting it was also suggested that the name might be changed to Bay Area Gesneriad Society)
New Business: A vote will take place at the March meeting to decide what we should do about our name. In addition we should decide at the March meeting a theme for the September Show. A theme gives those who enter in the Artistic section of the Show to follow a theme for their entry.
The program was given by Jon Dixon and the subjects were How to Plant the Fine Seeds of Gesneriads and How to Harvest and Replant Rhizomes. See the newsletter for more details.
We then did Show and Tell and the Raffle.
The meeting adjourned before 4pm.
2006 Officers
President: Katherine Henwood
Vice President: Terri Lynn Campbell
Secretary: David Waugh
Treasurer: Ken Parker (please request Ken’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 10th Avenue and Lincoln Blvd., turn right through gate next to building, go to third door)
2006 meetings: January 15, February 19, March 19, April 23, May 21, July 16, August 20, September 17, November 19, December 17 Holiday Luncheon at Lakeside Café.
Shows, Sales, and Field Trips:
June 3 Display and Sale, June 18 Field Trip to Annie’s Annuals, July 4-8 Convention in Rochester NY, August 11-20 San Mateo County Fair, September 23-24 Show and Sale, October 22 Field Trip to Delta Show.
Dues: $10 single, $11 family. Make checks payable to AGS SF, mail to Treasurer.
Website: http://www.agssf.org