Newsletter of the San Francisco Gesneriad Society
Program: Gesneriad Bingo and Dish Gardens
The Prez Sez...
by Katherine Henwood
I've been looking for showable plants and not finding many. Next year will be better! I do have some sale plants, not a lot of them either, so I hope the rest of you have been propagating like mad! Would you believe that the greenhouse is TOO bright for some of the plants? A few have been burned, and a few stunted. I've moved the sensitive ones under the benches with artificial light and they look happier.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the next meeting and of course, at the Show and Sale!
September Program
by Terri Campbell
For the Gesneriad Bingo game, everyone should bring at least one cutting or rhizome and a label, if they can. If people can bring more than one item, please do! If anyone doesn't have any cuttings or rhizomes available, they should still come and play the game, and win some prizes. As well as being a fun opportunity to trade propagation material, the game will also offer some gesneriad-related educational value.
San Mateo County Fair 2007
by David Waugh
Only two of our members, Gene Sussli and Jon Dixon, had entries in the Fair. Both of them had many entries in the Divisions of Cactus, Succulent, Gesneriads and Collections. Jon had so many entries he had to load his Honda wagon twice and make two trips to deliver his entries.
In the Gesneriads Division they had 17 entries, and in the Collections Division they had 3 Collections (9 plants, which were Gesneriads). Between the two of them they got First, Second, and third place in six classes, and Gene got Best in Division (Gesneriads).
In the Divisions of Cactus and Succulent they both had many entries and won many ribbons including Best in Cactus Division (Gene).
As Jon was the most prolific exhibitor he won the Floral Sweepstakes because he won more ribbons than anyone else exhibiting.
We hope to have more members enter Gesneriads at the 2008 San Mateo County Fair, and as mentioned before we are planning to have an Education Table about Gesneriads.
Propagation of Gesneriads Talk by Gene Sussli
by David Waugh
At our August 2007 meeting Gene Sussli gave us an informal talk of his experiences propagating Gesneriads.
He obtained his first gesneriad in 1980, a streptocarpus. He grew it, propagated it, showed it in the San Mateo County Fair as a blooming plant “any other class.” He did not know it was a gesneriad.
In 2002 he got word that his well-blooming streptocarpus was a gesneriad and expanded his knowledge about this plant group. He now grows many different gesneriads.
Streptocarpus and other gesneriads have a fibrous root system and are propagated by him as follows: He breaks off a leaf near the bottom of the leaf and sticks it in water. He gets roots in about 3 weeks, or sooner. When they are about one inch long he pots it up in soil and proceeds to get lots of little plants around the base of the leaf.
The above is not the accepted method of propagation. The following is the accepted method: Cut part of a leaf off (cut across the leaf) and stick it into a potting mix and keep it wet. New plants should come up around the leaf. The alternate method is to cut a leaf off (cut across the leaf) and then cut the center rib in half and stick each center rib into potting mix, keeping the potting mix wet. New plants should come up around each rib.
Gene has found that his method works best for him.
Some gesneriads such as achimines and kohleria have rhizomes, a cluster of seed-like growths in the soil attached to the stem of the plant. The plant can be propagated using these rhizomes like seeds, or a stem can be cut off and stuck into planting mix with one or two joints where leaves come out (cut off the leaves). Keep the pot moist but not wet and these cutting will grow into new plants.
Some gesneriads like sinningia have tubers, somewhat like potatoes. If you cut off a stem with a piece of tuber attached, let the cutting heal (dry out) and put in planting mix, you will get a new plant. Cutting off a stem and trying to root in soil or water will not work.
Most gesneriads can be grown from seed. If you are able to pollinate a bloom of almost any gesneriad, you should get seed. The resulting seed can be sewn in moist soil in a pot. Place the pot in a plastic bag, exhale into the bag and then quickly seal the bag. You will have added carbon dioxide to the bag which should encourage the seeds to sprout.
Show and Tell and Raffle Table
typed by Lorah Gross
Terri Campbell brought the following plants for show and tell: Primulina tabaccum, Sinningia cardinalis, Streptocarpus ‘Indigo Dream.’ She donated Episcia ‘checkerboard’ x ‘Toy Silver’ (unnamed hybrid) and Rex begonia ‘Savannah Pink Parfait.’ Jon Dixon brought the following plants for show and tell: Achimenes ‘Summer Sunset’, Achimenes ‘Desiree’, Sinn. Speciosa, S. conspicua x macropoda (two plants) S. ‘Ted’s Gift’, S. ‘Pinkster’ x sp. ‘Black Hill’, S. conspicua, Nem. ‘cheerio.’ He donated 5 succulents, a geranium, and Sinn conspicua x macropoda to the raffle table. Katherine Henwood brought Achimenes ‘Jennifer Goode’, Petrocosmea nervosa, and Eucondia ‘Auele’ and donated Streptocarpus Sylvia (2) and Petrocosmea farrertii to the raffle table. Anna Chou donated the following plants to the raffle table: Asplenium trechomanes, two plantlets House of Armani, and a sport of Everlove. Gene Sussli brought the following plants for show and tell: Achimenes ‘Desireee’ (red flowered, double), Streptocarpus ‘Pink Princess’, Colmnea ‘Aladdins Lamp’, Episcia project. He donated Sinningia speciosa hybrid and a plastic propagation box to the raffle table. TehShan Lee brought Aeschynanthus for show and tell and donated two polka dot plants to the raffle table. David Waugh brought the following plants for show and tell: Paliavana Prasanta x Sinningia Macropota, Sinningia ‘Seminole’ and Dalbergeria (Columnia) Sanguinea.
Minutes of the August 19, 2007 Meeting
by David Waugh
The August meeting was called to order by President Katherine Henwood at 1:20pm. The following were also present: David Waugh, Jon Dixon, Anna Chou, Gene Sussli, Terri Campbell, The Shan Lee and Tommy Liu, Harriette Poss, and former member Bob Hudak.
Minutes: There were no corrections to the minutes for the July meeting which were in the August newsletter.
Treasurer’s report: A report of our financial status for June (revised) and July was passed around by the Treasurer. Our financial condition is good. If you need a copy of these reports please contact Gene Sussli.
Continuing Business: We received a note of thanks from Nancy Kast of San Antonio, Texas for the Award she received (sponsored by our Club) at the Gesneriad Society Convention 2007 in Florida. She received the award for a collection of Chiritas.
San Mateo County Fair: See article in Newsletter.
Our Judged Show and Sale: Every member will receive a copy of the flyer advertising our Show, the Show Schedule and the Entry Form. Please list your entries on the Entry Form and either mail it or e-mail the information to David Waugh, by Friday, September 14th so they can be entered into the computer. Your plants are to be brought to the Fair Building on Friday, September 21 between 4-9:30pm. At this time you can make changes to your entries (additions, deletions, substitutions) . Everyone is encourages to enter lots of plants. There will be four Judges, two teams of two.
The program was an informal talk by Gene Sussli on his experiences propagating gesneriads.
See the article in the Newsletter.
After a short break we did Show and Tell and the Raffle
The meeting was adjourned about 4pm.
2007 Officers
President: Katherine Henwood
Vice President: Terri Lynn Campbell
Secretary: David Waugh
Treasurer: Gene Sussli
Newsletter Editor/Webmaster: Lorah Gross lorah@lorah.net
Brazilplants Support Club San Francisco contact: David Waugh
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)
2007 meetings: January 21, February 18, March 25, April 15, July 15, August 19, September 16, October 21, November 18, December 16 Holiday Luncheon at Lakeside Café.
2007 Shows, Sales, and Field Trips:
June 2 Exhibit and Plant Sale, May 20 Field Trip to Jon Dixon’s Greenhouses, June 16 (Saturday) tour of Conservatory of Flowers Golden Gate Park, August 10-19 San Mateo County Fair, September 22-23 Show and Sale.
Dues: $10 single, $11 family. Make checks payable to AGS SF, mail to Treasurer.
Website: http://www.sfgesneriads.org