[OGD] Color Perception & Judging
After being away, I am catching up on the messages here. Last month I offered a post responding to several unpleasant comments regarding orchid judges, color blindness, and suggestions for mandatory termination of old judges. I am not a senior citizen, but I found the age discrimination especially disgusting. My comments regarding color perception were flamed with this childish statement in Vol. 8, Issue 288: "What got me to reply is the person that said they talked to some AOS judges & was stating- as fact- that a judge needs a written excuse from an eye doctor. THAT IS bunk!" - There was no mention of a written “excuse." We are not talking about little children who skip school and need written excuses from mommy or daddy. - The color dot cards are used and were mentioned to me by AOS judges as an acceptable option. I did not include them in my first post because the following items were also mentioned by the judges.- It seems that every judging center may not have convenient access to a set of the test cards, particularly newer judging centers.- The cards can become inaccurate over time due to fading or other color changes. For accuracy, the cards should be replaced periodically which may not been done by some of the centers.- To be accurate, the cards should be used at a specified distance and under specific lighting conditions. Variations in the lighting conditions (sunlight, cloudy, incandescent light, florescent light, light intensity, etc.) can affect the results.- IF a student applicant takes the card test at a judging center and does not pass, the applicant should consult an ophthalmologist or optometrist for a more accurate test. I was told that a statement of acceptable color perception from one of these professionals is considered valid (as it should be) and a prospective student can elect to do this from the start. Either the judges with whom I spoke or the one who posted the flame are (is) confused. I honestly do not care. This is the end of my comments on the topic. I will leave the silliness to others. Such childish arguments are a good indication of why humans are always fighting stupid wars around the planet. I am more interested in growing and enjoying my orchids. ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] hurricanes + Paph pod production
Terry, I do not make near as many crosses as you do ten a year vs. your hundreds, but I know that when I made significant changes to my greenhouse environment that I saw many changes in my seed pod production including both reductions in pod set at first to increases in pod set and seed production as the plants adjusted to the new condition. I would guess that your plants are simply reacting to all the changes, hurricane, fire and smoke, and upgrade in greenhouse covering and ventilation. I know it is not what you want to hear, but I would imagine that as the plants readjust to your new conditions that your breeding program will go back to normal. I know it is frustrating as I lost all my seed pods the year I recovered my greenhouse, but as the plants readjusted to the new conditions I am getting much better pod set and seed production on the few crosses I am making. good luck, Tom Hillson ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] hurricanes + Paph pods (2)
I've gotten a little feedback both on & off the Forum that I would like to share -- 1) from Peter Croezen - I do not think it is the polycarbonate gassing off - the sheets were actually stored outdoors under an overhang area for a good 6 months before the Canadian crew started to install them. The cool cell pads, even though they are a coated type of paper product are bathed in a mixture of RO water and softened well water (softened to remove the calcium), allowing enough EC in the water to let the copper ion generator to work electrically - this eliminates any bacterial or algae buildup on the cells. Also, in general, the interior temps are consistently a little lower in the greenhouses after the wet pad installation - max temps of 85 - 89 F (29 - 31 C), with a drop in night temps. The greenhouses are designed to have more than one complete air exchange per minute - a lot of air flow reducing any possible gassing off - in my opinion. Plus there are no odors. 2) from Ron Mauder - when I was making the Paph hybrids, the pollen is moist and sticky - no problem of getting the pollen to stick to the stigma. And no, Turkey Point nuclear plant is not leaking radiation. Besides, the trade winds would be away from us! 3) from Xavier Garreau de Loubresse - no insecticides or miticides or fungicides sprayed. We did have two prescribe burns on our property (8/12/2005 and 12/5/2005) - that is before and after Hurricane Wilma. Both burns were textbook and any slight wind was prescribed to carry the smoke away from the greenhouses. The employees didn't smell any smoke in or out of the greenhouses. I have never seen any detrimental affects of using the coconut chip in the potting media. I have been using the same basic media for the past 10 years. I presoak and rinse the coconut chips a minimum 4 times over a 24 - 30 hour period, including adding calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate to one of the RO soaks to further leach out any possible sodium contamination. The root systems produced are healthy and extensive. In fact, I use the old potting media as a mulch material in the palm and bamboo nursery that I have next door - the media does not affect even the youngest palm seedlings planted in the ground nor does it affect the weeds trying to grow up through the mulch. I use computer controlled fertilizer injectors and various types of complete fertilizers - this program has not changed in years, so it would not be that affecting the breeding just last year. I use everything from soluble fertilizers manufactured by different companies to calcium nitrate plus micro-nutrient foliar sprays to urea to seaweed + fish emulsion, etc. Orchids are slow to respond and the mix of fertilizers ensures that nothing is missing. I also breed throughout the year and at any time of the "lunar cycle" - I've kept track of the breeding dates and the harvest dates - I can not see any correlation at all with lunar cycles and breeding Paphs or Phals. A lot of the plants that I use for breeding may have 15 to 25 growths per plant - they do not become stressed or allergic to carrying pods. This is a problem affecting the region that experienced two to four hurricanes in one season. It is not just our greenhouse or our city - the man who does our Paph flasking lives 3.5 hours north of us and he is experiencing exactly the same problems, and he uses a different potting media, different fertilization (he only uses his fish-pee water since he raises fish in what used to be his swimming pool), different pots, and he grows outdoors under a screen enclosure (no polycarbonate or cool cells). The only thing in common seems to be the barometric pressure of the storms - especially Wilma, which if I remember correctly, was the lowest recorded pressure ever??? Terry A. Glancy Pine Ridge Orchids, Inc. 21100 SW 300 Street Homestead, FL 33030-7812 ph (305) 247-4839 (305) 247-3086 fx (305) 247-8853 Website = http://www.PineRidgeOrchids.com Email = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc Email = [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] home interior decorating
"Risis orchid picture... Risis... has developed a... process to preserve... orchids [flowers]... in 24 carat gold... orchids are selected for their... size and shape. Next, they are preserved with a... coat of copper to retain their natural texture and shape. Then they are plated with nickle to strengthen the delicate blooms, after which they are encapsulated in pure 24 carat gold. As a final step, the plated orchids are hand-finished and crafted into various accessories and framed as wall hangings." Article URL : http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Friday/Features/20060907150450/Article/index_html * Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] rare species disappearance [Peru]
"The Peruvian government has reversed a decision to allow flights over the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu... ... helicopter... Peru's Institute of Natural Resources said those flights led to the disappearance of a rare species of orchid [which one ?]... from the area." Article URL : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5326042.stm * Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
