FARMINGTON -- The orchid family is considered one of the largest families in the plant kingdom with 25,000 known species and new species are being discovered every year.
In the plant world, those who love orchids are obsessive about their flowers.
"Plant people in general are considered to be crazy by non-plant people," said Steve Marak, a member of the Orchid Society of the Ozarks. "And plant people themselves consider orchid people to be crazy."
Marak and his wife, Cathy, recently spoke to the Farmington Garden Club about orchids and about becoming members of the local society.
Unlike other plants, orchid seeds are about the size of dust and require a fungus to grow. The seeds do not have any food in them but by attaching to a fungus, the fungus makes food and sugar for the orchid to grow. In some cases, Marak said, the orchid will then turn around and kill the fungus.
One of the reasons the couple loves orchids is the diversity of the flowers. Marak showed photos of many species of orchids and how their flowers differ.
Generally, orchids are as easy to grow as houseplants, he said. He and his wife have one orchid they've grown for 40 years.
Orchids should be placed in material such as moss, bark or lava rock, not dirt because dirt holds too much water. When the material breaks down, it can be replaced with new material. Also, orchids should not be watered often. Water thoroughly and then do not water for about a week.
The plants can grow in sunlight or artificial light, but not incandescent lights. Eastern and western facing windows are the best. Most will not grow in a north facing window.
When growing an orchid, aim for light green leaf color, he added.
Marak told several stories of people facing dangerous situations just to find a new orchid species. One of the newest species was recently found in the Philippines.
Marak invited members of the club to attend a meeting of the Orchid Society of the Ozarks. The society meets at 1:30 p.m. on the third Sunday of the month at Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale. For more information, go to its Facebook page or website, www.aos.org.
Business on 09/21/2016