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OCTOBER 2011

October 2011
Meeting: 2pm Sunday October 9th, 2011 Las Vegas Springs Preserve 333 S. Valley View Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89107

CALENDAR
October 9th Presentation: Woody Minnich from New Mexico October 15th & 16th: Moon-Sun Show and Sale - see Page 5 November 13th Presentation: Rick Holmes Garden tour and Photography workshop December: Holiday Dinner Party - Date, Time & location TBD

Please bring plants for the raffle!!!

Peru, From the Sea to the Sky
By: Wendell S. (Woody) Minnich 2011
This presentation is my total experiences of four trips into Peru. We will cover most of the regions rich in cactus and succulents, from Cajamarca in the North to Arequipa in the South. I will feature the towns, the people, the animals, and of course, the cacti and succulents of this historically important country. We will also encounter the many amazing plants that survive in the coastal sand dunes as well as the wonderful species that inhabit the highest elevations of the Andes. We will see many genera of cacti and succulents: Austrocylindropuntia, Haageocereus, Armatocereus, Melocactus, Mila, Puya, Echeveria, Oroya, Matucana, Lobivia, Trichocereus, Weberbauerocereus, Peperomia, Oreocereus, Espostoa, Corryocactus, Cumulopuntia, Cleistocactus, Browningia, as well as many of the Bromeliads, especially the Tillandsias. I will try and give insight into the habitats and the conditions in which most of these plants grow. Hopefully this will allow you to apply their field growing conditions to how you might better cultivate these plants in the green house or garden. Peru is a very fascinating and romantic country with a turbulent history. It has a very unique culture that has evolved from the time of the Inca to its Spanish conquerors and beyond. As of today, Peru has also developed some very complicated relationships with its neighboring countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia and Ecuador. From its coast lines to the Andes and into the Amazonian jungles, Peru has it all! What a wealth of intrigue, from its plants to its animals and of course, the mysterious Nasca lines to the ruins of Machu Picchu.

Wendell S. (Woody) Minnich 2011 Woody, as he is commonly called, has been in the cactus hobby for some 41 years and has become well known for his participation in many of the cactus and succulent clubs. He is an honorary life member of seven clubs as well as a life member of CSSA (Cactus & Succulent Society of America.) He has served in almost all positions of leadership from president, to newsletter editor, to show chairman and so on. He is also known for his extensive field work studying primarily the cactus family. He has traveled throughout the United States, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Africa, Yemen and Socotra. From these trips he has developed an extensive knowledge of the cactus family as well as many of the other succulent genera. Woody is also known for his many presentations. His photography is considered to be special and his commentary very entertaining and educational. He is a recognized international speaker and has spoken for plant conventions - organizations all over the USA, as well as in England, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Mexico. Woody has also authored a number of articles for various newsletters, the CSSA journal and his photographs are well published. Woody is the creator-originator of the first color version of the CSSA journal Cacti and Succulents for the Amateur that also featured show plants, shows and the growers of the pictured plants. He is also known for his cactus and succulent nursery, Cactus Data Plants. CDP was started in 1975 and is still in operation today. Cactus Data Plants specializes in show specimens and rare cacti and other succulents with particular emphasis in Ariocarpus, Astrophytum, Mammillaria, Gymnocalycium, Turbinicarpus, Melocactus, Copiapoa, Fouquieria, Pachypodium, Euphorbia, Cyphostemma, Adenium and Adenia. Woody and his wife Kathy now live in the beautiful mountains south of Santa Fe New Mexico in a region called Cedar Grove. He has a small 1,200 sq, ft. greenhouse where he grows his unique plants. He is always on the move and travels frequently to do presentations and shows throughout the western United States. Woody is the proud parent of three children, Leah, Denver and Sarah, all of whom are now grown and out in the big world. Woody is also the proud grandparent of three grandsons, Indiana, Ashton and Logan. He is a retired high school teacher of 32 years and he taught Graphic Arts, Architecture, Art and Health.

Succulents & Stars

By Donnie Barnett
A few years ago I began work on my book Cacti and succulents of the Northern Mojave. I had seen photos of Joshua trees with star trails and stars above them. These photos had been taken with film cameras using a long exposure. Now days these photos are done using time-lapse photography and stitched ogether. So I thought I would share some... photos with you to share in my efforts to capture the American Southwests Beauty.

What it Takes for Gold!

Cactus and Succulent shows have been part of every large cactus club for the last 25 years. For many people this is a huge deal, having the opportunity to show off their finest plants. For many others it is a frustrating and new idea. I am an enthusiast like everyone else but seem to specialize a little more in United States cactus. Judging is not always about how rare or what is bloming, these can help but do not always win. Lets get started with a few basic things to think about when selecting out that ribbon winning plant. Plant selection First you must select which prized plant you will enter. I rarely enter the plant I want in the show. It just depends on what looks good that part of the year and what has the potential to flower during judging. Like I said before, not that important but can really make the judges take a liking to your plant. Plants with odd numbers of 3 or more heads also are easier on the eyes. Multiple plats of the same species may be planted together to look more robust. Pot selection This is a key important step. Not all pots entered have to be gaudy or expensive. With a little creativeness you can enter a nice looking plant that matches your selected cactus well. Last spring I bought a $2.00 6 square ceramic pot andspray painted it black. To make the pot look glazed or glossy always finish with a high-gloss polyurethane spray. It protects the pot and shines up nice. The idea of the pot is to make your plants pop in someone's eyes when they see it. So high contrast or opposing colored plants on the color wheel will greatly earn you points. Size and depth can also be a defining factor. Plants growing in a huge pot can make the specimen look small. Slightly underplanting the plant will be beneficial for your goal and the plants health. Soils and Dressings Plant health and drainage can be factors to soil choice. Like many shows the plants usually have to be in a pot for up to a month before the show. I suggest picking something you are comfortable growing in and wont float to the surface when watering. Weight is also another factor, heavy pots are easier to drop and more likely to become hassles rather than hanging ribbons. Dressings are as important as the pots. I like to use exotic looking dressings like black or coral pink sand.Basically you want your plant to pop and also look professional and with maybe a taste of the desert. Be creative, I once seen a yellow sand on a blue melocactus.

Moon-Sun Cactus Show Co-hosted by the Cactus & Succulent Society of Southern Nevada October 15th & 16th, 2011 6430 McGill Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89122 www.moon-sunlandscapes.com Show Rules Entry is FREE. The Show is open to anyone that grows succulent plants. There is no limit to the number of entries per class or the number of classes entered, but no entry can be entered in more than one class. Any plant entered in the last Show may NOT be entered into this Show. Please mark all plants/property with your name, not visible to the judges. Plants must be grown by the exhibitor for at least two months prior to the Show. All entries must have properly filled out entry cards (see below) to be eligible for awards. Exhibitors are responsible to place entry card with their entries. Grafted plants will be accepted in any category. Entries must be clean, healthy (pest free) and dry. Awards & exhibits must stay at the Show until the close of the Show, so the public may view all entries & the chosen winners. Classes with few entries may be combined; classes with many entries may be split. The Show Committee reserves the right to reject plants or exhibits and to readjust entries for the good of the Show. The Show will exercise due caution in safeguarding exhibits, however, it cannot assume responsibility for loss of property. The judges decisions are FINAL. All plants must be entered before 7:30am on Saturday, October 15 th to qualify for judging. Entries may be entered (delivered, dropped off) as early as Thursday, October 13 th at 8:00am. Exhibitor Categories Categories Cactus Succulents Succulents, caudex Euphorbias Dish Garden Subcategories (Size) A, pots at or under 10-inches B, pots over 10-inches Judging Scale General Health & Condition.. 40 points Overall appearance 30 points Grooming 20 points Nomenclature 10 points Total Awards By Category1st Place Ribbon, 2nd Place Ribbon, 3rd Place Ribbon Best in Show(1st place exhibits by category compete for this honor) Peoples Choice Award(based on entries from the public over the weekend, cutoff for public voting at 2pm on Sunday, October 16th. Peoples Choice announced prior to close of Cactus Show.) 100 points

Moon-Sun Cactus Show

Entry Card
Cut here --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Entry CardMoon-Sun Cactus Show October 2011

_________________________ Category

_______________ Subcategory (A or B)

___________________________________________ Plant Name (10 nomenclature points!) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------(fold here)

___________________________________ Exhibitor (name will be folded down & hidden for judging)

Contact Information
President: Donnie Barnett Rakkasanenterprisez@GMAIL.com Vice President: Vicki YuenYuenvicki@hotmail.com Secretary: Ramona Lesley Ramonadl@aol.com Treasurer: Phil LawtonCoachpcl@gmail.com Membership/website: Jay NietlingJay.nietling@gmail.com

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