July 2010 - Mike Bernard Acadiana Hibiscus Chapter

CAN YOU SAY WINNING TEAM??? 

Show season began with a wimp back in March because the very cold winter 

prevented all of us in the Deep South from having blooms until late in the season. 

Thanks to the combined talent and efforts of Mr. Dupont, Dr. David Tate, and Buddy, 

we were not shut out of head table wins at those early shows in April and May. By 

June, all of our blooms were beginning to make a dramatic appearance and we surprised 

even ourselves with the wins at our own show. When you read the results, you 

will see that the Mike Bernard members really worked hard to fill the head table. 

While congratulations are certainly in order for all show entry winners, congratulations 

are truly in order for all of our members who made this such a smooth 

running and enjoyable show. (point in fact: Jo Ann Pugh saved the beauty of the head 

table because she brought her own iron and ironing board to the gym and personally 

ironed all of the wrinkled head table ribbons. 

Participating Mike Bernard members at our own show who got head table ribbons were: 

BEST OF SHOW 

BEST IN CLASS 

SEEDLINGS 

single: Sandra Theall "Who Dat" 

double: Sandra Theall "Wild Blueberry" 

miniature: Dr. David Tate "Ceres" 

seedling: Dupont/Gerlich "Jolie Femme" 

Amateur single: Theresa/Mark Gore "Cajun Blue Star" 

Amateur double: Theresa/Mark Gore "Mango Moon" 

Collector double: Sandra Theall "Thunderhead" 

Open collector single: Buddy Short "Pinkaboo" 

Open collector double: Buddy Short "Bold Idea" 

Commercial single: Dupont Nursery "Saffron Sun" 

Commercial double: Dupont Nursery "Mon Ami" 

Miniature single: Dupont Nursery "Caramel Cream" 

Miniature double: Dr. David Tate "Pride of Hankins" ( garden variety) 

Regular double: Dupont Nursery ( bloom not named yet) 

Miniature single: Sandra Theall ( '09 seedling) 

Miniature double: Sandra Theall (Royal Treasure X Wild Blueberry) 

July 2010 

Newsletter 

Bold Idea 

Dragon Fire 

Voodoo Queen 

Time For Magic 

Gator Magic

SWEEPSTAKES 

. 

Amateur: Theresa/Mark Gore "Funny Voodoo" 

Collector: Sandra Theall "Copper Rose" 

Open Collector: Buddy Short " Acadian Spring" 

Commercial: Dupont Nursery " Lemon Cloud" 

As if these wins were not enough to satisfy even the most ardent enthusiasts, Buddy and Mr. Dupont went on to win the 

following at the Lone Star chapter show in Houston the next Sunday; 

Best of Show: Dupont/Gerlich "Lemon Cloud" 

Best in Class....Open Collector single: Buddy Short "Byron Metts" 

Best in Class....Miniature double: Buddy Short "Bayou Rose” 

What a splendid end to our show season. While congratulations are certainly in order for all of the show entry winners, 

congratulations are truly in order for all of our members who made this such a smooth running and enjoyable show for all who 

attended and participated. For those who attended most of the shows in Texas and Louisiana this season, it has been said that 

our show was the most enjoyable for the timeliness and smooth running judging session, the arrangement of blooms in the gym 

when the judging was over, the efficiency of our checkout system and of course, the delicious lunch prepared and served by our 

own members. Attending club members from New Orleans and Baton Rouge offered their praise and thanks to our members for 

making this show a success. I add my own praise and thanks to you, particularly because most of you are new to this experience 

of "putting on a show".....and what a show you put on!!!! CONGRATULATIONS . 

This must surely be the end of our winning streak for this 2010 show season? But....NO! This is not the end. The Mike 

Bernard Club at the convention in Orlando, Florida, was awarded the Norman Reasoner Award for Most Amateur Exhibitors at 

one show. This for me, as your president this year, is really the icing on the cake because I know that I spent a lot of your time 

promoting your amateur participation and you heeded my call in numbers large enough to win over all other chapters. For this, I 

give you my proud thanks. I was told as an aside at the convention in a joking manner that we will have competition from one of 

the chapters in the British Virgin Islands next year. They were only one entry short of ours !! Are you ready to win this award 

again? I am certainly willing and ready to put my money on the Mike Bernard Chapter. Bet you thought that this was the end of 

our wins. I have saved the best for last. I am proud to announce that Mr. Dupont//Father Gerlich duo representing the Louisiana 

chapters won the S(seedling) O(of) T(the) Y(year) SOTY award with their beautiful bloom "Sweet Pink." This is the highest 

honor that can be bestowed upon a grower/hybridizer in the society. I will tell you a little more about this fantastic win at our 

meeting and I will have photos of the four blooms competing for that honor. The Dupont/Gerlich team also won third place for 

their beautiful seedling "Voodoo Magic." This was not the first time that this renowned team has come home with the highest 

honor. CONGRATULATIONS to you both, Mr. Dupont and Father Gerlich. 

I look forward to seeing all of you at our July meeting. With a little luck, you will be able to see a PowerPoint presentation 

of our show with the photos taken by our own member, Dr. Lynn Guidry. At this meeting we will discuss the do's and don't’s 

in preparation for a show. 

Don't forget that we have another treat in store for us on August 1 when we attend the fabulous bar-b-que at Buddy and 

Kathleen's home. Be thinking about what you would like to contribute to the lavish cuisine that goes along with Buddy's delicious 

pork tenderloins. Your attendance will surely be the sweet dessert!! 

Seedling competitors....get your seedlings groomed for the meeting. I saw one seedling recently who whispered in my 

ear: " nobody can beat me. I am going to get the gold star!!" Such a cheeky young seedling!!! Better get your seedling ready. 

The work for successful people is never really done and in that light, we have a little work to do also when we attend the 

bar-b-que. Full explanation at the meeting. 

Looking forward to seeing all of you winners on Tuesday the 6th for the annual ice cream social (Buddy has promised at 

least 6 varieties.) Don't miss out. 

Sandra 

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YOUR GARDENING QUOTE 

“As you learn more about gardening, every new experience means more to you and makes a long-lasting impression.” 

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CALENDAR AHEAD 

July 6th …. Monthly meeting. This will be our Ice Cream social. We’ll also review our show, good and bad. Make some suggestions 

and try to get better for next year. Come with your input…….We might even find some ice cream for the evening 

August 1st… Sunday... New members barbeque at my home. Great eating and fellowship… 

Set aside that date now…. details will follow shortly 

Remember, the only reason “why” a chapter exist is to share information and experiences. That we are willing to do so never 

ever fail to ask a question or to come up with a suggestion. We’ll do our best to give you the right answer and if you follow 

through then your babies will be smiling and rewarding you with their beauty. After all, isn’t that what this is all about? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

2010 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL 

We have completed our renewal for the year 2010 and our roster has been submitted to National for recording. Each of you will 

receive a current roster in the near future. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

MONTHLY QUOTES 

“The greatest service anyone can render his country is to add a new plant to it’s culture” 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Monthly Article 

The following article was written by Master Hybridizer Barry Schlueter and was featured in The Petaloid which is the monthly 

newsletter of the Lone Star chapter of the American Hibiscus Society……….IT IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY!!!!!!!! 

July Hibiscus Culture 

This time of year most of us see some small flower buds turning yellow and dropping. Hopefully this is heat stress, and we see it 

most on plants whose watering is not sufficient to prevent some wilting in the hot afternoons. Under such stress, Hibiscus plants 

often abort new buds to delay reproduction until more favorable conditions exist. The answer to this cause of bud drop is more 

water, repotting to larger pot, better insulating roots, or moving the pot to a shadier location. 

If you carefully examine the flowers that do open on a plant with bud drop symptoms, you may find tiny mobile hyphens called 

thrips. They invade before the bud shows color, and rasp away inside, usually causing some bruised or dirty appearance near 

the eye in flowers able to open. In sufficient numbers thrips steal so much energy that the buds turn yellow-brown and fall prematurely. 

But with thrips the cause, buds that drop are about full size and rarely bright yellow. That bright yellow early drop is 

generally midge, sad to say, as we are fighting it now. 

If your examination shows that thrips are the probable cause of bud drop, consider spot treatment of buds and blooms only, using 

Spinosad or acephate or triazicide or Neem or summer oil spray. Bear in mind that Spinosad is much safer for the user than 

acephate (Orthene). Soapy water will have some positive effects if you wish to avoid poisons. And Spinosad generally does not 

kill be beneficial insects, making life wonderful for spider mites. 

If you do not find evidence of thrips infestation, and plants get plenty of water, you might have been invaded by hibiscus midge. 

Pluck yellowing buds of good size and carefully slice them vertically to expose all parts of the internal structure. Hold the cut surfaces 

towards you, watching for the surprising appearance of tiny translucent worms with Olympic-class jumping ability. Be patient 

in your observation; it may take the little worms 60 seconds to wriggle out onto the cut surface. Unless you have weakened 

them with some treatment, they are amazing jumpers. 

If you find this midge, you face a daunting task to get rid of them. You must treat the soil in hibiscus beds or soil in pots with insecticide, 

pluck and remove all buds or at least all buds with any premature yellowing, by bagging them and discarding them, 

and spray plants with acephate or triazicide at least three times, about five days apart. Do not torture your hibiscus with this 

treatment unless you find the midge with certainty. In June we found the midge here, evidently from the two large plants we 

bought at a local nursery, produced by a grower in the Corpus Christi area.

We will fight the midge using hygiene, policing pots and beds and surrounding area for fallen buds and other litter, bagging and 

disposing of that refuse carefully. And Spinosad will be our primary spray, since it usually does not harm beneficial insects or 

predatory mites. We will try using Organicide to treat the soil since it is not the kind of poison that is risky for people and pets. 

And limiting it to soil will not kill the lizards and beneficials. 

If you use poisons Triazicide has a good reputation as an effective soil drench for the larval forms of midge. Doing that and picking 

off any buds at first sign of yellow, and good area hygiene . . is probably more effective than spray, but since the adult lays 

eggs in the tiny leaves at the tips of green buds, misting buds with a contact killer like Diazinon or Acephate or even Neem may 

kill the eggs before they can enter the buds. We will hope that Spinosad will kill those eggs, or Neem oil. 

Imidicloprid has become one of the most widely used agricultural and veterinary chemicals used in the world now. We were very 

early advocates after learning of it from a county agent’s tests. But over time we learned of its down side: when predatory mites 

or ladybugs or such eat spider mites and aphids poisoned by imidicloprid, the predatory insects we call good guys are killed also. 

And when the good guys are gone, spider mites proliferate and they are very hard to control. So we stopped using imidicloprid 

so that we could stop buying and exposing ourselves to expensive and toxic miticides. Pay your money and take your choice. 

IF you toxify your hibiscus plants’ sap with imidicloprid, you will face a battle with spider mites, so many of which are resistant to 

most treatments. 

Since we began to receive some wood from friends in Europe and India, grafting success has become an issue here. We had 

previously relied upon bottom heat to promote germination and early grafting success, but our system of heat mats had grown 

old and holy such that heating provided was very spotty and inconsistent. Our percentage of successful grafts had fallen, and 

our germination rate for seedlings had declined also. 

After research on the Net for a relatively inexpensive bottom heat mat, we purchased from Growers Supply Company 

(www.growersupply.com) a 2’ x 4’ 

“Large Seedling Heat Mat" and we love it. Always we wish for more bottom heated space than we have, but eight square feet 

will accommodate lots of the 4” pots or seed flats we use (the standard 10” x 20” nursery flats.) How well does the new mat 

work? Graft wood received from India May 17 had grown so much by June 4 that I cut off rootstock tops on several grafts! 

And it looks as if every variety sent here will provide at least one “take”. This is sharp contrast to recent efforts with the old heat 

mat system. 

If you do a fair amount of grafting or hybridizing, a heat mat is highly recommended, especially for cool seasons, but it makes a 

difference in the summertime also. We have best success keeping the temperature between 80 and 85 °F. Thermostats are 

available for most mats, or you can buy a mat with a fixed temperature setting; just select one that provides about 80 degrees F. 

Finally, a word about pH, the relative acidity and basicity of liquid solutions. Most of us have alkaline tap water with a pH of 8.0 

or more. IF you are mixing insecticides or miticides or fungicides, it is desirable to add a tablespoon of vinegar per gallon of water 

in your tank BEFORE you add the chemical, because most chemicals work best in slightly acid solutions. 

The vinegar will probably shift the pH enough to let you get the most from your chemicals. IF your water is alkaline, the chemicals 

with which you spray may be rendered ineffective or even harmful by the high pH. BUT if you add Space City soluble or 

other fertilizer to your sprayer tank, the sulphates in the fertilizer may lower the pH to slightly acid (below 7.0) without the need 

for vinegar. To be sure you might buy a swimming pool pH test kit and train yourself to check and adjust pH as needed. Your 

hibiscus and your wallet will thank you. 

Barry Schlueter 

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NEXT MEETING…….Tuesday July 6th at 6 pm……….come prepared to learn and to eat some ice cream. My granddaughters 

are helping me to pick out some exotic flavors just for you…………...see you on the 6th…….Buddy 

Mike Bernard Acadiana Chapter 

of the American Hibiscus Society 

For more information contact: Buddy Short at 337-232-2446 or Fax: 337-232-9183 

Send an email to: buddy@shortfinancialgroup.com

Setup Day 

The supplies show up and "muscules" comes out to help me. 

Thanks Mignon! 

Working with a smile. Bev even recruited Richard to help. 

You see who's doing the works. 

Sandra tells Debbie..."You should have seen that bloom. It 

was at least this big!" Yeah right! 

There are some positions a man can not get in. 

Debbie and Bera with one of our new members, Jennie Marchantel. 

Jennie, we hope you enjoyed your first show 

Jo Ann Pugh says she always carries her iron and ironing 

board in her car. Get real!!!!!

Show Day 

Christianna Gallagher tries out the sweets before going back 

to work. 

If you ate all this we would never get any work done. 

. 

Even "the food plate" got two Head Table ribbons. 

The fabulous kitchen set up at Cathedral Carmel school. 

No show would be complete without the fabulous Dupont hibiscus 

tree. So fine!

July 2010 - Mike Bernard Acadiana Hibiscus Chapter

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