Plant preparations for judging entry

[Papaholic]

Greetings forum members,
I hope I am posting in the correct location for my question here.
I will be finally taking my plant (first time) for judging. Aside from trimming any dead growth, cleaning leaves, making sure the plant is 100% bug free, and the obvious, what do I bring it in?
Am I supposed to put it in some sort of decorative basket or pot?
Or, can I bring the plant as is in the green plastic pot it is growing in?
I'm not sure in essence if it needs to be dressed up the way plants are at shows; mine will be taken to the Chicago Botanic Garden judging center.
Any last minute first timer advise on this will be greatly appreciated.
thank you,
Papaholic

 

[SlipperKing]

As long as the plant is stable in the green pot ( doesn't fall over) that's fine.

 

[Darin]

No need to dress up the pot. If you need a little additional stability, slip the green pot in a clay pot and call it good. The judges are judging the flowers and and the plant not the pot it is in.

Good luck!!!

 

[Shiva]

Make sure the leaves are clean and remove any yellow or very damaged leaves that detracts from the overall good look of the plant. If a stake is needed, make it as invisible as possible. They're not judging the pot but the plant. However a nice pot will show that you have good taste and that you really love your plant. It may count subjectively with some judges. Good Luck!

 

[labskaus]

As has been said, a clean plant and a clean pot show that you care for your plant and you're not ignorant of the judges. I tend to feel mildly offended when someone presents a plant for judging and didn't even find the time to dust off the pot.

 

[Leo Schordje]

Probably most important is to stake the flowers for presentation, the flowers should face out, the plane of the dorsal & petals should be close to vertical. A friend had shown a Paph St. Swithin several years in a row, lovely flowers, but he never staked the flowers, they tended to look at the floor or every which way. One year a group of us met at his house before judging, and one of us insisted on staking the 3 inflorescences over the owner's protests. Bingo, won an AM/AOS. Presentation of the flowers is critical. Pot and plant leaves are not as big an issue as proper staking of the flowers.

As an aside, a simple stake is preferred, once I coiled aluminum wire, bonsai style, around the flower stem, and was disqualified, the judges said couldn't tell if the flower was able to support itself. The stake does not have to be invisible, but it should be behind, or behind and to the side from the flower. When you look at the plant, the flowers should be seen without obstruction.

On some plants where leaves tend to hide the flowers, it is acceptable to remove a few leaves, or tie the leaves up to keep the view of the flowers unobstructed. Of course removing leaves is only done on healthy specimen size plants. The plants I have done this with are Lycaste and Masdevallia.

 

[tomkalina]

Staking the inflorescence properly is probably the most important thing, especially for show judging. I was ribbon -judging Paphs and Phrags at the Illowa Orchid Society show earlier this spring and noticed an un-staked complex green/white Maudiae type hybrid that looked that it might have potential. The flower was so poorly presented, though,it was facing the floor and easy to overlook. A stake was present in the pot, but the clip had come loose from the flower stem. Once the clip was re-attached to the stem, we could assess it's true potential and the flower received a "Best of Class" ribbon and ultimately an AM/AOS!

 

[koshki]

Paphaholic, good luck with your plant, and I hope you don't mind my jumping in with another question.

I have a few plants that are mounted, and the roots tend to grow in odd directions. Could that have a negative impact at judging time?

 

[Shiva]

Paphaholic, good luck with your plant, and I hope you don't mind my jumping in with another question.

I have a few plants that are mounted, and the roots tend to grow in odd directions. Could that have a negative impact at judging time?

No! I've seen many plants mounted going to judging and that situation has never created any problem, as far as I can remember.

 

[John M]

All good advice here; but, keep in mind that the judges are technically judging only the flowers, not the plant....unless they are considering a cultural award. Then, they must see the plant and it must be in pristine condition. That being said, you want the flowers to be noticed and discussed by the judges. The best way to get noticed is to groom the plant and make the overall look eye-catching. You want to not only have great quality flowers; but, they also need to be properly staked, the foliage cleaned and trimmed and if possible, put the plant in an attractive cache pot; but, one that does not compete with the flowers for attention. At the very least, clean the green plastic or clay pot that it is growing in. Good luck!