First time blogger

This is looking like a really great site to get some substantive discussion about the 'prickly issues'. We spent an hour at judging on Saturday hashing through some good ones. I just got my own laptop so it was really cool to be able to call up and share award photographs from AQ Plus of plants that happened to come up in the course of discussion.



About me, I have about 50% Catts, lots of Dendrobiums, just got my first Paph award in January. I enjoy judging at our center (Carolinas) and seeing plants in shows. It is still exciting to see a new species or hybrid and watch new trends develop. I think that digital photography and having rapid access to pictures has greatly advanced our judging process. Some time soon I will be doing a training session on AQ Plus in our center just to make sure we are all up to speed on all the features.

Miscellaneous Prickly Topics

It's fairly difficult to get average orchid growers to our orchid judging sessions. It's not clear that this is necessarily a new thing. I remember somewhat sparse attendance, even as a child in Hawaii (a long time ago). However, given that orchids have gone mainstream ala Home Depot and the local grocery store, shouldn't we be able to take advantage of the growing number of people growing orchids to get a few more to our judging sessions? Here are a few questions for the crowd to mull over and discuss. I tried to stay away from conclusions to allow equal discussion from all sides.

1. Are orchid judging sessions too elitist? Do we need to do things to be more accessible to guests? I've seen far too many people bring in their prized plants only to be told that they're not awardable for some reason they never considered, only to never return.

2. Alternately, are orchid judging sessions just plain boring for the average person? Why do people go to society meetings? Is it the raffle? Is it the fun speakers? Do we need speakers in parallel with the judging to boost attendance? Free plants? Maybe an open Q&A? what's that bug? Why is my plant not doing well?

3. I have seen awesome plants on display at the local orchid society but they seldom seem to make it to orchid judging. Should we co-locate with society meetings to encourage participation? Should we judge the plant table at society meetings (perhaps ribbons all around and regular judging for actually entered plants)?

4. Shows are a lot of work to put on. Even little shows. I have heard occasional points of view, typically at little shows, that there are no displays that meet that judges "quality standards" for the show award. Are show awards as strict as quality awards or should they be used more liberally to encourage the hobby and to reward societies for putting on shows?

5. New quality awards and (unregistered) alternatives: should we have other awards available to increase interest and participation. Some possibilities include foliage awards, fragrance awards, "cuteness" or "impact", most improved (before photo and after plant), ribbons... People like to win things and might attend more often if they did. Is there a way to help them feel accomplishment rather than leaving empty handed and crestfallen without lowering judging standards for traditional quality awards? Would offering a foliage award increase sales of variegated and other novel foliage types? Would a fragrance award increase sales of fragrant orchids?

6. Is larger, flater, clearer and brighter necessarily the only way? For things with necessarily twisty, curvy, wonderfully obtuse flowers, should we really be trying to breed them into urbane flatness?

Sophronitis coccinea 'Florence' FCC/AOS

This Sophronitis coccinea was awarded at the Long Beach judging (Pacific South) on Feb 23, 2009.
The natural spread on was 7.1cm.

California Sierra Nevada JC awards - March 2009

Orchids nominated for AOS awards at the California Sierra Nevada judging center are now online. These are considered provisional until published in the AQ+. http://www.csnjc.org

Pacific Orchid Exposition - 2009

Nominees for AOS awards from the 2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition in San Francisco can be seen at the Pacific Central web page: http://www.aospacificcentral.org Follow the 'Local Shows' link or try http://www.aospacificcentral.org/POE2009/poe2009.html

This is a work in progress, but the pictures and stats are correct.

FCCs of oncidiinae intergeneric hybrids

Aloha,

I'm preparing a talk to be given to our judging center in a couple of months on why there are no FCC awards on onidiinae intergenerics in the last 10 years. Oncidiinae in general have garnered 2 FCCs on Brassia Rex and one for a Rossioglossum williamsianum. Since I breed oncidiinae intergenerics, and want to have a plant worthy of a FCC in my career, I would like to know what it takes for a plant to achive that status. What do you think it takes? And, why are there so few over the last couple of decades and none in the last decade?

Fasten Your Seatbelts

Here we go again...more name changes on the way. But everyone knew this was coming....right?

READ THIS


pictured at left: Cattleya milleri

Invitation to AOS Judges

Any AOS judges or students may send an e-mail to newsflash@aos.org and request author priveledges at this blog which allows the user to create new subject posts. The first 90 requests will be honored.