Matthew: You've hit the 2 "biggies" right on the head. For appearance,
you'll want to trim off old dead flower spikes and any bad leaves (if you
must trim leaf tips, try to mimic the shape of the natural ending); "peel"
the pbs if they have old dry brown bract material on them [obviously, that
won't apply to your Neof., not sure about the Pholidota, it's been a while
since I've had any of those]; stake the blooming leads if they need it
[probably not applicable this time, but once you've done this, you will
probably do it again with other plants that might need] and clean the
leaves. A 50/50 mix of milk and water cleans well and leaves a soft,
natural-looking shine, but is time-consuming [and will stink if not rinsed
off afterward]. If you run into stains that the milk won't remove, you can
try vinegar or lemon juice, sometimes these work when the milk won't. There
are also off-the-shelf leafshine products which produce a brighter but less
natural effect.

As you are doing all that, you will almost certainly spot any pest or
disease problems. As to whether the Society will have an inspector, they
all vary [and sometimes even within the same Society it varies depending on
who is in charge that month]. If you remain concerned, look around when you
arrive at the meeting, or ask on your way in [there's usually a table at the
door taking attendance and selling raffle tix], for the person in charge of
the plant table or a senior member of the OS, and then ask that person to
take a look at your plants before you put them in with everyone else's.

And do also recognize the reciprocal risk, if there is no inspector -- the
other novices may not have been as considerate as you :(

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com

"sneff" sneff at d2 dot net dot au wrote in message
s.com...
I finally joined an orchid society. I have been keen to do so for ages,
but
none close to me had their meetings on a night that I wasn't working. Last
month I managed to beg and swap Wednesday nights off, so I am now the
newest
member of the North Shore Orchid Society of Sydney.

I am considering bringing along a couple of plants for novice class
benching
at the next meeting in 10 days time. A Neof. falcata blooming for 4 days
now
(will it last another 10?) and a Pholidota imbricata, if the two snakes
spiralling off the pseudobulbs for a month now ever turn into
inflorescences
(how long does this species take to finally open?)

Most importantly, I was hoping some of you veteran exhibitors could give
me
a few tips for successful and polite benching. I have seen tips like
cleaning foliage with a relatively simple liquid (was it milk?) What other
tips for making sure a plant scrubs up to its best.

Also, I imagine taking a pest ridden plant in for judging is a gaffe even
bigger than bringing an incontinent canine to a croquet match - and
forgetting the baggies. I'm assuming (hoping) that most of my plants are
relatively pest, disease and fungus free, but there is a reason that I'm
planning on showing in the novice classes - I *am* novice, and may well
have
missed what is an obvious pest to an experienced eye. What extra care
should
I take (flushing, spraying with pesticides or an anti-fungal etc)
beforehand. And still on this point, is it people's experience that a
judge
or marshal will inspect the plant(s) before allowing them on the bench, or
are these things left up to the vigilance of individual members?

Thanks kindly,
Best, Matthew