Hey Matthew
Well you have joined the best Orchid Society in Sydney!been a member for
about 14 years.A great bunch of people with varied collections.
Bring your plants along ,see the registration table and bench your
plants.The novice table is usually on the far wall.
Get there early and catch the culture class always worth listening to the
growers giving their advice.
If you are worried about pests seek out any of the growers there and they
are more than glad to help.
Hopefully we will see you there and say hello.
STUART
"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