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PLANT JUDGING COMPETITION PLANT JUDGING COMPETITION The author, a Master Gardener, was invited to judge the FFA competition described below. Then he realized this could be a good way to help educate children anywhere (or students of any age) about native plants, not just those in FFA classes. At this contest there were natives mixed with landscape and florist plants. Use your imagination as to the way similar judging events could conclude workshops or short courses given to school groups, youth groups such as scouts or 4-H, or outreach classes that your NPSOT chapter offers to the public or even to new members! Pick and Pull Division Three tables were set up with eight landscape plants on each table. One table had four inch pots of Monkey Grass, another had gallon sized plants of Indian Hawthorne and the 3rd had four inch pots of Pansy plants. Students had to study each table of plants and correctly "Pick and Pull" the four best plants out of each group as if they were going to just buy four of these plants, leaving behind the "worst" four plants. The 3 judges had previously studied & ranked the plants on these tables. Cut Flowers Division The second division was harder for the students and the judges as it consisted of three tables, each with four vases of "cut flowers" from a florist. Single Stems on one table, Mass Flowers on another, and "Star Gazer Lilies" on the 3rd, for the FFA members to judge the BEST vases in order of best to worst. All were judged for numbers of blooms and buds, quality of blooms and buds and leaves and stems, and also form and symmetry! They only got credit if they got the complete order right as determined previously by the judges. Potted Plants Division They also had a table of "foliage plants" with "Boston" fern hanging baskets, again look at them and put each basket in the correct order. Then a table of "blooming potted plants". These were Azaleas, which was particularly tricky as the "best" potted plant did NOT have a single open bloom BUT it was completely covered in buds! Floral Arrangement Division At the last table they had to pick out the best florist arrangement as to form and shape, balance and color, and also judge the freshness of each flower and leaf used in the arrangements. You can have a fabulous plant arrangement but if the blooms or foliage are dying then what points do you give to each section in judging these ? Identification Test The students were asked to ID photos of plants, insect and florist tools. The FFA kids were given a list with about 160 plants listed by botanical names and common names and had to choose from this list to correctly ID about 35 plants. Ditto for the insects, with far more insects listed than photos of insects. To make this more difficult all of the insects are blown up to where a teeny tiny "White fly" looks like a 7 inch long beautiful white fuzzy moth! A Soil Gnat looked like a wasp about 5 inches long; same for spider mites, horrendously hideous looking spiders when they are as large as your hand! The plant ID test can be made more difficult by including similar but different species with one just slightly different from the next one. There were four different cultivars or types of Chrysanthemum mums but about 10 names from which to choose. Keith Kridler, Lake Country Chapter Plant Judging Competition Tool.doc Sept. 2012