\u201cUsually, you always have to have at least three judges per team, and they\u2019re going to go ahead and look at a flower and evaluate it compared to either the parents or other of the same hybrids or species that have been awarded to build toward that fuller, rounder, deeper color and to make guidelines for\u00a0improving the orchid world in the future,\u201d\u00a0said Julien Baruch, sales manager at\u00a0Krull-Smith\u00a0and accredited AOS\u00a0judge.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Julien](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Julien-Baruch-discusses-orchid-hybridization-at-Krull-Smith.-Photo-by-Sarah-Merly-768x1024.jpeg\")
Photo by Sarah Merly Julien Baruch discusses orchid hybridization at Krull-Smith.<\/p>\n
In addition to\u00a0judging orchids, Baruch will share a presentation at the conference on\u00a0Bulbophyllum, according to\u00a0the AOS website<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBulbophyllum\u00a0is not a very well-known group of orchids,\u201d Baruch said. \u201cIt is, though, the largest group of orchids in the entire world, so\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0really fun.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0a huge amount of variety, and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0doing an introduction to tell people about\u00a0different species\u00a0that they could find\u00a0and also\u00a0teach them how to grow them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Baruch is also organizing and marketing the\u00a0festival, which will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 10-12\u00a0at Krull-Smith.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got vendors literally flying in from Japan,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said. \u201cYou\u2019ve\u00a0got some from Colombia, from South Africa, Brazil, Taiwan.\u00a0You\u2019ve\u00a0got ones from Hawaii, California, North Carolina\u00a0\u2014\u00a0so literally, all over the world and\u00a0all\u00a0over the country\u00a0\u2014coming in for this festival.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Baruch said\u00a0the festival will\u00a0primarily focus\u00a0on vendors that also serve as breeders.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe number of breeders for orchids in the United States has dropped significantly, especially since the 2000s, because you had a lot of the people that were breeding getting out-competed by stuff that can come in a lot cheaper from Asia,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cAnybody can go ahead and buy and resell plants they bought from overseas, but people that go ahead and actually make their own hybrids and\u00a0breed are very important to the orchid world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Baruch enjoys watching guests\u00a0of all ages\u00a0discover the diversity of orchids at each festival.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a group of plants that, if you touch the trigger on it, it\u2019ll actually spit the pollen at you,\u201d he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cKids love that.\u00a0They\u2019ll\u00a0go through and start poking at it, and they just get shot at, and they freak out about it.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the funniest thing\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to noting orchids\u2019 diversity, Baruch also mentioned that orchids are\u00a0relatively easy\u00a0to take care of, making them ideal beginner plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest tips I always tell people, especially if the orchids are in moss, you\u00a0can grab one of those little bamboo skewers and stick it right through the middle of that pot,\u201d he said. \u201cWhenever you go\u00a0check on\u00a0it, take it out. If\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0still wet,\u00a0you leave it alone. If\u00a0it\u2019s almost dry,\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0when you water it, and\u00a0that\u2019ll\u00a0make it so that you really get that wet-dry cycle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Festival admission and parking\u00a0is\u00a0free. Although the full registration package for the conference is sold out, a variety of other ticket types are still available\u00a0on\u00a0the AOS website<\/a>, beginning at $20.<\/p>\n Sarah Merly is an editorial assistant and reporter for The Apopka Chief. She joined the Chief in May 2025 after graduating from Patrick Henry College’s journalism program in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, Sarah loves watching rom-coms, visiting Disney, and throwing parties.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1.png\")
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