Watering mounted orchids
gardenbear1
12 years ago
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Comments (14)
orchidnick
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Watering mounted orchids
Comments (7)I grow in my home also and most of my mounties are small. So I water every 2-3 days in my sink in the winter. I may soak them every other week of so in the a pasta pot if i remember. Some orchids are more drought tolerant than others and do better mounted without a greenhouse. I dont really bother with soaking these. For example my Leptotes bicolor does very well on its mount. However someone gave me a mounted Phal mariae this summer. It will likely be a challenge in the winter. What are you growing on mounts? This post was edited by Greencurls on Fri, Jul 12, 13 at 7:14...See MoreDumb Newbie Questions about Watering Mounts
Comments (20)Hi, Charlie, Good question. So many times, terms aren't defined. If you get these mounted plants, you've still got options, if they don't suit your style. I love lots of the plants people seem to sell mostly - or only - mounted, the Haraella being one. It bloomed fine, hanging out with other mounties in one of the clear glass vases, about 8"x 8" each, with stones and a bit of water in the bottom. It's the one on the left: However, it was one of almost 20 mounties that needed misting/soaking daily. If I weren't such an underwaterer, it'd be multiple times: They're always dry 24 hours later, inside or outside, unless it's raining or super humid and cloudy out. When the mounties are in the house, most are taken from vases and sprayed over a big pot, one at a time, then put back. The mounties that don't fit in a big vase are taken to the shower, sprayed, left to drip for awhile, and then taken back to the orchid room. Outside, each is moved and watered separately. Every.Single.Day ... whether I'm tired, down with a bug, out late, have a sick pet, family member in the hospital, buddy in a jam. With the potted orchids, I can close the shades, turn off the lights, and leave them for at least 7 days, if need be. I started resenting the mounties. One of the old hands who used to post here said no orchid had to be mounted. Dunno if they were excluding the Ghost, but I've unmounted almost all the mounties now, including the Haraella, Aerangis fastuosa, Aerangis biloba, Dendrobium ceraula, Dinema polybulbon, Encyclia bracteata, Leptotes bicolor, Ornithocephalus bicornis, Phal. lowii, and Phal. parishii. Others, the grower unmounted and potted before I brought them home. Almost all the Sedireas I've seen were potted. As many mounties as possible have gone into sphag & plastic because they dry more slowly; 2nd preference is bark w/ sphag; last is straight bark. The plants in straight bark have to be watered every other day. It's a relief to be free of the every-day-or-else demands. It's been a month since the Haraella went from mounted to potted in sphag. It could be too soon to know if it'll be okay, but it didn't lose either of the 2 flowers, and buds on all 3 spikes are still developing. You'll figure out what works for you - the orchids will teach you. :) Whitecat8...See MoreMy encyclias need help
Comments (8)When I was stationed overseas for several years my mom took care of my dozen or so orchids. Most of them survived and even bloomed. The trick was that they were all mounted. Mounted orchids are a lot less susceptible to overwatering than potted orchids...and it's a lot easier to revive an underwatered orchid than it is to revive a rotted orchid. However, my orchids were outside and it's certainly easier to water mounted orchids outside. It's not that difficult to water mounted orchids inside the house but if you want to stick with the pot option then my recommendation would be to increase the size and perhaps the type of the media. Might try 1" gravel or larger. That way if your mom is just watering her house plants on a predefined schedule you adapt the media to her watering habits rather than the other way around....See MoreLeftover fertilizer?
Comments (9)I don't keep fertilizer water for more than a few days. The Nitrogen would promote algae growth. yuck. I normally add some organic to the mix such as seaweed extract (like geritol for plants). That would be a smelly mess eventually. I use any leftovers to water the other houseplants or outdoor plants. I mix small very dilute amounts and provide a spa bath for mounted plants. They are set in a bowl of fert mix of about a quart and allowed to sit and absorb for times of a few minutes to a couple of hours depending on the species and the type of mount. Cork absorbs and holds very little so a plant on cork (not my favorite material) would get a longer soak. On tree fern a shorter soak because the matrix of small twiggy stuff holds moisture well. Some plants in baskets with dangling roots get hung up over the bowl of feed and the roots "sip through a straw." In the summer outside, I mix a 10 gallon or more vat of organic fertilizer including seaweed extract and chicken manure, Epsom salts, boiled ground egg shells, and that is used for 2 or 3 (at most) days then the leftovers are used in the vegetable garden. I don't want any microbial growth that might promote rot. Does that help any? Cheers~ Maryanne in WMass...See Morerichardol
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