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Watering mounted orchids

10 years ago

I have several orchids that are mounted. Right now I have them outside and water them with the hose daily or every other day depending on how hot it is.

My question is I do not have a greenhouse, so how do I water them come winter when they are in the house?

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Comments (7)

westoh Z6
10 years ago
Dunk 'em in a bucket of water... Or some people take them to the shower.

I have a 5 gallon bucket sitting in my grow room all winter to dunk the spagh based mounties weekly, and the bare root vanda types daily.

I'll use a pump sprayer occasionally also on the spagh based mounties, but you have to have the right setup so as not to make to big a mess. I have a spare bedroom dedicated to the 'kids over winter that has a light cart, shelves, drip trays and the like placed to stop any run-off to the floor.

Good luck,

Bob
Darlene (GreenCurls)
10 years ago
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
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Penelope brings up a good point. How are they mounted? Also do you know what type of orchid they are? If they have some Spag moss around the roots you may get away with once every other day. But if it is bare roots on a mount than I would say once a day. Also depending where you are growing, if you have indoor heat or A/C these will dry the air out resulting in the need of more moisture. Some orchids drink water slower in the roots and if there is no Spag moss to hold the water to the roots the mount may dry too fast for the plant to get enough moisture.
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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
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There is an orchid society in Jacksonville and according to google would be a 40-45 minute drive. Meetings are second Tuesday of every month and they have an annual orchid show in March. www.jaxorchidsociety.org Orchids that hang down are Coelogyne, Cycnoches, and many others but I think what you are specifically looking for are stanhopeas. Stanhopeas are wonderful and many are fragrant but the flowers last no more than a week. Orchids that grow best mounted are ones that absolutely must dry out between waterings. Can all epiphytic orchids be grown on a mount? Probably but some would have to be watered so often that it becomes unworkable and besides having a bunch of mounted orchids limits the number of plants one can grow. Most orchids just grow better in a pot and the reason is pot culture enables you to recreate that high level of humidity around the roots that they receive in nature. Which ever situation (pot or mounted) is best for the plant is best for flower production. Maryanne is right about Laelia anceps, it is probably the best starter mounted orchid and you can keep it outdoors all year. It tolerates lots of sun and rain in summer and temps into the 20's (when acclimated) in winter. As long as it stays outdoors from summer through winter it will handle a hard frost. They tend to bloom in late fall to early winter and are commonly sold at orchid shows or online.
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They all sound like they can't get too wet, it's hard to overwater mounted orchids. The cloud forest plants probably would not appreciate a 5 day dry period. Sounds like you are on the right track. The other thing you can do, if you have enough sphagnum moss lying around, is to create a wet pad of moss and lay the mounties in it so just the roots are touching the wet moss. Nick
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Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
9 years ago
Do folks drop the entire thing - mount, plant, leaves and all - into a bucket for soaking? I have a recently mounted orchid - thanks to all of your help - and now need to get the watering process right.

Thanks!
Carol
terpguy
9 years ago
Carol, they do indeed. Me, I just run them under the sink for a second. Or, over my gigantic humidity tray I'll just pour from a watering can until the mount is wet.
shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
9 years ago
If all your plants are healthy dunking will work fine. But what if that new orchid had a virus? Then all that share the dunk share the virus. If it happens most or all will be infected. So be careful. Maybe quarantine any new plants for a month or 2 if you use the dunk method?
jane__ny
9 years ago
I'm very lazy with mounts. I lay the mount on shallow trays (cheap plastic Dollar Store type) and keep a small amount of water in the tray. It keeps the mount damp without wetting the roots. Even if roots have grown around the mount, the water evaporates within a day or so.

I will also add fertilizer to the tray water. My plants do very well. It does take up space on the bench, but I manage to find small trays and sometime only put half of the mount on the tray.

Jane
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
9 years ago
Thanks to all. Who would think I would need to ask the question how to water a plant? (But a good gardener knows there are many dos and don'ts.... )

Carol

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