Sorry orchidnick I just noticed you are the one who asked how and when did you get into orchids. That will teach me to verify before I post.

It really does love that, well grown! I'm plain jane cork mounts, unfortunately. I do know a lot of people grow their Polyrrhiza lindenii's in milk jugs!

Speaking of burning, interestingly enough, I recall reading a couple years ago that the underside of the leaves don't burn if exposed to high heat when grown hanging like this. Pretty cool :)

That phal. is probably growing in an optimum way. It is only fussy humans that try to grow them straight. Good growing

I am the founding member of ADM (anti dumb mounting) but no doubt we shall see all sorts of the weird and wonderful. I have enough trouble keeping things alive without trying the way out.

I give talks on mounting and or general orchid care at our biannual shows. One of my main points is that orchids like to grow ON something not IN something. The only benefit from the thing they are growing on is support. It prevents them from falling on the ground. It stands to reason that anytyhing will do to give them support. All other things being equal (light, water, food), tie them to the doorhandle of an old fridge and they will do just fine.

To support this argument I stuck Blc or Lc Sea Urchin, can't remember right now which it is and am not at home, into an old tennis shoe where it has been growing and blooming for over 4 years now. One side of the shoe is becoming ovegrown but the other side is clearly visible to make the point.

This leads into the argument that you can combine the benefits of mounting and potting. If you like the idea that a mounted plant cannot be overwatered and does not need to be repotted but do not like the unruly, gangly contortions that sometimes result from letting a plant do its own thing (difficult to display) then mount it on a pot. Not to be confused with planting it in a pot full of some media or other. Place the bare root plant in an appropriate empty pot and stand back. The roots will climb up and down the sides of the pot, the plant will fill the available space and eventually climb out of the pot at which time you can drop the whole thing into an empty larger pot. This leads to the 'Pot in a Pot in a Pot' concept that Santa Barbara Orchid Estates likes to use a lot.

You have in essence a mounted plant growing in a civilized manner in an easy to display pot. I made the tennis shoe mount to help with the empty pot argument.

Nick

Thanks for the feed back, I can see there are many schools of thought on the matter, I think if I ever really bought many many orchids it would be beneficial for pots like what we see in green houses, but for now I am just having fun playing, one of the problems I have is my mother has a serious aversion to seeing the roots, its kinda strange but she tells me how gross they are and to cover them up! I recently bought Vandas and put them bare root in a cute clear plastic drinking glass, she won`t even look at them and shudders and tells me to put a skirt on the glass, yes shes weird.
Orchidnick so it was you with the orchid in the tennis shoe I am glad to hear it is doing so well. I think I will pass on the mounting on the fridge door handle, but it would keep my Mom out of the fridge LOL. Deanna

I want to see something mounted to a root of Rhynchostylis gigantea, a live one of course.

I think mounted plants look beautiful, and I dream about the situation that Nick describes, with plants thrown in pots springing forth with healthy root growth, root tips clinging to the pot and scrambling all over it. Realistically though, without good humidity, air movement, and light, this just doesn't happen. I know those of you in California and Florida can just throw orchids around and they'll attach to something, but here in the north, it's a different story. I mean, I used to grow dendrobiums in plastic pots of pure sphagnum moss...that's saying something.

However, back on track with the discussion at hand, I have a Chiloschista usneoides on a piece of rigid black plastic meshing...it's not the happiest plant, but it does grow...occasionally.

I, too, think mounted plants look lovely... but my overly dry environment keeps me from trying any. I had three little mounted Staghorn Ferns a while back... all of them died. I don't want to risk killing any of the orchids I have now, but if I can find a way to keep more humidity in my growing area, I'd like to try mounting an orchid in the future.

Phal. cochlearis on limestone rock.

{{gwi:201608}}

Terp don't believe everything you read on the internet. A phal leaf will burn from too much sun regardless of which side of the leaf is exposed.

Brooke

I've been "rescuing" the orchids from Lowe's 75% off cart. I can get them for about $3-5 dollars. Most are phals or dens, but I've gotten two phaphs, and some catts, and every once in a while, something really interesting. Anyway, one day I was in a pet store and walked past the lizard section. There were all these large pieces of wood mounted on slate bottoms. One was partially hollow and I thought it would be great for orchids so I got it ($30). I didn't want to test it with an orchid I cared about, so I tried the lowe's one's. I shoved moss into the hollow part and then used fishing line to tie each orchid on. As only some of the orchids from the death cart make it, I can easily untie the dead ones and stick another in it's spot. It looks now like I have 6 that will make it on this thing. I can't wait to see it all in bloom!
Lori
{{gwi:201609}}

Lori, your rescue plants look very happy!

I have had way too many plants DIMP when mounted. Now, I still have two mounties, both purchased that way and some Tol sylvestris that I mounted onto dried luffa sponges. I also have several equitant oncids that I'm trying to grow in the empty clay pot. My collection is comparatively small so I can spend the extra time dunking them daily & soaking once a week. My problems arise when I need to leave home. Then it's either box them up and take them with me or ask DH to tend to their watering needs. Now that I'm forced to think about these plants that need daily care, I've also acquired 6 or more vandaceous. Most I've put in a clay pot with large chunks of lava rock to help retain some moisture...so next summer these will also need daily care.

If you have the time or a very good humid enviornment, then I agree the plants look happier growing on mounts. But I've also seen basket & mounted plants at our OS that look quite sad.

THANK YOU! Great ideas. granniek if you return to this thread do you have to rinse the luffa sponge a gazillion times? I have been eyeing the reptile wood chunks for awhile but they are so pricey. As with any hobby it can get rather expensive, so I visit the death cart at the big box stores and beg for a cheap deal. I am going rock hunting we have really cool rocks that look like swiss cheese, I am not sure what the composition is but I haven`t heard of any rocks that harm the roots as of yet. Deanna

Keep us updated on the loofah experiment - is this the material that's derived from a dried gourd? That beige husk like thing that people shower with?
I tried mounting a bulbo on one once...I thought it looked pretty appropriate with all those little holes for water. Unfortunately, the thing started stinking pretty bad and grew gross mold/slime. Maybe I didn't have a properly sterilized piece.

That's it Calvin. I have a Tolumnia attached to them. They take very little water. I could see where you might have a problem with a bulbo that needs to be kept much more moist. I haven't wintered these yet. I'll see what happen with the additional humidity minus the heat.

Deana, I can't see them working with anything that needs to stay moist for a time. I don't sterilize them, they are just a couple years old and totally dry. When I water them, the sponge softens, as soon as it dries it is once again crispy! If I get a chance on Wednesday I'll take a pic of the larger of the three.

Hi
Something I tried in the shadehouse was expanding foam the stuff they use in terrariums. In this case I used in against the north wall.7x10 feet. mainly as a wall for a waterfall secondarily as a source for heat during winter.
Have 5 different species of orchids growing on it. Has only been operating for 3 years and since the reservoir has an unfixable leak it is now only watered with regular irrigation.
Catts and Phals were the most unexpected ,I thought the roots would stay on the surface . They actually grew through the material causing leaks . Now the Dends and Epicatts did stay on the surface but have been over run with several kinds of ferns,philos and most surprising a Persian shield. Rather than stay a bush it climbed the wall growing completely through the material. has proved impossible to remove without destroying the whole thing.
has been a lot of fun experimenting but wish I'd kept it a more manageble size as well as chosen species MUCH more carefully. Succulents went wild LOL
Might mention that the wall is also imbedded with usual potting materials. Cork,Fern fiber and sphag as well as driftwood.
want to try some hanging "lianas" made from it but the regular garden is working me to death due to the drought and it's tomato season lol gary

Brooke

you can believe that Phals will not burn in high sunlight when mounted naturally with the correct side facing the sun.

Burn is the killing of chlorophyll in the leaf from heat build up from the sun. (not sunlight itself)

This side of the leaf has no cholorphyll so does not burn. I mounted thousands of orchids every year (commercially) and I grow my Phals right next to my Vanda. They also like the daily watering when they get adapted to it.

I have had several get into direct sunlight while at outdoor garden shows and Cattleya and Oncidium would burn badly the Phal would not be damaged right next to them.

So this is not Internet talk but years of actual experience.

Other bonuses is that there is no crown so no crown rot ever. The flower spikes never need to be supported even 4 foot spikes. There are also no aerial roots as the roots grow up geneticly and attach on the outside of the mounts. The leaves look much better when they hang naturally. There is a reinforced ridge on the leaf to hold it in form. There are no more floppy leaves.

How do I put this politely - BS.

I don't care which side of a leaf the sun hits, if it is exposed for too long, it will eventually burn. Chlorophyll is throughout the leaf, not just one side.

I know your a commercial grower (hint hint, buy from me), a mount is a mount is a mount. You can grow your phals next to your vandas or your catts, but under what percentage of shade cloth? Yes, most mounts need daily watering and don't have to adapt to it.

There is no crown? so no crown rot? Sorry the crowns don't go anywhere, they are still there.

In your experience as a commercial grower, do you mount all types of phals or just one kind. Some phals even when mounted with their leaves growing down, will eventually as they grow and add new leaves grow up toward the strongest light. Examples of that would be equestris, pulchra, lueddemaniana, bastianii, hieroglyphica, pulcherrima and hybrids down from these species.

Phals that present a flat, downward growing leaf and remain that way would be violacea, bellina, gigantea, doweryensis, schilleriana, sanderiana, lobbii, parishii and hybrids down from them.

Phal spikes also grow up to light - more noticeable in the long spikes such as schilleriana but also noticeable in the shorter spiked types.

Aerial roots are roots. They only become aerial if you don't push them into a pot. They have a thicker coating of velamin than a root in a pot. I don't know where the thought of an aerial root being totally different originated.

The roots on a phal that grow up are the ones produced from the upward side of the phal stem. The roots produced from the stem next to the mount will grow down. Eventually you end up with roots growing every direction, including off the mount.

If you have floppy leaves on a phal, then your culture needs tweaking.

Jerry I remember your first post when you said you can't burn the underside of a phal leaf and I didn't think anyone would believe that malarky. When I see it repeated by someone else, it is now an internet myth.

Brooke

garyfla, the plants didn`t show any sign of the material being toxic after it set? I guess not if you have had it for 3 years and everything went crazy. I would think it would hold quite alot of water if the surface is broken?
Deanna

Deanna
.
In the shadehouse the main purpose was for a waterfall without the bulk weight and cost of real rock. Does that beautifully lol. What surprised me was that the plants actually rooted directly into it.including the orchids. This means the water changes course over time diverting away from the reservoir. It set up a fantastic spore bed for various ferns which have become a real problem. Have not run the waterfall for well over a year due to this problem as well as thaquarium which served as the reservoir developed leaks.
The stuff does not hold water nor are there any deterioration issues . have used it for years in aquariums with no toxic issues either with the fish or plants. There have been some problems with the paint, used acrylic latex while I think marine epoxy would hold up better.?? I made "pockets in the wall to hold various regular potting materal which was a complete waste. All the plants went right around and most surprising through it lol Every square inch is now covered with plants. serious crowding problems meaning a lot more pruning than I'd planned. It is now being run with no waterfall and the aquarium has been converted to a terrarium...
Obviously it's no longer going to serve as a heat source or semi hydroponic methods.
The marsh area which served as a collection area is now water by hand and switched to semi aquatic plants.
Wish I'd kept the scale MUCh smaller ,chosen more suitable plants and of couse hadn't leaked lol.
Oh well the best layed plans??
As to the orchids have only lost two and even those I think were more of a transplant problem than unsuitable culture. Of couse with the coming winter comes the heat problem and since they can't be moved expect some losses .
On my "Lianna project I'm thinking under 3 feet with a core of PVC pipe with built in irrigation . Can't decide on vertical or horizontal. But one will hold two gigantic Catts for sue other plants will be seconadary.
have been VERY surprised at the suitability of the material for epiphytes except for the noted exceptions.
One other I might mention, It is a Paradise for all kinds of creatures most objectional being ANTS. They wait in line for vacancies lol gary

Everyone's ideas sound so interesting... more photos, please! I'm especially interested in seeing the expanding foam and what it's growing! I had no idea it could be used in this manner...

So... pretty much anything can be used as a mounting platform... depending on the orchid type and environment, then... true?

jodik I am so happy to hear about the success and failures of other orchid growers, sure will save little orchids in my care, I was thinking of putting a phal on the luffa until calvin orchidlover posted his luffa turned gross green yuk, now I know only to put tolumnia or simular type orchid posted by granniek. I love free education. Deanna

Me, too! In fact, the more I thought about everything last night, the more I wondered whether the roots of my $4 clearance table Dendrobium were in jeopardy being in the ceramic jar it came in, tightly packed with moss, and no drainage holes.

I'm glad I checked... the roots were not happy! I unpacked the poor thing, cleaned it up, dusted the root area with a wee bit of Captan, and re-planted it in a larger pot with orchid bark.

It's too dry here for mounts, but tightly packed moss in a ceramic jar won't cut it, either!

I don't post too often, but I do read... and I'm learning a lot! Thanks to everyone who shares!

More mount photos, please!

I've been rowing a Dend 'Sena Red' in a broken whelk shell for a few years. It got so big I have to divide it, now I have two Sena Red' growing in whelk shells.
If you look thru the album, you'll see other interesting containers - a shoe and a lamp, but this dendrobium in a shell is the only one that did well in a unique home.
Barb

Here is a link that might be useful: Dendrobium orchid

beachbarbie, thanks for a peek at your orchids, they are so healthy, I think I am going to go to the local pottery barn and see what broken pots they have for cheap, I do love the shell if I ever come accross one I will know exactly what to do with it.:0) Deanna

In winter, with very dry indoor air, I put mounties inside larger containers with no media and no drainage. The roots grow out of the baskets and climb all over the space between the basket and pot. The empty container provides a humid environment which the roots love and keeps the mounts from drying out too fast.

Brooke, very well said...I agree. I don't know where that information came from but it is wrong.

Jane

I love the shoe idea! Thanks for sharing your photo album!

On the subject of large shells, I've occasionally seen them at flea markets and second hand stores, but I haven't found one I like enough, or has enough room, or is priced right. I've been looking, though... I think orchids look awesome growing in unique shells and other planter types!

Thanks jodik and Deanna. I'm lucky, I live on the coast, so I found the shells. Finding these kind of shells is a bit of a mixed blessing - it usually means we've had a BIG storm, like a hurricane....
Barb

hmmm, this might be a good time to drive over to the beach, huh?

--Stitz--

Is there any special prep before using a shell like that? It would contain salt, correct? Would rinsing it be good enough?

Also, do you use a liner or anything inside the shoe? Or do you just pop in the medium and the plant?

The shoe works best if you leave the last pair of socks in it. White shoes work better than black ones and high tops are to be avoided.

The only reason I did the shoe is to demonstrate to people during orchid talks at shows that orchids will grow ANYWHERE!!!! If it grows vigorously and blooms like clockwork in this old shoe it should do the same in any and all preparations you could come up with. The one exception being a pot full of old deteriorated bark.

I'm not suggesting to anyone to grow them in shoes, I may hover near the edge but I'm not crazy.

Nick

But Nick, they are taking you seriously. As the guy who frames the the schedule for three annual orchid shows i am not about to add the item "most unique potting or mount".

Of course the AOC Judging panel would give it their best shot, but if it was there on the schedule with MONEY and a rosette involved who knows what sort of horrors would turn up.