Laelia rupestris: mount or not?

The same seller who sent me my cheerfully growing C. granulosa also sent me this L. rupestris, which I just discovered is making two new shoots!



I got a big slab of cork today and cut a piece off of it to mount a C. aclandiae onto. L. rupestris ought to like growing mounted, I think. (Yes?) The medium this one's in is obviously not great, and it's in active growth, so this ought to be a decent time to transplant it if I'm going to, right? If I do mount it, how big a piece should I put it on? How do I position it on the slab?

I'm cautiously envisioning cutting out a 3" square or so and situating the plant at one corner, with the active growth pointing toward the center. I'd sit the mount flat in my collection with the plant on top of it. But maybe L. rupestris grows in more of a line than a cluster and I could use a smaller piece because of that.

All advice welcomed!

I do not grow this plant, but all the plants I have seen at orchid shows and at nurseries are grown in pots with crushed granite and lava rock as a medium.

I've got two L. lindenii, a stone Laelia as your rupestris, one in a pot and one mounted on cork. The one mounted growth better then the potted one.
So good luck in deciding what to do!!!!!
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Amey: I've seen them in crushed lava rock or mounted, so my experience lines up with yours. However, I also found this thread http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...us-laelia.html where apparently he's growing a similar plant very moist and it's doing great.

Orchidmorris, where/how do you grow?

A friend who's not on this board suggested leaving it in its pot anyway because it's so small. I'm leaning that way now, though I'm still sketched out by the old-ish bark.

I grow my Laelia's in house and during summer outside. Its in the Netherlands so I don't have enough light to let them flower by themself. But they are also 4 year old seedlings, so I don't know if they haven't flower yet because of the light or their age.
The one mounted is watered every day and has no sphagnum between the cork and plant, so it dries up quickly. The one in a pot is only in very light sphagnum, but I will repot to the mixture mentioned above.

But one tip: repot or mount anyway because the roots formed on your two shoots will probibly burn down. The bark and pot has got too much salts!

Maurice
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Now it's Cattleya rupestris. This is a litophyte or rupiculous "laelia". I think its too way down in the media as it is right now, can "drown". If you mount it in cork try a horizontal approach.
Jose

I grow many rupi's and after experimenting a bit now grow all mine in a combo of granite chips and lava rock. I tried a few different laelia mounted and the sulked and their overall health declined. I repotted them but it took a good year for them to recover and put out new growth again. They also do not like being disturbed so potting in granite and or lava rock you don't have to repot unless they outgrow the pot. And then you can just pull them from their existing pot and place them into a bigger one without even having to remove the medium. Just backfill with new rock. Also I don't water in winter, I only give a very light misting ponce every four or five days. Also they are as close to my lights as possible during this rest period. I now have new growths appearing so will be gradually watering within a couple more weeks.
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