mounting your orchid

Piper, a bonsai! I once, a very long time ago, thought about bonsais in my vivariums. Maybe some day. Then I would try to mount an orchid on it. But that would probably be a no-no to bonsai enthusiasts. I don't know.

Hmmm interesting thought, orchid on bonzai, however, most bonzais (not all) are highly acidic plants, pines, firs, azaleas, oaks... but if anyone ever tries it out, you must post the results!!

Actually, I'd like to suggest that many of the phal species/primaries (and relateds, particularly paraphals and their crosses/derivatives) do very well mounted! The only phals I keep in-pot are my few bombastic-big-OMG-why-did-I-ever-buy-that crosses. Even gigantea does better in a mount than sitting in a pot - though that can require one LARGE mount! The benefit here is that the plants can grow in a position to dump water from the crown, lessening the possibility of crown rot. Yes, you need to mount with additional moss, but that is easily done. I use at least 10# test monofilament and cork slabs, with a small pad of moss under the plant and more moss to provide the roots with protection from the monofilament.

I spray my mounts at least daily this time of year, and have an automatic misting system in the greenhouse. The root and top growth on my mounted phals is pretty impressive!

You keep all your mounts in a greenhouse?

I saw many large gigantic mounted Phals. at the Rockefellar Center Show this April. I was inspired.

For the most part, yes! Remember, this is zone 7 only relative to cool. it's zone gazillion related to HEAT! So other than the vandas and some other heat lovers that can live up in my trees for the summer, everyone lives in the greenhouse at various distances from the evap cooler. I have very few real cool growers and no 'colds'. Without counting, better than half of my current 275+ plants are mounted. Second best is in wooden or plastic net baskets... there are probably 30-40 kept in those. Culture is nearly identical to actual mounts (and considering the way the plants love to throw their roots around, there's little to separate the methods).

But then, I'm a species or primary cross nut... other than some of the vandas, some oncid. alliance, and those big 'why-did-I' phals, it's all species.

I used a 6"x6" tile, reversed it so the porous side was up and epoxied a 45 degree shelf on it with a another tile, 2"x6". The tile soaks up water like a sponge. Between the shelf and tile I wedged my small Oncidium with a dab of moss. This sits on a small shelf nicely. Now if my Onc. just likes it!
Julysun

So this is my first orchid mount, that I do myself.

I had to move it from its first home, my 29 gallon viv, becuase I believed it was too warm with temps above 79 almost all the time. Its leaves were suffering.

I used aquarium grade silicone to stick the plant on the malaysian drift wood.

Then I stuck it in my 55 gallon viv in my office were I keep the temps low with two air conditioners. Temps rarely go above 75 and I find they reach 60 first thing in the morning.

Here are the pics. The plant came out a little tilted .




Hope you all approve!

Looks good, Tindo! I have used glue to mount before. It works well.

Cheers!
BD

Thanks! I hope it eventually turns itself upwards, it looks like its wilting, but its not.

Looks great... must be nice to have an office big enough to HOLD a 55 gallon vivarium!