Why not mount Cymbidium Orchids?

[Miller]

I've always thought cymbidiums were somewhat terrestrial but I was reading an article that said they can be mounted. Why don't I ever see photos of them mounted or why don't grower ever seem to mount them?

Miller

[ksriramkumar]

Some of cymbidiums grow up on trees but are mostly terrestrial orchids. In my opinion, would be extremely difficult to grow cymbidums as mounted.

[raybark]

They can also get quite big!

[Ron-NY]

I agree with ksriramkumar. Growing them mounted would require care that is very time intensive. The species that grow in trees tend to gather detritus around them and grow in an environment that gives them plenty of water.

[Lizgeo]

When I visited an orchid expert, I notcied that he mounted his orchids horizontally (the mounting material). It makes sense because I have seen orchids growing on trees either on horizaontal branch, or saddle between branches, which allows the orchids to retain moist longer than vertical ones.

[coeruleo]

personally i think the 'terrestrial' ones simply fell out of their tree and survived. they are epiphytic, but so darn heavy that some come loose. they do not grow well in soil, and even if the chunks of bark breakdown too much (or are too small to begin with) the roots all die, so i am convinced they are not as terrestrial as some people seem to think. i would like to inspect the 'soil' they are found growing in.

[King Kjeldz]

Some species like finlaysonianum grow as epiphytes naturally but most standard cyms come from terrestrial parents i cant imagine but who knows

[lanhua]

the mostly Cymbidium are growing on the large branches of trees, even so big like Cymb. tracyanum or hookerianum. Small flowered Japanese and Chinese, like Cymb. sinense, faberi or goeringi are mostly terrestrial.

[Miller]

Thanks for all the insightful replies! I may experiment with one.

[catttan]

the mostly Cymbidium are growing on the large branches of trees, even so big like Cymb. tracyanum or hookerianum. Small flowered Japanese and Chinese, like Cymb. sinense, faberi or goeringi are mostly terrestrial.

I agree with Mietek. Most of our S E Asian cymbidiums are epiphytic including our own Malaysian finlaysonianum, chlorantum, dayanum, rectum, bicolor and lancifolium.. Apart from these, the Australian species like canaliculatum, suave and madidum too are epiphytic.These mostly have pendulous inflorescences (except chloranthum which is semi erect). These species and their hybrids were not very popular until recent times. These might have been due to the fact that the larger flower types on erect spikes were popular for the cut flower trade that prefer upright stalks rather than trailing, pendulous stalks. So most cymbidiums that were grown were hybridised from terrestrial types with upright spikes giving rise to the erroneous belief that cymbidiums are mostly terrestrial when in fact the opposite is true.