Driftwood project question

[theflowerbread]

Hi! So I just got this piece of driftwood at the aquarium store and I am thinking what to grow on it. I wanted to experiment with my Onc Twinkle but I decided that it would look (and grow) better on a cork mount instead.





On my mind I have Dendrobium or mini Cattleya. I was thinking of Sophronitis before but then I read they require quite a lot of air humidity. Also Den hibiki is mini.

What else you can suggest? I do not have a GH so something that can grow on a windowsill + balcony environment.
Thanks!

[Chris in Hamilton]

That is nice. I would go with the Sophronitis myself. The contrast of the dark green leaves and orange/red/pink flowers with dark wood would be super. I don't think they need anything extra in the way of humidity.

[78Terp]

Be sure that any salts (did it come from a freshwater lake or the ocean?) are out of it.

[theflowerbread]

Be sure that any salts (did it come from a freshwater lake or the ocean?) are out of it.

Freshwater I suppose. I asked them before buying and they confirmed. So I guess I can trust?

Chris in Hamilton
But doesn't Sophronitis want also cool temps? In summers I'm struggling a bit with cool lovers. But I agree, the color play would be awesome!

---------- Post Merged at 11:24 PM ----------

Slc. Jillicoc (Sophrolaeliocattleya Jillian Lee x Sophronitis coccinea)

I can't find much info about this one but as it's a hybrid it might tolerate warmer climate I guess.

[78Terp]

Freshwater I suppose. I asked them before buying and they confirmed. So I guess I can trust?

You'll know soon enough. They would likely not thrive and possibly die if there are salts present. I think sodium is particularly damaging.

[Chris1140]

Fish keepers usually advise boiling the driftwood for a couple of hours to leach out salts and tannins before putting it in an aquarium. Might not be a bad idea if you're going to use it for mounting orchids.

[Chris in Hamilton]

Another thought. Just realized that your driftwood looks like Mopani and if it came from a pet shop most likely it is. That's a very heavy wood from Africa. Too be sure put it in water to see if it floats. Mopani will sink. If it is, go online to get instructions on how to soak it before putting anything on it. Driftwood will float and there are some precautions to take with that. Be sure it came from fresh water as Harvey said. Another problem with freshwater driftwood is oil. Some driftwood can spend hundreds of year doing what gives it its name. While it drifts it is coming in contact with oil slicks from boats. Very poisonous to plants. A few years ago I gathered driftwood from a Lake Erie beach. I mounted 15-20 plants on it. I had also put a large basket of the stuff in the basement. A couple of weeks later my wife started asking me why the basement smelled like gasoline. I have a very poor sense of smell and because we had just changed an old oil furnace to a gas one thought it was that she could smell. The plants I had mounted deteriorated very quickly but it took me a while to do the math. Ended up tossing almost all of them. Sorry for rambling.

---------- Post Merged at 06:15 PM ----------

Fish keepers usually advise boiling the driftwood for a couple of hours to leach out salts and tannins before putting it in an aquarium. Might not be a bad idea if you're going to use it for mounting orchids.

Agreed!! Lord I type sooo slow

[theflowerbread]

You'll know soon enough. They would likely not thrive and possibly die if there are salts present. I think sodium is particularly damaging.

At the store they suggested me to do as Chris1140 said. To boil one or twice as they usually do for aquariums (for an aquarium they would boil it 3 times) so any dirts and residues (if there are any) should go off. I dunno if that works for salts too.

---------- Post Merged at 10:42 PM ----------

Another thought. Just realized that your driftwood looks like Mopani and if it came from a pet shop most likely it is. That's a very heavy wood from Africa. Too be sure put it in water to see if it floats. Mopani will sink.

Well on it's label it was written Legno Jati which means wood of teak. I don't know that tree as I'm not a native English speaker and I have no idea in italian neither but so far it seams it is an Indonesian native tree.

I did some googling and here is what I found (translated from italian)

Teak wood
natural wood

Before inserting the timber into the aquarium you need to follow a few tips:
bring the wood to boil
leave it in a bowl with water for 15-20 days
change the water, every time the water becomes yellow
when the water is clear and the timber will not lose more yellow (which means that the wood is full of water), you can enter timber in the aquarium.

Important: If the wood is inserted before the total loss of the yellow, do not worry, the substance lost from the wood is not harmful to the aquarium and its inhabitants because they are tannins, they are positive substances that make the aquarium good.

---------- Post Merged at 10:54 PM ----------

Another great red flower orchid came into my mind to mount there is Howeara Lava Burst. I just dunno how small it is, like a medium oncid or smaller?