Reusing mounts

**Maddie** · July 27th, 2013, 04:59 PM

Hi all,
Is it okay to reuse mounts? I'm sure the orchids that were mounted to them died of something other than some virus. Is there a protocol to get these old mounts safe for the new tenants? Thanks!

**King Kjeldz** · July 27th, 2013, 05:24 PM

i soak in 20% bleach or can try RD20 at the directed amount

**coeruleo** · July 27th, 2013, 05:50 PM

i think it's ok, if you bleach and/or physan them to clean them. bleach works really well, and i have actually soaked live orchids in bleach, pot and all to (finally) kill off a mold in a Lealiocattleya, with no ill effects. i have used bleach and physan in bark mixes, treefern and cork bark so far. if insects may be an issue, you can also freeze mounts for a few days, thaw them out and use them. i learned this trick to cure imported african artwork to get rid of creepy-crawlies living in the wood.

**stateless** · July 27th, 2013, 05:56 PM

I reused mounts by soaking in physan, Coeruleo what strength of bleach did you use for orchid plants?

**coeruleo** · July 27th, 2013, 06:16 PM

sorry, i should have mentioned how strong, but it's hard to say... i filled my sink halfway so about 3.5 gallons? and maybe 1/4 cup bleach. it's strong stuff, so you don't need a ton.

**catasetum-ian** · July 27th, 2013, 06:26 PM

concur with the replies above. i am a big fan of bleach, for mounts, i used 1 part bleach to 12 parts of water. soak for minimum 15 mins to 30 mins. after that rinse throoughly and then soak it in water overnight after that before use.

**zainal abidin** · July 27th, 2013, 08:28 PM

I always reused mount so far I dont have any bad effects on the new plants and I never use bleach as I cannot stand the chlorine smell.

**Maddie** · July 28th, 2013, 12:12 AM

Awesome! Mounts, especially the rarer ones, are sometimes hard to come by (besides, I would rather spend the $ on a new orchid) and I'm glad to hear it's ok to reuse them. Thank you for all your input----so good old bleach it is!