Phal with only long airial roots. Mount option???

[Chris in Hamilton]

Not sure what is meant by treating it. Most would agree not to use anything that has been chemically treated. I do know of a person that inadvertently used a piece of pressure treated once. Should give any wood a good overnight soaking 1st.

[moniluhum]

Ok. With the info provided (thanks greatly to all ) which is why I love Orchid Talk, I chose an cork slab and because it had divets in it I put sphagnum to even it out a bit. I would show you a picture which I know would help but it is not a pretty picture and would be embarrassing. My question is that the aerial roots are just hanging and I wonder if they should be tied down to the slab.. I wonder if I use a lite cover of coconut fiber and ties to tie them. This, of course, would not add to the prettiness factor so my showing a final picture seems less a possibility.

[Chris in Hamilton]

I had been tying them down with yarn. Soft enough to not damage the roots, strong enough to hold the plant, takes a very long time to rot, retains some moisture and looks like crap

[Azizan]

Not sure what is meant by treating it. Most would agree not to use anything that has been chemically treated. I do know of a person that inadvertently used a piece of pressure treated once. Should give any wood a good overnight soaking 1st.

By treating I mean like antifungal or antibacterial or disinfectant. Did anyone disinfect the wood before mounting? Because if I collect fallen branch, it will be harboring all sorts of microbes (good and bad). Unless you buy the wood, most probably safer.

[Chris in Hamilton]

By treating I mean like antifungal or antibacterial or disinfectant. Did anyone disinfect the wood before mounting? Because if I collect fallen branch, it will be harboring all sorts of microbes (good and bad). Unless you buy the wood, most probably safer.

You could bake it in the oven for half an hour at 300 F. That's about 150 C. I don't know what temperature cork burns at.

[raybark]

1) My experience with cork bark is entirely differnt from Chris'. I've never had a plant stop growing roots on it. Besides, in nature, they're growing on the outside of the bark, aren't they?

2) Personally, I don't bother treating mounting materials, whether bark or wood, purchased or found, and I've never seen an issue.

3) I would certainly not put bark or wood in my household oven. Can you imagine the smell in the house?!?!?!

4) I recommend against putting moss in the bark grooves, or between the roots and the mount at all, for that matter. Put the roots up against it, and add a pad of moss over them, instead. The roots will grow and attach to the bark that way, instead of growing into the moss only.

5) There are a number of ways to hold the plant in place; none of them particularly pretty.

• Monofilament fishing line, wrapped around and around.
• Twist-ties.
• Thin, plastic jacketed copper wire (excellent for attaching labels to plants, too).
• Panty hose. Snug, breathable, and will deteriorate in sunlight at about the same rate the plant gets attchaed.
• (My favorite) Lay strands of coconut husk fiber across the roots and moss pad, and use a staple gun to hold them to the sides of the mount. once the plant has attached to the mount, simply pull out the staples.

[sciencegal]

By treating I mean like antifungal or antibacterial or disinfectant. Did anyone disinfect the wood before mounting? Because if I collect fallen branch, it will be harboring all sorts of microbes (good and bad). Unless you buy the wood, most probably safer.

Everything (including you) is covered with microbes, most of them benign. The only difference between a piece of wood you pick up off the ground and one you buy is the types of microbes covering it.

[Chris in Hamilton]

" I would certainly not put bark or wood in my household oven. Can you imagine the smell in the house"

Can't be any worse then baked fish or worse yet, liver eeww!

[sciencegal]

I put wood and bark in my wood stove every day. It smells nice. In fact, I have a 1920's wood cook stove which I cook on in the winter.

[Azizan]

Thanks for the input everyone.