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Thread: Mounting Phals

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  1. #1
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    Tami
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    Default Mounting Phals

    Does anyone have any mounted phals? Being monopodial, how do you manage them and they grow out? Do you tie the leafy part of the plant up a branch? Thanks for sharing your experiences.

    Tami

  2. #2
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    Phal Vanda Aer Angrm Catts
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    Default

    Tmai, I have LOTS of mounted phals. I tend to mount species and primary hybrids--they all just have big floppy leaves and tend to be prone to crown rot. Mounting them up lets the water drip off of them more easily. You do have to water them or spray them down daily in the summer, but otherwise they love it.

    I mount them upside down essentially--with leaves hanging down. I'll go take a couple of pictures. That will make more sense.

    I put a bit of sphag moss under them to get them started, but by the time they've been on there a year, the sphag is essentially gone and they just grow on the bark. Okay--I'll go take some pictures and be right back.

  3. #3
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    Okay, I'm back. Here are just a couple. I have found that it works best to mount plants that don't get too huge. Althought I do have a phal gigantea mounted sort of. Anyway--I like to mount the bellina, violacea species and crosses that are heavily influenced by them. Just a personal preference, I htink. And those plants tend to grow with kind of droopy leaves--not very tall leaf stems. That really is the key--phals that have this kind of growth habit do really really well mounted--provided that you can keep the humidity up.

    The picture doesn't show it very well, but the mount closest to you has roots all over it, growing over the top, around the sides, down the back etc. So once they are set, you couldn't get them off the mount if you tried.

    Does that answer your questions?
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  4. #4
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    Bruce Brown
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    Default

    Nice mounts, Sarah! Those phals look wonderful.

    Cheers,
    BD

  5. #5
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    Cin
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    Mounting the plants seems to be the only way I can grow them especially outside. Maybe we can find a couple of plants and we can mount them up when you come down next month.
    Cin

  6. #6
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    Tami
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    Default

    Thanks, all! They are what I used on my orchid tree. The original intent is to have it indoors, hence the choice of phals. They have been on the mount about a month now and seem happy, but I just got to thinking as I repotted some other phals how the tree would work down the road a ways.
    Sadie, your pics really help. I think I will let mine droop also - is that the natural state of the plant in nature?

    Thanks, Cin, I still have plenty of room on the tree! Looking forward to seeing ya'll soon.
    The tree branch is set in concrete in a plastic pot, but is easy to move around. Sorry if I posted pic before - there are 5 phals on the tree now.
    Name:  orchid tree2.JPG
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  7. #7
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    It looks great! I like the "tree."

    I think they probably grow both ways in nature, but take a look at the current post with phal gigantea. That species has huge leaves that always hang down, but that is what they and lots of other species look like in natures. It keeps the water out of the plant crowns. The plants I have mounted tend to grow droopy anyway--they are the kind that just naturally droop right out of a pot. So they like the mount better.

    And if you really want the roots to attach to the tree/wood, you probably will need to remove some of the sphag. Right now there is so much on there that the plant has no real motivation or ability to attach to the tree. If you are worried about humidity, you could put a small layer of sphag under the roots, then a bit more on the top of the roots.--intending to remove the top layer once the plant is well attached etc. I have used plastic coated twist-ties (the kind you buy on a roll), heavy gauge fishing line and pantyhose to attach them to the mount. Fishing line can cut the roots so you do need to be careful, and pantyhose are kind of unattractive, but they work great.

    Keep us posted.

  8. #8
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    Victoria
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    Pantyhose! That's so cool. Do you just wrap them over the roots?

    The schmancy garden center in my area sells a good number of mounted orchids, and a lot of them are smaller phals. Theirs are hung up like Sadie's, but the leaves aren't drooping, probably because they're fairly small plants.

    The tree looks super cool. I read about doing that years ago but have never lived anywhere humid enough to get away with it. I hope yours does great!

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