My first mounted Phal

[jai_star]

Hi all,

just wanted to share a little something new i did today , I have a Phal ( mini moon ) not in bloom for a few weeks now and I have decided to mount that up and hang that above my grow area if I succeed in this one and it reblooms then i'll mount a few more. It had a few mushy roots which I removed and I always thought it was healthy , I guess you really don't know what is going on down there in that pot until you take it out. The mount consist of drift wood, s.moss and hemp string attached to a " S " shape steel hook so that i can move it about easily like misting or to hand it to a different location to catch some sunlight.
What do you guys think?

[catasetum-ian]

hi Jai_star, first of all what you did on cutting the marshy roots away was right, but there is a few things ....
1) did u mount it immediately after trimming the roots?
2) IMHO, the hemp string and the sphag moss seems too "thick" then the roots might not breath well

i attached several pics to help out but this is what i usually do...............
my usual practice after trimming marshy roots away is to then treat with fungicide, then leave it aside in a well lighted aerated place but away from direct sun and heat for 3 days or so to let the "cure" the roots.
then i will mount it and line it sparingly with sphag moss allowing space for the roots to breath, occasionally i will add a chunk of sphag moss at the top of the mounted piece to provide additional water but not to drown the roots as they do not have direct contact with the roots as in pic 1 (up most portion of the pic)
hope these opinions answer some of your queries

[kiwiorchids]

I was thinking that too Ian-but a great first attempt! Nice mothering instincts on this mounting by the way Jai!

That reminds me, i still have those two here for you-just PM me when you have time!

[jai_star]

Hay thx for the tip guess I should have done some research first before went ahead with it , hmm i actually think that the mount and Phal would not hold if I didn't bind them firm enough, perhaps once it has setteled a bit I will re evaluate the situation and remove some hemp string, I;m guessing over time the srting will probably break down a bit anyway.
@Kiwiorchid, yea thx I am planning to get there some time!

[kiwiorchids]

Hay thx for the tip guess I should have done some research first before went ahead with it , hmm i actually think that the mount and Phal would not hold if I didn't bind them firm enough, perhaps once it has setteled a bit I will re evaluate the situation and remove some hemp string, I;m guessing over time the srting will probably break down a bit anyway.
@Kiwiorchid, yea thx I am planning to get there some time!

You could carefully remove the hemp string and replace it with some fishing wire, or a few strips of old panthose?

[catasetum-ian]

Hay thx for the tip guess I should have done some research first before went ahead with it , hmm i actually think that the mount and Phal would not hold if I didn't bind them firm enough, perhaps once it has setteled a bit I will re evaluate the situation and remove some hemp string, I;m guessing over time the srting will probably break down a bit anyway.
@Kiwiorchid, yea thx I am planning to get there some time!

no worries, we learn from experience, my first mount didn't go very well for me either and if i am not mistaken, i change it additional two times before i am happy with it.

i use thread the one for sewing, so far i found it to be the easiest to work with, and black color with good camouflage (as in pic 2 on the upper right) and less problem with algae and the area where the string crosses the roots, just line with a string of sphagnum moss over it while tying.
just enough pressure and not too hard or u will damage the root.
i tried with other things like nylons fishing string, meat string and braided fishing line (best of all three but most expensive )

[kiwiorchids]

no worries, we learn from experience, my first mount didn't go very well for me either and if i am not mistaken, i change it additional two times before i am happy with it.

i use thread the one for sewing, so far i found it to be the easiest to work with, and black color with good camouflage (as in pic 2 on the upper right) and less problem with algae and the area where the string crosses the roots, just line with a string of sphagnum moss over it while tying.
just enough pressure and not too hard or u will damage the root.
i tried with other things like nylons fishing string, meat string and braided fishing line (best of all three but most expensive )

You used BRAIDED LINE on the orchids?! That is ONE thing i will not tolerate! It should be used for GAME fishing and nothing else!

I once caught a nice 48.5kg Marlin on a braided line!

[catasetum-ian]

well, just try things out, anyway i was about to change those remaining lines. whatever is left is too short for a good cast

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Nice work, Ian! Thanks for the helpful tips!! And good luck Jai with your phal orchid mount!

cheers,
BD