Mounting a Phal..

[bronco]

Thanks BD,
I will probably add more moss. I wanted to see how it would do with me misting it 2-3 times daily with the moss I have on it now.
Denny

[bronco]

Thanks Patty,
I have been reading about and seeing so many great mounted orchid pictures,that I wanted to give it a shot and see if I could do it without killing it.
I will keep everyone updated on it's progress.
Denny

[orchid-eric]

Good mount. Did you use a piece of grape wood?

[Miller]

Why are they mounted with the crown down?

[bronco]

Eric,
No it is a piece of cedar.

[serama]

Miller,

Phals naturally grow lower down on trees, generally on the tree trunks of mature trees or on large, thick branches (that is also why they like less light than the orchids which grow higher up in the trees closer to the canopy). Instead of growing upwards, phals grow sort of "away" from the position where they are anchored to the tree trunk, their short stem is that way at an angle that points downwards (though not straight down) and their leaves flop naturally down as well. This way they avoid water and leaf litter getting trapped in the crown, which could become stagnant and rot the core of the plant. You might have noticed that if you leave a phal in a pot for long enough, it will stop growing in a nice symmetrical way with its leaves horizontal and opposite to each other. They always end up growing sideways out of the pot with the leaves flopping down on one side, because that is how they're meant to grow. We just grow them upwards because we're used to plants growing up and because it's easier to accommodate them that way.

[Dorsetman]

I've had the best luck with mounted species

cheers,
BD

yes Bruce : it is my impression that most phal species

do better mounted than potted , but the normal hybrid -which is what most people will understand by the word 'phal' wil do better potted.
I have been thinking of buying few phal species shortly ( I shall not get to any of the big uk summer orchid events since I am unable to drive yet- and perhaps not until the late summer ) so maybe I'll indulge myself with an order to one of the European species specialists , and if I do they will all be plaque mounted.

[Miller]

Thank you for the explantion. I don't have any so know very little about them.

Thanks again,

[Clivedude]

Congrats on a very good job...

[bronco]

I thought everyone would like to see the progress of the mounted Phal,I mounted in April.
Also decided to mount 2 Phals on the Dogwood tree 2 weeks ago.