Live moss pole - Orchid Board

TylerK · #1 (**permalink**) 09-30-2009, 10:22 AM

I'm looking to put together a living moss pole for my Vanilla orchid to grow on. Problem is, it will be in an indoor environment...I get great light, but humidity can be a problem (especially in winter). Does anyone have any ideas on construction materials/methods that might help maximize my chances of success?

Ideally, I would like it to look like a natural branch, but I would prefer the main structure to be made of something that won't rot...at least for a very long time.

As a side question, will a Vanilla vine eventually branch, or will it just keep getting longer on one main lead?

Thanks,

Tyler

cb977 · #2 (**permalink**) 09-30-2009, 11:08 AM

The plant will definitely branch. Mine grows to the top of the room and then makes a downward swing and along the way it branches out

Maybe PVC pipe, wrapped in long sphag would work for you? We do have a few threads here on "orchid trees" which might give you some ideas. I'll try to find the threads and link them here sometime today...unless somebody beats me to it

:

Bird Song Farm · #3 (**permalink**) 09-30-2009, 11:48 AM

[quote=cb977;260335]The plant will definitely branch. Mine grows to the top of the room and then makes a downward swing and along the way it branches out

quote]

Good Heavens!! Now I have to have one of these! I've the perfect room for it and I love Kahlua!

Al

Ray · #4 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 11:33 AM

This will have commercial content, but bear with me as I explain what a customer of mine did:

Starting with EcoWeb panels (I sell it; end of commercial), he formed a tube about 9" in diameter by 48" tall. The bottom of the tube stood in a decorative container - I think it was a glazed ceramic vase - which became the reservoir.

He put a small submersible pump in the vase, running the hose to the top, where it connected to a loop of the same hose via a barbed TEE. That loop had a number of small holes melted in it, so that the water/nutrient solution would drip down the EcoWeb all the way around. The tube was aligned so the holes were in the middle of the 1" thick tube walls. If I'm not mistaken, the pump was on a timer to run for 10-15 minutes every few hours.

I don't know the exact "formula" he used, but he "seeded" moss on the pole with a mixture of milled sphagnum, buttermilk, and moss from the woods near him, all emulsified in a blender, then "painted" on the EcoWeb.

After a few weeks, the moss sprouted and started to coat the whole tube, so he started mounting his plants then.

Bird Song Farm · #5 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 12:35 PM

Absolutely fantastic idea!
Al

cb977 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

This will have commercial content, but bear with me as I explain what a customer of mine did:

Starting with EcoWeb panels (I sell it; end of commercial), he formed a tube about 9" in diameter by 48" tall. The bottom of the tube stood in a decorative container - I think it was a glazed ceramic vase - which became the reservoir.

He put a small submersible pump in the vase, running the hose to the top, where it connected to a loop of the same hose via a barbed TEE. That loop had a number of small holes melted in it, so that the water/nutrient solution would drip down the EcoWeb all the way around. The tube was aligned so the holes were in the middle of the 1" thick tube walls. If I'm not mistaken, the pump was on a timer to run for 10-15 minutes every few hours.

I don't know the exact "formula" he used, but he "seeded" moss on the pole with a mixture of milled sphagnum, buttermilk, and moss from the woods near him, all emulsified in a blender, then "painted" on the EcoWeb.

After a few weeks, the moss sprouted and started to coat the whole tube, so he started mounting his plants then.

What a wonderful idea! Who's gonna do one first?

cb977 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 12:40 PM

[quote=Bird Song Farm;260348]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cb977

The plant will definitely branch. Mine grows to the top of the room and then makes a downward swing and along the way it branches out

quote]

Good Heavens!! Now I have to have one of these! I've the perfect room for it and I love Kahlua!

Al

Al, I would be happy to send you a piece of my Vanilla pompona vine. Email me your mailing address.

jaxorchidman · #8 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 12:51 PM

Good idea!! Should be great for mounting minis all on one big mount too I would imagine!!! hmmmm...is it easy to grow vanilla???

jaxorchidman · #9 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 12:56 PM

Here is a link for the moss concoction. Good luck!!!

Growing Moss

cb977 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaxorchidman

hmmmm...is it easy to grow vanilla???

Mine is growing in a large nursery pot holding African Violet Mix, there are not a lot of base roots to this guy.
I started out with a 2 ft tree fern totem and have had to add additional totems...and attach them to a 7 ft pole!

It is in my orchid room, gets misted every day, fed once a week and the space it's in gets full FL afternoon sun through a screen in the window (makes it about 20% shade)

I've had friends grow it successfully if they use the AV mix and tree fern totem. Those who chose to grow it differently usually don't have the same success (that's just my experience, somebody else out there may do it totally differently and still have success, I just haven't heard from them

)