Newly Mounted Chids

[Junebug]

A few months ago I purchased a smbna 'Fire Fly'. At the time of purchase she was growing in and all about her 4" pot and looked as though she was begging to be transplanted to a mount. Last week I divided her and attached the divisions onto 2 different mounts. So far, so good. They both look happy on their new homes.

In addition to the Fire Fly I mounted a rather large Noid Phal. Initially I had repotted her, but the weight of her leaves caused her to topple out of her new potting media. The fall also caused her to loose her beautiful blooming spike and also broke the majority of her roots. I'm skeptical as to whether this one will survive, but only time will tell.

Last but not least, is my coconut mounted Noid Dendrobium. This poor sprawling baby suffered multiple episodes of getting crashed to the ground by sudden gusty winds. She has always seemed to want to grow sideways, so that's the way I mounted her. I'm crossing my fingers with this one. At least she won't get knocked off the shelf anymore.

[ChasWG]

Very cool looking! What did you use to attach the plants to the wood? Are those twist or zip ties?

[Lorraine]

Nice mounts Junebug! I like to wood you used and the chids look healthy. I have not mounted a larger phal before only the smaller ones. What are you using to keep the roots moist? I'm getting ready to attach a noid phal in the crotch of a tree. All the other chids I have seem to like hanging from this tree so I'm giving it a permanent resident.

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by ChasWG

Very cool looking! What did you use to attach the plants to the wood? Are those twist or zip ties?

Thanks. I've always used slender strips cut from panty hose or knee highs. They gently secure the plant and the neutral colors blend well with the wood. Panty hose are remarkable strong, stretch well and are easier to tie than fishing line. You can even use wider strips to tie newly planted trees to supports. During windy weather they can be retied and adjusted just enough so that they give a little and this helps prevent limbs from snapping in two.

[cb977]

Nicely done, June!

They all look really happy

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Lorraine

Nice mounts Junebug! I like to wood you used and the chids look healthy. I have not mounted a larger phal before only the smaller ones. What are you using to keep the roots moist? I'm getting ready to attach a noid phal in the crotch of a tree. All the other chids I have seem to like hanging from this tree so I'm giving it a permanent resident.

Thank you, Lorraine. I used grapewood for the 'Fire Fly' mounts. Both pieces were gifts from my daughter and stepdaughter. The butterfly came attached with one piece and was located in an awkward place. I resolved this by drilling another hole and popping him in his new home.

The Phals roots didn't look so good after it toppled out of the pot. I feared they would rot if covered, so I treated with KLN and placed a cushion of Sphag between her roots and Mopani wood mount. I am currently dunking her in rainwater once or twice a day and supplementing moisture with additional root misting whenever necessary. Unfortunately her mishap happened just after her blooms began opening and she wasn't yet in growth phase. At the very least I'm expecting her to loose a few leaves and I try not to think about the worse case scenerio.

[peeweelovesbooks]

That phal is gorgeous!! wow.

[RosieC]

That Phal looks huge! All your mounts look good to.