Orchids best to mount?

[Becca]

Hi Everyone! I am trying a Swampstick from Jesse at SwampStick ™. I am trying to figure out what orchids are best for mounting. I am just affraid that I will mount an orchid on the Swampstick and then the orchid will over grow it since I am not familiar with how large these orchids can grow. Is it possible to change mounts down the road? I am trying the small size Swampstick and I am not sure exactly of it's dimensions, I can post that later this evening if I remember. Anyways, if you get a chance to check my orchid list out and can recommend some I would appreciate it. Thanks!

[Ross]

Actually, nearly any orchid can be grown mounted. However your next question suggests you don't really know which one you plan to mount. Maybe that is backwards? If it were me, I would first decide which one I were planning to move to a mount, then I would aquire the proper sized mount. I have some Encyclias, for instance that grow on slabs of Live Oak bark approx 8"x12". Can you change down the road? Yes, but you have to keep in mind unless you are able to fasten the old mount to a new one (not possible with this product) then you will have to rip the orchid from the old mount thus probably destroying lots of roots. I simple bind the old Live Oak bark to a new bigger piece and the roots adapt. Hope this helps.

[Becca]

Ross you are right, I am doing things backwards...ooops! Since you said nearly any orchid could be mounted, then what about a paph. since this product stays moist, thus only needing to be watered about every 4 days?

[Ross]

Originally Posted by RPfeiffer

Ross you are right, I am doing things backwards...ooops! Since you said nearly any orchid could be mounted, then what about a paph. since this product stays moist, thus only needing to be watered about every 4 days?

OK, got me there I did say "nearly", didn't I I'd stick to Phals, compact or mini Cats, Encyclias, Brasavola, most of the true minis, etc.

[orchidexpress]

I do like the earlier answer of picking out the plant first and then deciding the mount.
I do not plant many of my plants on bark due to my business.
I would recommend a brassavola nodosa, nicknames 'Lady of the Night', fragrant in the dark, species and will bloom about three times a year with the proper light (white star-like flowers, succulant, onion-looking plant). Other than the 'lady of the Night' there is another form of this plant known as B. Little Stars. Actually it is the same likeness of both plants, just the little stars have smaller, white flowers. These plants grow like weeds.

[Becca]

I have a Brassavola David Sander that I am interested in mounting. It is in sphag-n-bag at the moment regrowing it's root system and has a few new small roots. I know I will need to wait until the roots get to about 3 inches long or so, so it could be a while, but I can be patient.

So since I know I am doing things backwards, what else from my list of orchids might be a good candidate to try mounting? I guess I could buy an orchid specifically to use on this mount? I love the Brassavola's and Laelia's!

[Ross]

Originally Posted by RPfeiffer

I have a Brassavola David Sander that I am interested in mounting. It is in sphag-n-bag at the moment regrowing it's root system and has a few new small roots. I know I will need to wait until the roots get to about 3 inches long or so, so it could be a while, but I can be patient.

So since I know I am doing things backwards, what else from my list of orchids might be a good candidate to try mounting? I guess I could buy an orchid specifically to use on this mount? I love the Brassavola's and Laelia's!

I'm not sure I would wait till the roots get that long before mounting. If they are as short as 1" with nice green tips you can wad a small amount of sphagnum around them, then bing the plant to your mount. Keep the growing end of the plant (youngest shoot) up as it likes to grow up. Dunk it daily in good pure water (RO or rainwater) and maybe a bit of fertilizer like MSU mix for pure water. If it were me, I wouldn't wait till roots were that long before mounting.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by RPfeiffer

So since I know I am doing things backwards, what else from my list of orchids might be a good candidate to try mounting? I guess I could buy an orchid specifically to use on this mount? I love the Brassavola's and Laelia's!

Since you love the Laelia's, try anceps Andy's Orchids - Orchids I'll bet just about any of the Laelia spp can be grown mounted. Look around Andy's Orchids to see what he has already mounted.

[Becca]

It's been a few days since I peaked into the moss while the Brassavola david sander is in the sphag-n-bag culture, but I don't think the roots are even an inch long, maybe a half inch long, and there are only about 2 or 3. Do you think I would still need to dunk daily even though this product retains it's moisture? If you haven't looked at the website I originally posted a link to it might help explain things better. It is a mount in the shape of a stick that holds water on the inside and is made of the s/h material, if I remember correctly. When I type the link it shows up in the thread funny looking.
The link to the website is: SwampStick â„¢

[Ross]

The thing is I know Boise quite well and your humidity can be very low at times (like anytime between January and December ) My humidity in house runs as low as 35% in winter to as high as 45-55% summer. All of my mounts get daily dunkings in RO water with MSU mix fertilizer at 125PPM strength. They are totally dried off by morning, and the roots looking really dry. Mounts aren't the same as pots, even clay pots.