Catt excited about its mount

[Skycat]

A recently-mounted mystery Cattleya hybrid which, at the time of mounting, only had a single root nub poking out.

It appears I made the right choice.

[bil]

Epiphytes do well on mounts, (as long as you can water every day) - it's where they are meant to be.

[Skycat]

Update! More roots coming out, and some of them are now sticking on the mount!





(also a while ago I switched out the metal wire in favor of cotton embroidery floss because that holds way better)

[bil]

That's looking really good. I like to use a bigger moss pad, because we are hot and drying in the summer. I also like to use braided fishing line, becausee it is effectively invisible, so never needs removing.

If you try it,, be super careful as it can cut like a knife.

[Skycat]

Well, the other thing I like about embroidery floss is that I already have a lot of it anyway, with the idea that I may occasionally use some of it for its intended purpose (and sometimes I do get bold enough to try).

[estación seca]

You could embroider little mesh socks to hold orchids on mounts.

[rbarata]

I don't know, when you used the word "excited" because of the new roots or because of the shape of the new root on the left of the photo.

Anyway, I like to see new roots growing like that on my plants. I've been fortunate with my catts, they also grow roots like crazy.
To help catts (and any plant in general) get established I use a technique which is to give them a light misting just on the top of the medium, without letting the plant getting wet. It works really well with my catts.

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[Skycat]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I don't know, when you used the word "excited" because of the new roots or because of the shape of the new root on the left of the photo.

LOL. It's because those roots weren't even there before the mounting, and then they were. My mind wasn't in the gutter at the time, but now that you mention the shape...

[Maryanne]

That's terrific, Congratulations - glad the plant likes it's new mount. I agree that epiphytes belong on mounts. If I notice a plant sulking, if it tends toward root rot, then I switch it to a natural wood mount or try a basket. If the plant likes it, it will poke out new roots within 2 or 3 weeks.
Also, I have moved away from monofiliment. To me, it's ugly, it cuts the plant if not carefully done, UV light degrades it so it can break off. One day I was trying out a plant on a piece of wood and I grabbed the first thing that came to mind - cotton string. It worked well, as by the time the roots anchored the plant, the string rotted and pulled off easily - nice natural look. Another time, I had some soft acrylic yarn left over from knitting and used that. No cutting the roots, easily adjustable and you can get it in any color to blend with the mount or plant. This is also inexpensive if you buy new, and yardage in a skein goes a long way. I use that quite a bit now, even for tying up outdoor plants.

For my outdoor lilies, I cut an old black tee-shirt into strips to tie them up and it looks so much better blending into the shadows and background.
My idea is to use whatever you have on hand before running to the store and buying new.

Best of luck and Happy growing
ML

[Skycat]

Haha, thanks for the encouragement! I do want to get more stuff onto mounts also because there's not so much mess to clean up if they fall (dropping a potted plant with wet, broken-down bark ON A CARPET = not fun... that's why I mounted the Bulbo that happened to, except it doesn't seem fond of its mount, so maybe I'll try it on a different one)