My unique molded mount
 

I am thinking of marketing a new material I have been working with for 10 years.
I started making additive cement based non alkali mounts 10 years ago and have been very happy with the result.
I made a rubber Aztec king head mold from a model I made with plasticene and have been hand placing the special fiber and cement base material into them to form unique lightweight mounts.
As you can see the orchids roots are all over them and because I added slow release fertilizer granules into the wet mix the orchids just love growing on them.
The great thing about these is the wet material is easy to mix, can be hand molded into any shape or placed into any kind of mold and takes 8 hrs to set up.
The finished mount is very absorbent, strong and lightweight and can be made to look like any material with the right mold and look hundreds of years old or new.
I would like to hear some comments

I love them, Jerry! Very nice work! :nod:

The only thing I would question is putting the slow-release fertilizer in the mix. It only lasts a certain amount of time and then you'll just have the little pellet jackets with noting substantial in them.

Fertilizer in orchid mount
 

The fertilizer is inside the mount so you will never see anything, also fertilizer is optional, I just put it in for fun.

I agree, very nice! I would think the empty pockets where the fert pellets were would make for great porosity.

I've made some "rock-looking" cement-based planters for cacti that are really lightweight too. What do you mean by 'non-alkali'.

Yes you are right, any voids inside the mount adds to the porosity, although I only put a tablespoon in the mix, and the larger size mount is pretty big, about 10" wide and 24" high so thats not much fertilizer anyway.
All cement has damaging alkali salt in it and was stopping my orchids growing roots onto the surface until I figured how to remove the alkali and other salts from the dry cement.
The finished product is very porous and retains water for hours.


Jerry

That material is very fasinating, I would be interested in trying it, I love your Aztec style mounts. If you plan on marketing it let us know.

I have been looking for something exactly like this. I have a small Phal. Dyah Redita that has roots at the base, but is growing roots along the stem as the plant grows. I thought a pot/mount combination would be perfect. Yes, let us know if something in this style would be available for retail sale. Thanks for sharing!

I am also interested in these pots/mounts. They might be just the thing for those that just won't stay put in a regular pot, and look more interesting than some of the other mountings I see available. Let us know.

Super interesting! Yes, please update your plans for marketing when the time comes. Best of luck!

:cheer: :clap: :cheer: This looks super and has great potential. I'd buy one in a heart beat. Life's too short...market your product and you'll be enjoying your retirement on some exotic island in no time.