How to mount orchids?
 

OK, so I'm giving mounting orchids a whirl. The thing is, I have a few questions. I'm sure the answers lurk somewhere around this website, but I'm on dialup and I don't feel like spending a week trying to get all the pages to load to find them, lol.

SO. I found a piece of dead wood that had a cool shape (we were going to use it for firewood but I saved it), and I decided to put my orchids on it. So I got some strips of cloth (strips of old socks, to be exact lol) and lashed them to the log. I mist them generously every day, and the climate in my room is hot and humid in the daytime, and cool at night. So my first question is, will the orchids ever anchor themselves to the log, so that I don't have to have the strip of old socks holding them on? I want to eventually take that off. And my next question is, are they going to get enough nutrients from the log? Or should I put some kind of moss over them? Most of the mounts I've seen on here included some kind of moss in the mount.

So let the advice fly, people!

Strips of old socks, thats a new one,but if it keeps the roots moist and holds the plants,OK.
I would suggest using sphagnum moss and 12 lb. fishing line to secure the plants to the mount,over a period of time the roots will secure themselfs to the mount

I'll just try to explain with pictures :)

Find the desired mounting material:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06822.jpg

Determine best viewing angle for display (this is optional as the plant ends up deciding what is its best viewing angle eventually).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06865.jpg

Determine the best mounting point, taking the plant's habit, growth direction and size into consideration.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06866.jpg

Add a small amount of moisture retaining materials on the mount point.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06867.jpg

Attach the orchid using preferred method (twist-tie, fishing line, silk thread, etc).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06869.jpg

Test the integrity of the attachment.
Test 1: Standing still
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06870.jpg

Test 2: Worst case scenario*
Now try to be realistic when testing your worst case scenario. Dont try to drop the mount 10 stories down and expect the assembly to survive :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06871.jpg

Optional: Add some more moisture retaining material around the new mount's root zone.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06872.jpg

Watch the plant as it takes hold and grows into the mount. [June 2007]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC06885.jpg

Fast-Forward. New roots taking hold. [September 2007]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...7/DSC07516.jpg

Fast-Forward again. Its the one on the right: [March 2008]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...8/DSC08760.jpg

Fast-Forward again. More roots and new canes: [April 2008]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...8/DSC09004.jpg

Fast-Forward again. Its the one on the front-right: [May 2008]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...8/mounts_1.jpg

Updated Picture: [July 8 2008]
The new growth from April is now proceeding well on the left side.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...8/IMG_1603.jpg

Close up of the root system:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...8/IMG_1605.jpg

The underside of the mount. The roots have nearly wrapped all the way around the mount.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...8/IMG_1607.jpg

I would like to add: The log itself or wood-mounting material will provide negligible nutrition to the plant. You will still need to provide it with supplemental fertilizers as needed, similar to potted orchids.

I hope this helps,
John

John!!!! thank you so much!!!! That was a world of help. I'll try putting some sphag underneath them to keep them moist.

P.S. How long did it take your orchid to anchor itself? There were no dates for the pictures.

That is a really good way of explaining :) Even I understand now how to mount orchids :bowing

Welcome to the board! I think you are first member from Estonia, although there are many Baltic area members. If you want to see where people are from, click on the "Member Map" button under the "Site Menu" at the left of the screen.

Jay I like to be the first :biggrin: Of course I might be the first but i will not be the last. More and more people are getting the "orchid fever" here and hopefully the garden centres will start to offer better selection of orchids. Right now I have to order interesting orchids from Germany and England :(

I have added the dates on the pictures to show the progression of the growths in relation to the time.

The orchid was mounted just before it produced a new cane, so all the new roots were able to adapt to the mount immediately.
This particular dendrobium appears to produce new canes and roots from July through August.

And you definitely have to do the daily spraying thing, huh? I just keep wanting to hear the "no" so baaaadly!!