Tolumnia Jairak Flyer Gules in Wood Basket?

[naturalistSean]

I'm considering ordering a Tolumnia Jairak Flyer Gules. Would this work in a small teak wood basket? I'm currently in Germany, fairly close to Schwerter Orchids, but will be moving to Austria soon and want to acquire some plants for the move. The Tolumnia would come in a 5.5cm net pot and my thought is to place that net pot in a teak basket with an inside diameter of 8.5 cm. Those of you with experience with Tolumnia, would this need to be watered daily? I worry about my plants when I need to leave for a few days. Another option I'm considering is this clay tube that can be filled with water and the plant mounted to the outside: https://www.shop.schwerter-orchideen...0cfv9qftavm260

Ugh, I welcome all input! Thank you for your patience

[Ray]

I have found that tolumnia do best for me when mounted.

I have been successful using clay “thumb pots” (about 2 cm diameter) with no medium, but mounting is better.

[estación seca]

You might find this interesting:
Darryl Venables on Tolumnia - DVOS September 2018

[K-Sci]

Here's one of mine, recently rebasketed in a shallow 4" basket.

-Keith

[estación seca]

In the talk given the speaker strongly recommended not to cover the roots.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by estación seca

In the talk given the speaker strongly recommended not to cover the roots.

I was starting to worry about that based on the earlier posts. The part that made me hesitate is watering 3x day. I "potted" it in the basket last Friday, so it wouldn't be much of a disturbance to change the media to, say, the largest Orchiata. That would be very similar to mounting, but the surface of the Orchiata would hold some moisture most of a day while allowing air movement through the media. My other one, which is much smaller, has been growing on a cedar shingle, which becomes dry within an hour. That will be a problem come winter.

Edit: I repotted my Tolumnia and I've attached a photo showing both of the ones I own. the small one is hanging from the basket. Note the white fan in the background blowing 24/7 on these two plants.

Thanks for the heads up. You've convinced me to change my approach.

-Keith

[estación seca]

Most people I know grow these mounted with no moss, or bare root in a small clay pot. I know one person successful long-term with S/H, and one person who wedges them between upright entire wine corks squeezed into an otherwise-empty pot.

The speaker emphasized they need to have roots tightly bound to the mount or medium to get established.

They easily tolerate tap water. Perhaps keeping it near a kitchen or bathroom window would permit more frequent watering.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by estación seca

They easily tolerate tap water. Perhaps keeping it near a kitchen or bathroom window would permit more frequent watering.

I edited my last post to add the new development.

The frequent watering is not a problem now, but come winter the humidity will be much lower and all my watering is cut back. The only time my orchids are indoors is when certain ones are in flower. My wife has been asking me to get a misting system so we can leave town without risking orchid fatalities. I may solve the problem that way.

Again, thanks for the information, and thank you naturalistSean for allowing me to borrow your thread.

-Keith

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[naturalistSean]

Thanks for the discussion all! estación seca that post is very interesting. As much as I like the way these look, I think I'll hold off.

This summer I went on holiday and took two small mounted orchids along to ensure they got water. I left one larger mounted orchid behind for a friend to take care of along with other houseplants. The temperatures got very hot, and it didn't fare well, wasn't watered as much as needed.

I need plants that only need to be watered every few days so that they can be entrusted with friends

[Dusty Ol' Man]

I have a suggestion for your cedar shingle drying out so fast. If you were to place the bottom of the shingle in a vessel with an inch of water, it would wick up the shingle and stay moist longer. There are various ways to do this, but a plastic plant saucer of sufficient depth could be hung with the shingle. Just a thought.