Falling Over!

[butterfly_muse]

Omg it's humid as hell all the way up here in Maryland too. If I had a house instead of an apartment you can bet my guys would spend summer outside. I mist them and water once a day, but lately the weather has been nice enough that I can open the windows and the humidity goes up and they're happy. They're even getting their temperature changes at night with windows open now

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Yea, me too, mounted outside on a porch, I'm a little north of you, but here in NC, it is humid as all hell... But here on the outer banks, it's humid and we have a nice breeze! In fact, it's been really nice here for this past week, the humidity is low (60-70%) and temps are around 80°F give or take... Quite nice! Tho, with this low humidity, I've had to water my mounts daily! Lol... I don't mind, I like to spritz my mounts!

Hehehe sorry for the hijack Lorna!

I hear you, hot like hell here, humid as well, and I can't stand this years constant rain, it killed already one om my cattleya's, mostly my fault, left it at the spot where it got hit by the rain for 2 weeks straight:-( ohh well, we learn from our mistakes:-) Can't wait for October:-)

[Island Girl]

Yep, nearly constant rain here in NC (it rained, everyday, for TWO months straight!) this was in Salisbury (NC, btwn Greensboro & Charlotte)!! But, here on the coast (where I am now, and have been for about a month) it hasn't rained all that much, so it is actually quite nice...... But I certainly feel for ya, earlier this summer, (when in Salisbury) it rained sooo much, Omg, it was unbelievable! There was a Thunderstorm every single night!

Yep, Tommy, I've done that too! Sorry for your loss tho, I feel for you. I think that as long as you learn from your mistakes, then it was worth it to learn them!

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Yep, nearly constant rain here in NC (it rained, everyday, for TWO months straight!) this was in Salisbury (NC, btwn Greensboro & Charlotte)!! But, here on the coast (where I am now, and have been for about a month) it hasn't rained all that much, so it is actually quite nice...... But I certainly feel for ya, earlier this summer, (when in Salisbury) it rained sooo much, Omg, it was unbelievable! There was a Thunderstorm every single night!

Yep, Tommy, I've done that too! Sorry for your loss tho, I feel for you. I think that as long as you learn from your mistakes, then it was worth it to learn them!

True True, I did visit my local Orchid Doctor yesterday with my 3 plants in question, I did started new thread about the experience, pretty funny:-) I wish I would move the cattleya away from the table, but I just got it and thought it would be just fine. I did order some hydroton balls now and will experiment little bit with these, just to see how it would do here in Miami. I think I can much better control over watering when potted in these:-) or mounted, everything mounted, I have though close to 70 orchids at my balcony now, so it is really starting to take like hour and half every morning to take care of them, water the ones needing water that day, mist others, fertilize others:-) Quit gym for already 2 months now cause all my morning time is taken by orchids:-))))

[butterfly_muse]

I think all of us have experienced that rain. It has been raining since Sunday here. And back in June and July it might as well have been every day. Yeesh.

[lornaheath]

Oh My Goodness. 'While the Cat's away the Mice will Play'' and Boy oh Boy you have been having a field day haven't you??

That's absolutely fine by me Sug. I don't feel hijacked at all. Glad I gave you all somewhere to play really.

I had to go to the bus station at 4.30 pm to surprise my Daughter and Grandson who were returning from a 2-day trip to London.

Got there Parked up only to be told there was a traffic jam and an hour's delay. That turned into two and I have only just got home 4 hours after I left.

So it's my own fault for deserting my post. That'll teach me won't it?

As for your suggestions and wonderful pikkies. I'd love to be able to do all of that, but I am in one room and I can't do anything at all outdoors. Not in Sunny, Hot England - NOT!

I love the idea of the netting but it's just not practical for me.

Thank you to ALLLLLL of you for helping with your suggestions and examples. I do appreciate you all.

{{{MASS HUGGS}}}}

Lorna
x x x

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by lornaheath

Oh My Goodness. 'While the Cat's away the Mice will Play'' and Boy oh Boy you have been having a field day haven't you??

That's absolutely fine by me Sug. I don't feel hijacked at all. Glad I gave you all somewhere to play really.

I had to go to the bus station at 4.30 pm to surprise my Daughter and Grandson who were returning from a 2-day trip to London.

Got there Parked up only to be told there was a traffic jam and an hour's delay. That turned into two and I have only just got home 4 hours after I left.

So it's my own fault for deserting my post. That'll teach me won't it?

As for your suggestions and wonderful pikkies. I'd love to be able to do all of that, but I am in one room and I can't do anything at all outdoors. Not in Sunny, Hot England - NOT!

I love the idea of the netting but it's just not practical for me.

Thank you to ALLLLLL of you for helping with your suggestions and examples. I do appreciate you all.

{{{MASS HUGGS}}}}

Lorna
x x x

Lorna, I live in an apartment and I can't put my guys outside like Tommy. I have them inside. Here are two pics of two phals in two dif rooms (one is a mini, one is a normal size). I take them down and water them once a day and hang them back up, they are happier than pigs in slop. Pardon the zip ties, it's all we've got lol.

[lornaheath]

OMG They're a bit Fab aren't they? Wow!

I likes them.

Where do you get the bark? Where do you get the mossy stuff. Do you use anything else to tie the plants on with?

When you say water it every day, do you mean you dunk the whole bark thingy in a bucket of water type watering it or just use a spray gun thingy.

Does it smell at all? A barky type smell? I like the pigs in slop stuff! Hee heeee

Sorry for all the questions but I might have a go of that.

I might have a look on eBay for some bark, I wouldn't know where else to go in this country.

Hey, anyone in here live near Liverpool, UK??

Lorna
x x x

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by lornaheath

OMG They're a bit Fab aren't they? Wow!

I likes them.

Where do you get the bark? Where do you get the mossy stuff. Do you use anything else to tie the plants on with?

When you say water it every day, do you mean you dunk the whole bark thingy in a bucket of water type watering it or just use a spray gun thingy.

Does it smell at all? A barky type smell? I like the pigs in slop stuff! Hee heeee

Sorry for all the questions but I might have a go of that.

I might have a look on eBay for some bark, I wouldn't know where else to go in this country.

Hey, anyone in here live near Liverpool, UK??

Lorna
x x x

Actually, I got my bark (cork bark is recommended and is what my big guy is on - but I have no idea what my mini dude is on, he likes it well enough) in the reptile section of the local Petsmart. They have New Zealand Sphagnum Moss there as well (though I didn't know it until after I had already bought my shitty moss at Lowes. Bleh!). So you can get everything at the pet store, lol!

I don't use anything else to tie them on (and the zip ties are not too tight so they don't squish the roots - like how a rubberband too tight around your finger would cut off circulation - be careful of that), I have attached some better pictures of how they're on.

There is also a section of this forum that is completely dedicated to growing mounted orchids, and I read that and asked questions before mounting my guys. I recommend reading that very highly because certain kinds of bark can actually contain chemicals that will kill the orchid or decay the bark, etc. Also, people put their 'chids on driftwood they collect, but you have to soak it and get all the salt off of it or the salt will kill your 'chids. So you have to be careful.

I actually chose to mount these two because my cats kept knocking them off the window sills and all their media, them included, would spill out all over my couch and floor and kitchen counter....I got so tired of it! This way, my cats and my orchids can both benefit from the window.

I actually saw someone on here, I believe it was Tucker85 (???? not sure), who uses velcro on his orchids on mounts that he can remove after they attach themselves. That's just brilliant.

I take them out of the window and wet them until their roots are green and their moss is nice and wet under my faucet with the filter. When I want to fertilize them, I will soak my mini dude in a bowl face down so the moss and plant itself can get the benefit (in the morning so they can dry out), and the big guy in a bucket. Then I just drain them and away I go. I also have a spray bottle I mist my cattleyas with and I go through the whole apartment and mist everyone's leaves and go about my day. I actually like it better because this way I *know* that my guys aren't sitting in the media rotting (and I also *know* their crowns aren't sitting with stagnant water - because they're not sitting upright anymore). And my cats aren't killing them. It's a win/win situation for everyone.

I find the phals in particular enjoy this mounting WAY more than they enjoyed their pots. They're throwing out new roots right and left and new leaves.

[lornaheath]

Wow! Wow! Wow!

So good of you to put all that info in for me. Guess where I'm off to in the mornin. (Its almost 10 pm here now - Damn!).

I am minding my Grandson for a few days tomorrow so he can troll round with me and carry anything that's too heavy for me. (The Wimp Gran).

You showed me some close up pics, but the two Orchids I am thinking of doing this with have quite substantial root systems so I am thinking now they might be too large to mount. I'd need half a tree! Your pics show small roots.

We will have to go to the other store to get some hanging hook thingies too.

You are good for helping with all this. You got me dead excited now. Fank U Hun.

Lorna
x x x