Phalaenopsis potting vs. mounting question

[Laserbeak]

Thanks for the tips James, but I grow virtually every major type of orchid from Masdevallias to Vandas without much problem, I have racks and racks of them. The Phals have always hated me though, I think .

Anyway, I've pretty much learned to grow them in a way that works for me so I think I'll stick with that. As for me giving advice, take it or leave it.

Originally Posted by james mickelso

If you are needing such large holes and phytosan all the time, you should try changing your culture. If you have root rot problems all the time with phals which are by far the easiest orchids to grow successfully, learn what they need and change the culture. So many folks here over water their orchids thinking they need a lot of care. My friend has a noid phal in her bathroom which keeps growing new roots and she hardly ever waters it. To those who like to experiment. Buy a noid phal or den or catt at the hardware/big box store and place it in med light. Now.... don't water it much. Say water it every 7 to 10 days. Leave it in moss. Just don't water it very much at all. Betcha it lives and flowers just fine. Try it. You'll be amazed.

[Manchie]

I have nearly 30 phals and i am thinking of mounting them in my new vivarium. I mounted one to try but the problem is thst when it flowers ,i think the flower spike will touch my front glass.

I bought a big piece of bark (seen below) and i am thinking of mounting 4-6 phals on it. Do you think it will be a good idea to place a piece of hygrolon betwwen the phal and the cork bark?

[Paschendale]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Nearly all phals can be mounted and in fact do very well when mounted as they get lots of air flow to the roots. Once mounted (potted in an open form) you water them every few days as the roots dry out quickly enough that rot won't get much of a chance to start growing. I have hung bare root phals in my green houses from time to time and they have done very well. Let the roots grow any way they wish.

Got another question along these lines - I mounted an older phal with a good root system this past weekend (apparently the nylon thread I used to attach the plant to the mount was insufficient, as I found the plant laying in the sink this morning, but that can be overcome - try and try again). However, I noticed that the following morning that the roots looked pretty dry, so I quickly put the mount in the sink to soak for a bit. Should the roots dry out that quickly and is that healthy? I know it does need some drying time but I'm wondering if I just don't have enough humidity in the area for a mounted orchid to be a good idea. Or is it ok for the roots to get a kinda browish tinge between waterings? This mounting bit is new ground for me and I'm not sure if I've done something wrong or not.

I'd post a picture of it, but I'm having a bit of trouble getting the picture size down small enough to be able to post it - will have to pull it off my phone and play with the picture on my computer, where I have better editing software, but I have not had time to do that, yet, what with one thing and another.

---------- Post added at 01:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 PM ----------

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Say water it every 7 to 10 days. Leave it in moss. Just don't water it very much at all. Betcha it lives and flowers just fine. Try it. You'll be amazed.

When you say moss, do you mean the proper sphag? I am assuming so, rather than that nasty yellow-green stuff that my poor phal posted in the problem category was in. That stuff had rotted most of the roots on the plant by the time I figured out that something might be wrong in the way it was planted, so unpotted it and had a look for myself.

[james mickelso]

good fresh sphagnum moss. loosely laid around the roots and dampened will give it a place to recoup.

[HighSeas]

I usually mount them when I get them like that. (Clearance, friends half dead rescues) I also give them healthy doses of kelp. Soon, they are blooming again and happy!

[quiltergal]

When I was growing on mounts (which I am not anymore) I found that I had to water every day. Not my idea of easy care/low maintenance. I guess it just depends on how much time you want to spend watering plants....

[tucker85]

I agree with, Terri. My mounted phals need to be watered every day. It's a lot of trouble, especially if I need to go out of town for a few days. Some phals do well mounted and some don't.

[catherinecarney]

My phals (mostly noIDs) are grown both mounted and potted--winter home conditions are mid to upper 60's during the day dropping to low 60's at night with humidity between 40 and 50%; summer conditions are considerably warmer and more humid. I mist pretty much daily in the winter, and it takes less than 10 minutes for my total collection (30 or so and growing). The newly mounted phals tend to sulk for a month or two during the transition from pot to mount, but once they get going they grow far better than anything in pots. I'm seeing the same results for my catt hybrids and dens.

Remember, though, that what works for me in my conditions may not work for the next grower--don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you and your growing conditions.

Catherine

[catherinecarney]

My phals (mostly noIDs) are grown both mounted and potted--winter home conditions are mid to upper 60's during the day dropping to low 60's at night with humidity between 40 and 50%; summer conditions are considerably warmer and more humid. I mist pretty much daily in the winter, and it takes less than 10 minutes for my total collection (30 or so and growing). The newly mounted phals tend to sulk for a month or two during the transition from pot to mount, but once they get going they grow far better than anything in pots. I'm seeing the same results for my catt hybrids and dens.

BTW, they've been without watering/misting for up to five days without problems when I've been traveling, but I do make sure to soak them thoroughly last thing before I leave.

Remember, though, that what works for me in my conditions may not work for the next grower--don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you and your growing conditions.


Catherine

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials