How to repot large overgrown climbing Oncidium type

[cjm3fl]

@ bil





Your last few posts should be a sticky!
Wonderful tutorial.
Thanks for taking the time and sharing.

[bil]

Originally Posted by cjm3fl

@ bil





Your last few posts should be a sticky!
Wonderful tutorial.
Thanks for taking the time and sharing.

My pleasure. I hope they are useful to people. (I also post stuff like this in the hope that someone will post and say "There is a better way!" )

[cjm3fl]

Not better but...

I had 3 "areas" of 1 kind of Dendro mounted on a Ficus tree.
The tree went bad on my; bad growth in too many areas, too big, too bare.
I had to get rid of it.

So as I was cutting it up I cut the 3 areas of Dendro out to save them.

I went to Walmart and got 3 round, wooden, plaques from the arts and craft isle.
I sprayed both sides with a clear sealant then drilled small holes thru those and into the bottom of the branches holding the Dendro.

Used some slightly larger screws to attach the plaques to the bottom of the branches, so the plaque would act as the base/stand.

Here's some photo's when finished from last October...

[estación seca]

I'm sloppier and lazier than bil in order to spend more time messing with my plants, rather than putting tools and workshop back in order (unless I'm at work, where I'm a driven perfectionist.)

I posted a few photos here of how I just mounted mine own Oncidium sphacelatum, which came to me recently from First Ray's:

Mounting Oncidium sphacelatum, a climber, Part 1

[Dezzie]

Wow, love the photos and ideas, Thanks so much for sharing them!
I only have two mounted orchids...but I guess the agreement here is that I need more! I have den kingianum mounted on an old fake fishtank log and a some bifolate cattleya pieces on a driftwood piece..but I had to soak it so much and leave it outside for ages to leach salts etc. Still not sure if it was a good idea to use >< and I dont want to wait that long!
The photos of Bil's all hanging down like that look fantastic, the round plaque bases are awesome too,I think I will use both ideas in the very near future.
The step by step photos really help alot. I really need to do some branch hunting...
Bil, I would love to have your 'squalor' workspace as you call it, I would refer to it as my "creativity den" lol
Are you suggesting these ideas for the largest plant too or only the smaller divisions? I think I will need a rather large forked branch for the large plant. The new bulbs are all around the back in a semi circle, which it what made me think of a curved rock wall backing of some type.
I found this thread, How to deal with "burying" oncidium bulbs?, member tarev has a post there with photos of a curved backed pot. I had been thinking of making something like that.
Thanks so much for all the suggestions, photos and help, I have several projects in mind now, as all the ideas are great, I might have to use them all

[Dezzie]

Im not able to go branch hunting for a while yet, I have these random cattleya pieces on driftwood I only mounted a month or two ago. I am trying to decide if I should remove it and use it instead for the largest climbing Onc. The catt divisions havent been on there long and their roots are mainly in the moss ball, im not concerned about setting it back really, as the main plants are potted. Plus it was my first mounting attempt ><
Only other thing I have on hand would be this other old burnt looking driftwood piece, both have been outside for about a year and had been thoroughly soaked b4hand.
Do you think either of these would be ok.
I think I could manage to get most of the large onc bulbs and roots against the cattleya piece, or could split the plant (/gulp) and mount disivions in several places on the black log?
What are your opinions? Wait and go branch hunting or can I make do with what I have?

Not sure why pics are sideways..sry

[estación seca]

I would mount the entire Oncidium on the burnt driftwood. No need to split it up. The plant will figure out where to grow.

Photos often show up sideways when taken with or posted from a phone.

[Optimist]

Well that looks great! If you have other water loving orchids doing well in your environ, then I would think an oncidium would. They do have small roots, so do like lots of watering. Bravo! Well Done!

[bil]

Originally Posted by cjm3fl

Not better but...

I had 3 "areas" of 1 kind of Dendro mounted on a Ficus tree.
The tree went bad on my; bad growth in too many areas, too big, too bare.
I had to get rid of it.

So as I was cutting it up I cut the 3 areas of Dendro out to save them.

I went to Walmart and got 3 round, wooden, plaques from the arts and craft isle.
I sprayed both sides with a clear sealant then drilled small holes thru those and into the bottom of the branches holding the Dendro.

Used some slightly larger screws to attach the plaques to the bottom of the branches, so the plaque would act as the base/stand.

Here's some photo's when finished from last October...

Now that's a nice effect. Well done!

---------- Post added at 03:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:41 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Dezzie

Im not able to go branch hunting for a while yet, I have these random cattleya pieces on driftwood I only mounted a month or two ago. I am trying to decide if I should remove it and use it instead for the largest climbing Onc. The catt divisions havent been on there long and their roots are mainly in the moss ball, im not concerned about setting it back really, as the main plants are potted. Plus it was my first mounting attempt ><
Only other thing I have on hand would be this other old burnt looking driftwood piece, both have been outside for about a year and had been thoroughly soaked b4hand.
Do you think either of these would be ok.
I think I could manage to get most of the large onc bulbs and roots against the cattleya piece, or could split the plant (/gulp) and mount disivions in several places on the black log?
What are your opinions? Wait and go branch hunting or can I make do with what I have?

Well, it is all down to what you want. If you like the plaque effect, go for that, but if that driftwood is from the sea, I would expect it to be saturated with salt, and I don't know how you would be able to guarantee you had enough out not to burn the roots.

I really like branch mounts. I feel they look really natural (duh) and the only way I can really describe it is that when I compare those orchids in their pots to how they are on the mounts, it's the difference between a caged bird and one flying free.

Just make sure that the branch wood is hard enough to last a while. You don't want to have to be repairing or remounting them every year or two.

---------- Post added at 03:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

You don't have to bleach/treat the wood. Just pick a harder wood that doesn't break down rapidly, and select something that's been dead outside for over a year. Leave the bark on.

I'm curious. Why does the wood need to be dead a year? I have to admit I have had some orchids mounted on a branch that an hour before was growing on the tree.

---------- Post added at 04:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

I'm sloppier and lazier than bil in order to spend more time messing with my plants, rather than putting tools and workshop back in order

Well, my problem is if I put something away, I seem to always have to get it out again five minutes later.

I did once have a small workshop and it got so full of junk I couldn't actually open the door to get in.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I've found that weathered heart-of-pine (a.k.a "fatwood" or "fatlighter") is a highly durable and very hard mounting wood. This is the highly resinous center of old pine trees, generally what is left over when the soft wood rots away in our local pine forests. It weathers into interesting shapes too, especially the parts that come from pine stumps. When weathered, you can't smell the resin at all unless you cut into it (them it smells like turpentine). I have a section of pine stump fatwood that I'm using to mount a Rossioglossum (formerly "Oncidium") ampliatum.

I'm also experimenting with using Wisteria for mounting Vandas, though Wisteria is a soft wood. I know some people love Wisteria, but if it is growing in the wrong place, it is an invasive tree-killing nuisance. The spiral shapes of the big woody vines seem ideal to me for mounting Vandas.