Aerangis Fastuosa mounted or in pot?

[Ruby_House]

Hi, I recently bought a Aerangis Fastuosa and it's mounted on a pvc pipe with moss around it. The thing is I'm scared the moss and mount doesn't allow for much airflow and that the roots will stay too moist and not dry between waterings.

So I was wondering if my fears are true, should I move it to a pot that will allow it to breathe? It also currently has a flower spike so I would probably have to wait for it to have bloomed before moving it. I'm just trying to think long term.

[estación seca]

Have you successfully grown other mounted plants? Them staying too wet is not a problem most people have.

[MrHappyRotter]

I don't grow this species, but I grow a handful of other Aerangis species, so I have a little bit of experience with this group. Mine are all mounted and I water them frequently (daily to every other day in winter, daily to twice daily in summer). They can be a bit of work when grown this way because of the need for frequent watering. On the flip side, I've had them outside (in summer) when it would rain for days on end non-stop without issue, so over watering is less of a concern with these when mounted.

I'd wait for someone with a little more experience with this group to chime in, but that mount is throwing some red flags for me. For one, I'm seeing some dark roots that are concerning. Also, the moss also looks a bit decayed/compacted (though obviously it's hard to tell from small, low-res photos), which is problematic even on a mount.

As for my recommendation: This is a smaller growing Aerangis with thinner roots than most of the ones I grow. If you are concerned about whether to mount it or pot it up, you can always get the best of both worlds. One method you could use is to mount the plant and then place the mount down into pot. The pot will help hold humidity around the roots and reduce the watering demands somewhat. This works really well for me. Alternately, you can get one of those small plastic hanging basket or net pots (or even a small wooden basket), and use a chunky mix to pot the plant.

[Ruby_House]

So update! I asked around and decided to leave it for now and since then it has started to grow 3 new roots!

[Ray]

There is "mounted" and there is "mounted".

To most, that means on a piece of wood, virgin cork bark or tree fern, with maybe a small pad of sphagnum to hold moisture. Unless one has very good humidity, it is difficult to keep up with watering in home environments.

What you have there can be thought of as "an inside-out pot" in which the plant is growing in the moss medium. That moss will certainly hold water better than a slab of wood with a small moss pad, but being as it's basically all surface area, should not present any issues with root suffocation.

I like that idea, and may fabricate a few for myself!

Let me add a general comment: "mounted or potted" has very little to do with the plant; it has much more to do with your growing conditions and watering preferences.