Is this coconut husk mount appropriate?

[musicloveranthony]

I had been given these two dend/phal hybrids by a friend who was moving out of state and couldn't bring them. They had been potted for three years in the same sphagnum moss, which had heavily rotted. I trimmed all the dead roots and repotted in medium bark mix.

I'd had them in the bark for about a month, when i could see through the pot that the roots were rotting even more. The plants were both putting out new growth, though, so I decided to try something more natural and mount them. I decided on coconut husks, as I thought they'd survive in my 65% humidity orchid room better on coconut husk, than on bark. I decided against using any moss when mounting them, as they didn't take well to the moss before.

I had never done any mounting before, so this work may look amateur. I am just hoping anyone with more knowledge than I could guide me. Was it appropriate to mount with no moss, since the husks are absorbent? Are they mounted in a realistic fashion? Anything I should modify?

Appreciatively,

Anthony

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I think you should be okay with the coconut husk mounts. I also think you were observant enough to see they didn't do so well with moss and didn't put any on there.

I've mounted Dendrobiums before and they didn't seem to do so well with the moss.

There are also commercially available coconut coir mounts for sale. These might come in larger sizes than the coconut shell you have. In the future, you could check those out too.

As far as the mounting job is concerned, I think it's fine. Later down the line with a little bit of practice, you can use fishing line to tie the orchids onto their mounts rather than twisty wire.

Only time will tell from now on. Try re-posting in another few months to let us know what happened.

[kiki-do]

It looks fine to me, too. I am not good at mounting either, but if they like where they are, the roots will take hold in no time and they will do their own thing anyway.

[camille1585]

I know that with CHC you need to soak it a long time beforehand to remove the salt in it since they grow near salt water. Wouldn't that also be the case with whole husks?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I know that with CHC you need to soak it a long time beforehand to remove the salt in it since they grow near salt water. Wouldn't that also be the case with whole husks?

Could be.

You're the first one to address it, go for it tell us what you know.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Could be.

You're the first one to address it, go for it tell us what you know.

The only thing I do know is what I learned on OB when I was asking about CHC. Coconut trees get sprayed with salt water, so the husks are full of it (also learned that in my hort classes). Orchids don't like the salt so they need to be leached out. What I learned here was to either soak the CHC several days, changing the water regualily, or soak it just a day with some epsom salts. The sodium in the CHC is leached out by being replaced by magnesium from the epsom salts.

[V_coerulea]

CHC is processed in areas of high salt concentration and they sit in piles drenched in salt spray. So salt is a problem in CHC. Whole husks are not treated the same way. I would take the precaution of a preliminary soak but no worry about the salt. It doesn't penetrate the husk until it's opened or waterlogged. Cocoanuts float. Did you open the husk yourself? If not, the surface area exposed is still minimal compared to CHC so soak to wet and change the water once or twice but there shouldn't be much problem from salt.

[Suresh Kalyanpur]

Anthony you've done a good job of mounting the chids. My only concern is that dendrobiums need to be watered in plenty and as a result grow plenty/mass of roots. You may find after some time the coconut shell doesn't offer too much space to support those roots. Only time will tell - but it is worth the attempt - I am sure it will ultimately work out.
I have grown a couple of tolumnias on coconut shells and they are doing well - reason could be their roots are small and thin and get good support from the fibre on the inside of the shell.
I normally soak the shell/husk for about a week changing the water every day. You will get reddish water every time to pour it out into the sink - that I am told is the salts/chemicals which could harm orchids.
Best of luck with your mounted dens.

Suresh Kalyanpur