Trouble with wood mounts that rot

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Lorraine

Hi Susan,

I forgot that I have a piece of cholla wood I bought 3 years ago. Nothing has happened to it. I stuffed a little moss in some of the holes to retain some moisture to get my den started but it looks like new, growth and roots everywhere. I need to get some more somewhere.

I think they sell cholla and cork at pet supply chains. You might try Petsmart in the reptile or rodent supply section. I know they carry something called Mopani wood. Mopani is reasonably priced and looks a lot like grapewood. It comes in interesting shapes and chid roots love it.

[Paul]

All woods rot and the wetter the mount stays, the faster it rots. If one uses wood mounts you simply have to accept that ... though it sure bites, particularly if you have a really cool piece of wood.

I always use moss on my mounts, but then my humidity is pathetic during the winter -- if I get it up to 30% I'm lucky -- so for me it is almost a necessity. I wonder how much longer yours might last if you remove the moss?

Venders use whatever substrates work for them and are easiest and cheapest to procure. Can't see getting mad at them for that.

I have some mounts in a terr (and yes I realize that's not the same as Florida) and I have observed cholla sometimes rotting away fairly quickly, other times demonstrating some great durability. Not sure why the difference.

The epiweb Ray mentioned might be the best option for you though there are woods like the Mopani, Junebug mentioned, that are more rot-resistant. (It's a very heavy, dense wood but does come in some neat shapes.) There are venders that sell it on Ebay just to give you another source to check out.

[susiep]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I still have not remounted this plant. It is still attached to that last bit of soggy wood. Perhaps that will be my Mother's Day project. Since today I can demand anything I want. I can request some uninterrupted time for potting and mounting my orchids.

I have cork, grapevine, and tree fern available. Of course there is always potting as an option too. I will just have to lay everything out and decide. I will post a pic of my finished product here.

Thanks again for all the great advice. I have found more vendors that specialize in species here in south Florida. I now have more plants to choose from that are not mounted, hence avoiding the problem.

[got ants]

Sue, before you remount that orchid, let me drop by some wood I have and see if we can find a piece that works for your needs.

I have cypress, cedar, and something I think really special, lychee. I believe you can use moss on all of these and have success, with the lychee being the one that might last the longest.

I'll be at the Redlands Fair on saturday or I can get it to you sooner.

Brady

[susiep]

Ok, Brady! It is too hot today to work on orchids! I will wait until Saturday for a piece of that lychee. Thanks!

[SOS]

Why not something inorganic? Mount it to the outside of a terracotta pot. You shouldnt have a problem with humidity if you can rot mounts with your humidity.

[susiep]

Well, I decided to use tree fern for the remount. Actually, I turned a tree fern pot side ways and pushed the root ball/remaining mount into the hole. It fit snuggly from top to bottom. I just added some coconut chips to fill in on each side to hold a little moisture and a thin layer of green moss on top to hold the chips in place. I can remove the moss later after the roots take hold of the chips and the tree fern. I tied up the longest "canes" to give them some support.

[got ants]

Susan, in the last pic, is that cyrtopodium punctatum in the lower left of the pic?

It looks like you're doing a good job recycling, redwood from a swingset? dog-eared fence board for angle support? 1"x2" PT wood for hanging stuff?

[susiep]

I don't know what that plant is. Another Catt type NOID. It is one of my rescue plants.

Yes, my shade house is very interesting. It reminds me of the Shrieking Shack from Harry Potter.