Bamboo mount?

[Call_Me_Bob]

is it ok to mount orchids specifically phals on bamboo? i have a bunch of dead and dry bamboo canes, that are good sizes, but would it be ok? they cam from the ground, so no treatment

[Izzie]

My first thought is that they may not hold enough moisture to keep the phal happy.
Honestly, the mounts that you find at Ray's site (firstrays.com) and repotme are the way to go.

[Call_Me_Bob]

alright, just trying to see if i can salvage any thing i already have, what if i put a layer of spagh between the bamboo and the chid?

[Izzie]

The sphag pad is pretty standard for any phal mount, yes. But the dampness of the mount, and the often irregular surface (barky, tree fern fiber) really encourage the roots to dig in and bond to the mount- as I suspect smooth, dry bamboo would not.
I'd worry about pests in the bamboo as well.

[Call_Me_Bob]

alright.....

[camille1585]

Pests would be a problem with any mount material picked up outside. Boiling mounts before use kills off pests and disease.

As for moisture retention, not many mounts retain much moisture.

I looked up bamboo used as mounts for orchids, and it seems that some people have done it, but they apparently use bamboo slabs, which I would take to be an extra large cane cut in half. The inside of the cane is rougher I think, so the roots have something to grip on, unlike the smooth exterior.

Here is a photo of John's ( jkofferdahl) Phal bastianii mounted on bamboo. I hope he doesn't mind me posting his picture!
P. bastianii - Orchid Board Galleries

If you have a really small bamboo I suppose you could mount things, but it would have to be mini orchids, or else the mount will be out grown very quickly.

[Call_Me_Bob]

the largest is maybe about 3" across. so maybe ill try that slab thing for smaller orchids. i was originally thinking that i could screw or nail or tie them together somehow to have a big enough mount. but i guess nt unless i have a tiny plant

[camille1585]

Gives you an excuse to go shopping for minis!

[Call_Me_Bob]

yep ooh!! i just thought of something!! stefpix is going to give me a small keiki from a den and a reed stem epi. maybe one of them while they are small

[camille1585]

Those things get big quite fast, and then you'd have the problem of figuring out how to rip the thing off the mount without mangling the roots.

I think it's better to mount an orchid that won't overgrow it as soon as it's established. Do you have any mini phals you could experiment with?