Saltwater Driftwood - Orchid Board

ronaldhanko · #1 09-26-2010, 11:07 AM

Does anyone have any experience using driftwood from the ocean for mounts? I picked up a couple of nice pieces the other day thinking to use them as mounts, but wonder if they've picked up salts that might be harmful to the plants or at least make them unsuitable for mounting plants.

UKCat · #2 09-26-2010, 12:57 PM

I believe that the salt will be harmful to the orchids, but with a lot of soaking in clean water it might be possible to use it.
Do you have any running water near you? You could tie it off and let that clean it, or you could soak it in rain water changing the water every couple of days.
Not sure how you would test for any remaining salinity though.

Junebug · #3 09-26-2010, 02:26 PM

I have one piece of driftwood that washed up on shore after TS Fay rolled through. It was encrusted with sand and barnacles when I found it so I gave a really good soaking outdoors in a large rubbermade container. It was rather large and odd shaped so it had to be rotated periodically and weighted in order to stay submerged. I changed the water when it darkened from tanins and this process went on for several months. My mounting test plant was a keiki from a phal type dendrobium. It has grown really well and I now feel that it's safe to mount more chid companions.

CTB · #4 09-27-2010, 05:35 AM

I've just started mounting and I really love it. I have bought some driftwood than says to soak for a week, so a week or two should do the trick, changing the water daily.

What are you going to mount? That's what my question always is. I don't really know enough about the growth habits of orchids to decide very well, but mine are doing good, some are better now that they are mounted. I think most orchids enjoy being mounted it's more like they're natual habitat.

ronaldhanko · #5 09-27-2010, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTB

I've just started mounting and I really love it. I have bought some driftwood than says to soak for a week, so a week or two should do the trick, changing the water daily.

What are you going to mount? That's what my question always is. I don't really know enough about the growth habits of orchids to decide very well, but mine are doing good, some are better now that they are mounted. I think most orchids enjoy being mounted it's more like they're natual habitat.

I don't know yet what I'm going to mount on the driftwood, but I have a lot of small pleuros and dendrobes that I like to mount. In pots the moss tends to overwhelm them.

got ants · #6 09-27-2010, 01:24 PM

I have some buttonwood that came from the Fl Keys. I didn't soak it, but hit it with a pressure washer and then left it out in the rain for a while. I have Enc tampensis, Vandas, and Brassavola nodosa mounted on it with no ill effects. I also have an orchid tree, that is field gathered cypress branch that has been set in concrete, and has about 15 different orchids mounted to it.

My only concern with soaking it, is if after drying out, and then soaking in fresh water, it may split.

Call_Me_Bob · #7 09-27-2010, 01:37 PM

ive never had SW driftwood but i soaked my FW driftwood for a good two weeks changing the water every to days. so you would have to soak yours for at least that long. most likely longer

Izzie · #8 09-27-2010, 04:28 PM

You can buy tools at saltwater aquarium stores that measure salinity.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #9 09-27-2010, 11:25 PM

A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of water. It is relatively inexpensive, and like Izzie said, it is easy to find in a tropical fish aquarium store.

There are meters that measure for salinity, but they are expensive and very rare.

The average specific gravity of the oceans/seas around the world is 1.023. If you measure the specific gravity of salt water, it actually differs slightly from one ocean/sea to the next.

As a reference, most tropical reefs occur in water where the specific gravity is somewhere between 1.023 and 1.027.

The specific gravity of freshwater is something between 1.001 and 1.005.

Specific gravity values of a body of water can change slightly depending on the temperature as well.

Again, as a reference, the specific gravity of brackish water is between 1.010 and 1.017.

Cyplover · #10 11-11-2010, 08:55 PM

soak it in fresh water for a couple of weeks changing the water once a day or so,if you do decide to mount it use an encyclia cochleata they are adapted to slightly salty climates due to growing in florida