First Mounted Orchid

[RosieC]

On mine with a similar amount of Sphag, when I water in the morning the Sphag is dry by the evening, on hot days it's dry by mid-day.

I'm still only watering once a day in my climate, but the sphag is definitely helping it get more moisture and the plant is doing well and doesn't need the spag moist all the time.

[Corsetière]

Great! I am hopeful that it will help me.

[Ray]

Corsetiere - put more moss OVER the roots, not under them.

Maybe I'm just unlucky that way, but whenever I have put the roots on top of the moss, on top of the mount, the plants don't attach to the mount very well. When the roots are in direct contact with the mount, and kept moist by the moss "overcoat", it's been a whole different story.

[RosieC]

Interesting point Ray. The moss in mine is under the roots only, not on top BUT the roots are growing over and past it and are attaching out where there isn't moss. Also looking closer again at the pictures the difference is my moss is not continuous under them, it's a bit here and a bit there, some of the new roots are starting to attach in the gaps were the moss isn't.

I can well see they can't attach where there is moss, I put it under the existing ones but with plenty of space for new ones to attach and SO FAR it seems to be working well that way.

I've read various posts where some folks like moss under, others like moss over. Because all my roots were previously aerial I didn't want to smother them so went with under. I hadn't thought about how they would attach, but with the gaps and them spreading out further than the moss they seem to be managing it.

[Corsetière]

I am a chronic Phal killer so I decided to err on the side of caution and thought if I put the moss under, the roots would get more air flow? Maybe it is not really necessary?

[RosieC]

That's why I put it under as well. I don't think existing roots will grip the mount anyway, but maybe make sure there are plenty of places new roots will be able to grip it without the moss blocking them. Mine has bits of moss under but it's not everywhere.

[Ray]

I think the ladies' concern over suffocation is unwarranted:

Root suffocation with moss occurs when a large mass compresses after extended periods of overhead watering, and cannot dry rapidly, being down in the pot.

On a mount, the mass of moss is small, so there is little chance of significant compression, and nothing is slowing the water loss, so - as you have pointed out - it dries really fast.

[RosieC]

Thanks Ray, good to know!

[topiarybud]

a

[My Green Pets]

Seems to be coming along!