Considering trying mounting

[jimbo0108]

I have about 4 Cattleya orchids I'm considering switching to mounting. I have never mounted before and was curious if I went in a empty lot next to me and cut pieces of oak trees if it would work? Would I have to let the wood dry out or remove the bark? Or is the bark good? I have seen in a previous posting pet stores have good wood for mounts in the reptile section...Although if j could do it for free by using the oak tree method that would be my choice :-)
Any help is appreciated, thanks

[calvin_orchidL]

Cattleyas are generally not grown mounted unless you have a greenhouse / live in South American where you can just chuck them onto trees. They are large, unless you are talking about smaller species / laelias / sophrinitis etc... However, you can go ahead and try it if you want!

I would avoid salvaged wood. A) you could be damaging the tree you're harvesting the wood from, B) there could be bugs that you will be contaminating your grow area with. C) Treatment usually involves boiling / treatment in a kiln / oven, which seems like too much work to me, especially when you can buy cork bark online / locally basically everywhere in the US.

Google 'orchid mounting materials' and you will see many many sources.

[catherinecarney]

I've shifted more and more of my smaller catts to mounts and they are doing better than they were in pots in my home conditions. However, my house is more humid than most (40-60% humidity even in the winter), so mounts probably won't be the way to go for everyone.

BTW, I've been using "found" materials for my mounts, ranging from Lake Erie driftwood to locust, pine, and osage orange bark and limbs. Haven't tried oak yet, but I do have a few nice old rose stumps stockpiled for spring....Typically any interesting looking prunings from the trees or bark from the firewood gets snagged for the orchids.

I haven't treated anything beyond making sure it's well dried (most bugs won't hang around without moisture) and clean (scrape off the mud). Moss and lichens don't seem to be a problem....

Bottom line is you won't know what works for you until you try it. Do your research, listen to the experienced people on here, and then make an informed decision about what will work best for you. Your plants will tell you if they're happy or not.

Happy growing!

Catherine

[gnathaniel]

Go for it, I grow many of my few-dozen-strong Laeliinae plus various other orchids on mounts, with the remainder mostly in open baskets. Most do much better for me that way and I enjoy the aesthetics of a well-grown mounted plant (not saying all mine qualify!).

Catherine made some great wood suggestions, and many types of oak should work well. I scavenge dead wood a fair amount with the main criterion being slow decay. Around here crape myrtle is abundant but I also keep my eyes peeled for pieces of juniper/red cedar, bald cypress, and rhododendron or azalea. Cedar shakes and shims from the big box store aren't free but they are cheap, lightweight, and versatile. On the somewhat pricier end, cork oak bark is excellent and common in pet store reptile sections or from various online vendors.

I likewise do little beyond cosmetic cleaning, and I try to encourage establishment of what mosses and liverworts will grow alongside the orchids. I keep most plants outdoors over half the year anyway so disinfection has little impact, but occasionally I boil a mount that I want to reuse, or for very small/delicate seedlings.

Finally, many of my mounted orchids seem to like a thin layer of sphagnum moss under their roots and a modest 'pad' of long coconut fibers on top. Everything gets tied on very tightly with 20-25# fishing line, it's important that the plant not wiggle excessively while roots establish. I'll try to post some photos in the next few days if you're interested.

[Gage]

Nat covered a lot. I would reiterate that you want to use something that won't rot. Also when considering the plant you want to mount keep in mind how much moisture different mounts will hold in your conditions and watering routine. I find the denser tree fern mounts to hold a lot of moisture, which works well for oncidiums and for cattleyas that don't want to dry out too much. Cork tends to dry out very quickly, which works for encyclias and many other cattleya types. I water almost everything daily in the summer when it isn't raining. Whatever works for you. Good luck!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Hi jimbo0108

Gnathaniel and I live in the same city.

To his list I would add heart of pine, ** IF ** it is highly weathered first.

Regular pine wood rots too easily, but inside many types of pine tree there is a resinous core that is hard and does not rot. Sometimes people use this for a fire starter material (referred to as "fatlighter' or Georgia fatwood"). When fresh, it is too resinous to be good for orchids. However, it is easily found in pine woods where the soft pine has naturally decayed, leaving the weathered fatwood behind. After weathering, the resinous quality is not apparent on the surface (you can't even smell it), so it does not harm plants. I have a Dinema polybulbon (tiny, fine roots) growing happily on some fatwood. A bonus is that fatwood often weathers into interesting shapes.

I have made many mounts from locally-derived wood, including slippery elm, maple, dogwood, grape vine, sourwood, and sweet gum. As long as the wood is not toxic, it is worth trying if you like the mount. Wood resistant to weathering is desirable because it can be a lot of trouble to remove a plant from an old decaying mount and re-establishing it on a new mount.

[Gage]

Good to know, Orchid Whisperer! I feel like I heard this some years back and forgot about it. I will keep my eyes peeled for this.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by jimbo0108

Considering trying mouting

Hey! This is a civilized orchid forum!

What you do in the private confines of your home is NOT a subject for here...

[jimbo0108]

Wow thank you all for the responses...I wasn't receiving emails in this post so I assumed I didn't get responses...glad I check back on it. I have a few pieces of wood I found I am going to post pictures of tomorrow and see what ppl think about them.