Mopani wood as a mount?

[Wrknnwf]

Was digging through some old aquarium stuff today and ran across this piece. I'd forgotten I had it. Well you know what happened next...I imagined that it was saying "Plant Me". But I'm not sure that some plants would like all the tannin in Mopani wood. This was in a (fresh) blackwater tank for some time. I soaked it good and it still leaches tannin.

So is this alright for a future mount and if you think so, any suggestions on what would do well? I was thinking a mini terrestrial. The piece is 10' tall x 10" wide at the base, but narrow with a very deep cavity. I can drill a hole on the bottom if necessary.

[estación seca]

I can't answer the tannin question.

You could grow this out in the open, with drier-growing epiphytes, or it would be a great centerpiece for a high-humidity terrarium.

I wouldn't drill a hole. Put about 2" of real garden soil in there. Overlay it with a loose layer of good sphagnum moss. Pot a small plant in the sphagnum, like a jewel orchid or mini Phal.

If you're going to grow it out in the open, set it near the window with the high part towards the window, shading the plant in the center. On the top edges and outside mount plants like Tolumnia and Dockrillia.

If you're growing in a terrarium, coat the wood with miniatures.

If you water with pure water and pay a little bit of attention to the sphagnum dampness, you won't have any problems from lacking drain holes. Greenhouse keepers for years grew all sorts of plants in containers without drain holes. They paid careful attention to the plant and used pure water so salts didn't build up.

[Wrknnwf]

Thanks! I do have a mini phal that I want to repot, but I'm waiting on it to finish blooming and then repot in spring. It's a hanger-on but finally down to the last blossoms. And I have lots of air plants that could go on the outside. That might be really cute.

[katrina]

I have used mopani would a few times...the pieces were from old freshwater set ups (soaked a few times over a few days, of course) and the plants took very well to them.

The only thing I did was soak them...the tannins have never seemed to bother the plants. 2 of them required my drilling holes for the hangers but that was it.

The main thing you want to consider is the eventual size of the plant because this wood seems to last forever so you want to make sure you have plenty of space for the plant to grow and mature. I can't imagine trying to remove something from this wood.

I have since given away the other plants but I still have my B Little Stars and it's very happy. This pic is a couple of years old...it's much bigger now. This one I didn't need to do any drilling because it had some natural holes that i used for the wire to hang. I used a little bit of sphag on top of the roots when I first mounted it ('08).



Any true epiphyte will do well on it. Catts and similar will need less tending on a mount and orchids that like more consistent moisture will require more watering when on a mount.

[Wrknnwf]

Thanks Katrina! Very helpful info. Glad to know they won't mind the tannins and you've made me remember to be careful of the plant's eventual size. Because of the deep crevice in this particular piece, I can't see prying anything out of it easily, so I'm glad to have your thoughts. I will try to choose a plant very carefully. I'm in no hurry because I want to be successful in the long term.

Your photo is just stunning! Thanks for sharing.

[katrina]

Glad I could help and glad you like the orchid.

Little Stars is an easy plant to grow into a specimen because it produces many growths around the plant and in only a few years it develops into a really nice clump. As long as it has a lot of light...it's a really good grower.

Happy hunting for the perfect plants for those mounts. Mopani is a great mount wood. Heavy but it's hard and seems to last a loooooooooong time.

I just remembered, I have an aclandiae on a piece of this stuff and it's doing really well too. Not as rampant of a grower as the LS but it's doing very well.

[Subrosa]

I have grown several plants on mopani, with varying degrees of success. Most plants did fine, but a Laelia just folded up and went downhill from the time I mounted it. Perhaps the tannins can be a problem for lime lovers?

[Wrknnwf]

Thanks Subrosa! This is also very helpful. I will steer clear of lithophytes choosing a plant.

When I was first thinking of using this wood, I envisioned something that would be happy growing on rotting wood or in leaf litter on a forest floor due to the leaching of tannins. But I can see that an epiphyte might do well if properly hydrated.

I have a lot to learn and for this particular project, I would rather be mindful than just run it as a "oh, what the heck" personal experiment.

[Triffid]

Just to add another to the list, Nefinetia falcata.

I had some good success with this plant on a mopani wood mount. Likewise I soaked the mount thoroughly before use, on the first soak the water was like stewed tea. When eventually the soak water became more transparent (insipid tea) and the wood itself had faded from it's initial state by a couple of tones, I felt more confident about mounting. To get the soak water clear may be near impossible.

Thus far, after two years mounted, I have had little to no reason for concern and the plant continues to thrive. Where before I had trouble with my first Neo, this one seems to be my happiest plant.

Hope you find a suitable occupant for your rather fabulous looking mount!