Drift wood and osmunda mounts

[Osmunda-fiber-farmer]

Hello,
I am new to the forum. Just caught an orchid fever a few weeks ago and find myself here. I like how orchids look on mounts and have purchased about 2 dozen orchids that I like to mount on large drift wood pieces and on osmunda chunks. I have a lot of osmunda fern growing and am in no short supply of osmunda fiber as a growing medium for orchids. I have been using wire to mount the orchids, but I think natural fiber is a great option. Any advise on mounting and growing on drift wood?
I plant all kind of flowers and veggies but don’t know much about epiphytes. I live in coastal North Carolina and plan to move the mounted orchids outdoor when night time is over 50s. It is humid here and it rains a lot. I hope they do well outdoor as much as the bromeliads. I have a few bromeliads outdoor and they grow bigger than any sold at the local nurseries.

[Roberta]

First, they will love the rain. For mounted orchids in general, the challenge is to keep them hydrated. The Cattleya group and others with substantial psudobulbs are easiest since they have those reserves - in fact Catts and relatives need the wet-dry cycle to thrive. Others, with thin leaves and no pseudobulbs (such as pleurothallids) are much less forgiving. They typically benefit from a pad of sphagnum moss over the roots to help them stay hydrated.

The osmunda chunks will tend to stay wetter than the driftwood, so those would be good for thin-rooted plants that like to have more even moisture. A caution with driftwood - if it is from the ocean, it is a challenge to remove ALL salt from it, and that's critical - sodium is pretty deadly for all orchids. If that can be accomplished, or it came from a fresh water source, it can be a terrific mount. For wood in general, a rough surface (with either no bark or bark firmly attached) is best.

Once you have figured out the best mount for each plant, some more considerations to think about:
Timing - the time to mount an orchid is when it is just starting to root. Some, like Phalaenopsis and Vandas, will be growing new roots any time they are needed so not so touchy. Cattleya-group orchids typically have only one period per year (sometimes two, especially hybrids) when they are actively rooting. Mature roots will not adhere to the mount - only the new, active ones do that. Advantage of catching just when they are starting is that it is nearly impossible not to do some damage to those tender green root tips, which will cause them to stop growing. If you catch it when it is just starting, there will be more to emerge after you're done handling the plant.
Be sure that you are putting the growing part of the plant next to the mount (aesthetically, it may look like the growing part should be outward... it will not attach to the mount)
Make sure that if you put multiple plants on a mount, that they all want similar conditions (light, temperature, water) because that is what they are going to get.

[Osmunda-fiber-farmer]

Hello Roberta,
Thank you for your advice. I am very exicted with this new hobby. I have some large drift wood pieces I got from the river and they would take a number of orchids to put on it. I am researching on growth habits , condition, color combination etc for this big project. I am also putting the driftwood pieces on a rotation axis so the plants can get even lighting. I will post photos once the mount is completed. Thank you so much for reaching out and give me advice. I love beekeeing people and I have a feeling that orchid people are awesome too.

[Roberta]

Depending on the size of the plants, nylon fishing line can be very good for tying plants to the mount. It is strong, waterproof, and nearly invisible. 12 lb line seems to be the "sweet spot" - 10 lb breaks too easily, 14 lb is stiff and a bit hard to work with. Once the plant has firmly established on the mount, easy to cut the pieces of fishing line for removal.

[estación seca]

Welcome!

Dental floss works well, too.