Fun mouning Phal. Patricia Lillian

[Fernando]

When this great keiki arrived my first thought was 'this is no keiki at all!', so big the leaves and so long the roots as of many of my lesser Phalaenopsis. But Patricia Lillian (Phal. x Veitchiana X Phal. equestris) is still sitting at the old dry flower spike. So, how do you plant something like this?
Potting would mean that all aereal roots will die. Mounting on wood would surely mean watering every day or loosing the plant in the long term (no humidity here). While potting other plants I placed it alonside with my Neostylis (lost its spike btw). See first pic.

Then it struck me.
I made a second hanging basket. See second pic.

Just to see if it will work, I placed the new Phal. against the basket.

And so it looks freshly mounted!
The aereal roots will get spray water and all water dripping that side of the basket. If the plant wants to root inside, it can. The basket ist filled with a quite coarse mix of lava, dried sphagnum, peat and bark.
The plant is attached to the back of the basket with a wire. On one side Tillandsia ionantha on top Cymbalaria, some people call it a weed, I simply adore it. This way of mounting orchids not on wood but on a basket works quite well for me. It allows more humidity for the roots growing inside and still lot of ventilation for those growing outside, indeed, mostly the same roots, they branch and grow in- and outside.

Well, Val, I had my fun! I hope you like it, too!
Regards
Fer

[cbuchman]

Very nice. I really like the mount

[Val]

Nice basket!

I potted one of the keikis in medium grade bark +10% charcoal and no other additive, back in March and it's doing great. The roots being quite flexible (and 1" shorter then), I was able to coil them gently inside the pot. The roots that I can see through the transparent plastic pot developed some "fluffiness" which seems to indicate that they adapted to being potted.

[tucker85]

Good job! I love the way it looks.

[LuvPhals]

Wow! It looks great now but just wait till it blooms! Make sure you post some pictures so we can see it in bloom then!

[Fernando]

Well, yes, seven or eight new roots and a spike.
A really nice plant!

Fer

[WhiteRabbit]

Very cool!

[Fernando]

While the roots are winding in the basket, the leaves have adapted to more light and even sun and presumibly an overall dryer setting, now there is a spike ready to flower!

I wonder if I'll get keikis, too.

Fer

[Lagoon]

Gee that looks very pretty - nice job

[Fernando]

First bud opening!

Fer