Water-filled Clay Mounts

[dougbraz]

Originally Posted by Dan796

I'd try putting well rinsed activated carbon into the log, bottle, or what have you. Activated carbon is used in aquarium culture to keep water from going stagnant and smelling bad. And it can easily be replaced every few months by dumpng it out, and replacing it with fresh activated carbon without disturbing the attached plant.

I'd also try putting the log/pot into the leg of panty hose like a bag before attaching the new plant so you can slip the plant off to clean and sterlize the same pot, or move to another pot. And the pantyhose would also keep out trash, and mosquitos from breeding in the pot water.

Why not just pour the water out if it smells? To be honest, I just top off the water every week with fresh water, but then living in the tropics as I do, almost all has already evaporated anyway and the hole at the top is so little that there is hardly any space for any "smell" to come out.
And the moss that grows on the outside IMO, only adds to the charm.

[silken]

I've only had my clay logs for close to a year but I have had no problem with smell or anything bad. A bit of moss, but I agree, it looks natural. Moss grows on logs in nature!

[Vanda lover]

I love the way moss looks. it's a good thing I do, because it grows everywhere here. Even on the window frame of our Jeep!

[Pilot]

You could fill it with distiller or RO water, too...I imagine that would slow down any mineral build up over a long period of time.


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[Tabbyblack13]

This sounds like an interesting experiment. I want to put this on my "to do" list.

What orchids would be good for this?


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[Jayfar]

Coincidentally, just this week Peter Lin posted on the Big Leaf forum about a similar product called Kool-Logs from Larry Mayse, who also grows a lot of orchids himself. Search for the two Kool-Logs threads on Big Leaf. Peter's first post also includes a coupon code.

Kool-Logs

https://www.facebook.com/koollogs

[dougbraz]

Originally Posted by Tabbyblack13

This sounds like an interesting experiment. I want to put this on my "to do" list.

What orchids would be good for this?


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Any cooler loving orchids that also need to stay relatively damp - pleuros, masdies, in general I think, small orchids - some small crawling bulbos also work.
The end result with flowers coming out of a moss covered pot can be really amazing - add some other small types of plants - carnivorous, maybe - and you can go crazy with the results.
From there it is a small step to mounting neofinettias on a large clump of volcanic rock standing in water covered in moss and lichen and some other weirder tiny plants... But..... I digress...!

[Silje]

I really love these kinds of mounts and will do some more tests with them. I have access to unglazed clay pots and jugs etc from local producers, but RO and rainwater have been difficult for me to get hold of in quantities needed to keep a mount like this full. Now I got a small RO system and should be able to top it up with clean water to reduce the salt and mineral build-up that have been a problem up to now.

[Vanda lover]

I wonder if one of those clay wine coolers or a Chia pet would work.

[dougbraz]

Originally Posted by Vanda lover

I wonder if one of those clay wine coolers or a Chia pet would work.

Doubt it!
The wine coolers if I am not mistaken are glazed and the pot you need for orchids should be UNglazed allowing the water to seep thru.
As to Chia pets? hehehehe. Don't see why you would want an orchid stuck to a Britney/Obama/Mr T figurine ,
but...each to his own...