Waste of a tree fern mount?

[gravotrope]

I have a jiminy crickett on one (b. nodosa x r. digbyana) A b. david sanders (b. cucullatta x r. digbyana) on one, and a dendrophylax on another. I know jiminy cricketts will grow basically anywhere so I'm thinking of taking it off and dividing it before the new growth pushes out roots, but I don't know what plants like it best...I've got mini catts (except c. luteola)? tolumnia? b. cucullatta? bulbos? pleurothallis? scaphyglottis prolifera?

So the simple version of my question is: what plants like treefern mounts the best as opposed to wood?

[tucker85]

I've only been doing mounts for a couple of years but, so far, my cattleyas seem to like cork or wood better than tree fern. I don't know why but that seems to be what I'm seeing. I have one oncidium on a tree fern mount and it's doing great but needs to be watered often. My guess is that orchids with thin roots may like tree fern.

[Brooke]

I use tree fern mounts for orchids that prefer to be slightly more moist than something that wants to dry out fast.

I usually use them for Phals and the Angraecoid family.

Brooke

[gravotrope]

When Brooke weighs in...you better listen! Really Brooke, you must have a lot of love for your plants, because whenever you post a photo it looks amazing! I grow outdoors without a greenhouse, and now because of your advice I am thinking the treefern mounts can help higher humidity plants (like cattleya luteola after all.)

I have 2 small Sobennikoffia robusta, and a much larger Angcm. sesquipedale, which can still grow a LOT, though in addition to the plaques I also have a treefern totem that needs a plant (or as many Tolumnias as I can stuff onto it...though now I am thinking they would prefer wood...am I right??)

A vining type would look nice, I am hoping to get Angcm. leonis, dollii, vigueri, or eichlerianum.

I also already have an Angcm. calceolus and Angcm. didieri with keikis I could use.

[plumania]

I have a C. Green Emerald 'Orchid Queen' growing in tree fern pot (hollowed in the middle of treefern disc). Seems to be doing OK . It was slow to catch on,probably because it is a bifoliate. Allows me to water daily, as it dries out real quick. I love how roots poke through tree fern.
And,I also have a Bulbo in treefern pot. However it seems to like growing at the intersection of hollow and treefern part. The hollow part is filled with bark and moss etc.
Both plants bloomed last yr. I have the plants for about 2 yrs.

[Brooke]

Originally Posted by ovanoshio

When Brooke weighs in...you better listen! Really Brooke, you must have a lot of love for your plants, because whenever you post a photo it looks amazing! I grow outdoors without a greenhouse, and now because of your advice I am thinking the treefern mounts can help higher humidity plants (like cattleya luteola after all.)

I have 2 small Sobennikoffia robusta, and a much larger Agcm. sesquipedale, which can still grow a LOT, though in addition to the plaques I also have a treefern totem that needs a plant (or as many Tolumnias as I can stuff onto it...though now I am thinking they would prefer wood...am I right??)

A vining type would look nice, I am hoping to get Agcm leonis, dollii, vigueri, or eichlerianum.

I also already have an Agcm. calceolus and Agcm. didieri with keikis I could use.

I agree a T.F. mount would be better for something wanting more moisture and wood would be great for the Tolumnia.

My didieri is on a square T.F. mount - basically the original growth produces new growths that go straight out from the mount.

You might consider the bigger growing Angraecoid family live in a clay pot with some type of stone/clay/lava in the pot to keep it stable. You can water daily when needed and ignore for a day or two when it is cloudy. I have the sesquipedale and mine is still in a 4" pot but has two baby growths on it that will eventually make it very heavy if mounted. I have a primary hybrid that is huge with multiple TALL growths and it is in an 8" clay pot in Growstones and would rip itself off a mount.

I don't have any of the others but do have several more in the family and they grow like shrubs, not like vines. If you are interested in using the T.F. totem, I can give you the names of them.

The most important thing is to know the eventual size of that particular orchid.

Thanks for the compliment but I have made many mistakes when first getting a new orchid. Hope I can help you.

Brooke

[gravotrope]

Originally Posted by Brooke

I don't have any of the others but do have several more in the family and they grow like shrubs, not like vines. If you are interested in using the T.F. totem, I can give you the names of them.

The most important thing is to know the eventual size of that particular orchid.

Thanks for the compliment but I have made many mistakes when first getting a new orchid. Hope I can help you.

Great point Brooke, since Sobennikoffia robusta and Angcm. sesquipedale are eventually very large, mounting doesn't seem like the best move, though the 2 robusta have several years before reaching bloom size it still seems like they would do better in pots...really heavy ones that won't tip over. What do you use your TF totems for? I saw one not too long ago on this site that was just stunning...I don't remember was it a scottianum or was it just something else with that resupinate look?

I have seen a setup for a Vanilla in a clay pot that has a piece of treefern or cypress sticking up out of the center to add support (and humidity), which now makes sense for anything that likes to vine like Angcm. bicallosum, birrimense, infundibulare, or another one of those numerous African vining species...

Mistakes are part of the learning process, and this is why the OB is so helpful! The real test of intelligence is being able to learn from someone else's mistakes and not just your own!

Unfortunately mistakes can sometimes result in the loss of a plant . I lost my Cirrhopetalum Elizabeth Ann since it was my first bulbo AND it was just backbulbs with no roots I got from a friend...it rotted just as a new growth appeared! and my first Dendrophylax funalis survived being remounted and living next to two dumpsters on a scorching patio almost a full year before it had the same rot problem... And my Zygopetalum (or Zygopabstia) ALMOST died after I divided it. Fortunately now I am at a house with zero dumpsters in sight !

Kevin

[Ray]

There has been - quite correctly - a lot of focus on the needs of the plant here, but let's not forget the growing conditions and watering tendencies of the grower, as they can have a significant impact on that decision, as well.

[gravotrope]

Good point Ray. I have some in clay pots, some in plastic pots, some in baskets, and some on mounts.

My culture is outdoors in south Florida, and most naturally occurring species here all have adapted to a dry season. Encyclia, Cyrtopodium, Tolumnia, and Brassia are a few of the native Florida Genus. I have a few species that I water every day unless the water storage pseudobulb is full, or if it is something that I know needs to dry out like a Cattleya.

[debrasoon]

Hi. I have many pine bark mounts and the orchids so the best mounted. The bulbos, cattleyas and phals. Even the small dendrobes. Trick then is to ensure you water thoroughly though.


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