My orchid tree
 

Thought I'd share this idea for anyone who does live in areas conducive to keeping orchids outdoors. I don't have a whole lot of space for pots everywhere at the moment (although they still seem to creep into every available space :P ) but I do have this tree on my property. Last year I decided one day to just stick a whole bunch of spare plants all over the tree and see what would stick. They've done about 18 months there now and are starting to stick to the tree with their own roots and most are now putting out new leaves.

I have attached Dendrobium speciosum, a yellow oncidium, a Miltonia, a Liriope, an Osmoglossum pulchellum and my mystery red leaved Dendrobium. Non-orchids on the tree are 3 tillandsias and a Staghorn fern.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x...x/photo3-1.jpg

Great Idea. When everything is established and blooming you will be awed!

Very cool! I'd love to be able to do that!

Awesome!

I was considering trying this!!
It's exciting to see someone doing this succesfully.

Just attached s cheap NOID... hope it does as well as, yours


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I must take an updated photo as the orchids have grown a bit and the tillandsia in the middle has decided to flower and has turned bright red :)

Good luck with yours ordphien!

Please do!

So pretty! My inlaws in Fl have naturally rooted air plants on many of their trees-I'm hoping that they will catch my orchid fever and try hanging a few orchids here and there.

There was another member who does this same thing in Southern California, in the US. His screen name is "epiphyte78". He had some older posts with pics. Anyone who is interested can check those out too.

I'm in SoCal but I can't do too many orchids in trees since our water odd liquid rock.

Do you mean the water is high in dissolved minerals?

Yes... very high in dissolved minerals and salts...
I use RODI water indoors but that's impractical for tree watering.

Not all orchids are sensitive to dissolved minerals and salts. Just find those that aren't sensitive.

Which ones aren't sensitive?
Any leads?

I would love to live some where that I could have orchids in a tree

Catts, Paphs, Phals, Cyms, Vandas, Papilionanthe, and Bulbophyllums, just to name a few.

Just find some that are temperature tolerant, and stick them on the tree.

There are some epiphytical Cymbidiums, btw. Same with Paphs, but the issue with Paphs is that the ones sold in the hobby that can tolerate cold, are not epiphytes.

There might be a few species of temperature tolerant Phals as well. I wouldn't try the hybrids.

If you can find a phal that suits your climate that isn't an epiphyte you can use basket lining coir or something similiar to create a 'pot' in the fork of a tree. Wire it on tight and it will grow happily and it won't matter if it's not really epiphytic.

My water kills catts and phals...at least they ones I've tried...
My cyms are doing well enough so far...
I haven't tried any of they other ones yet though...
There are? Where would I find a cymbidium like that?
Any cold tolerant orchids that grow in the leaf litter in the crotches of trees?

I don't think that your water is killing the Catts and the Phals. I think there are other factors at play.

Cymbidium aloifolium is actually an epiphyte or lithophyte. Sometimes it can be found as a semi-terrestrial as well. From the documentation, it's reputedly an intermediate to warm growing orchid. However, I really don't know what the plant can tolerate in terms of low end temperatures.

There are definitely orchids that grow terrestrially which can tolerate our cool winters here in SoCal. One of them is a native to China - Bletilla striata.

You may also try some of the other Bletilla species such as Bletilla formosana or Bletilla ochracea.

Where I live in Australia the cyms all grow on trees :) Occasionally you find one growing on the ground but it's usually when the branch they were on has dropped off. I have Cym suave and Cym madidum mounted in various ways, they like their roots to stay fairly moist but dry air doesn't seem to worry them too much and in winter here we can get some pretty heavy duty frosts and yesterday it was 45 degrees celcius and they grow fine under the trees and under my patio. I go out and throw some water from the hose on them every day until they are established and every few days once they get some good root growth happening and they seem to do fine.

Does Australia have native tillandsia?

I don't really know what else it could be.
When I use RODI water they thrive for me...
The water also kills fish... sadly...
And lots of garden plants...
I'm actually beginning to suspect it's the pipes or something.

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Hmm.....
I think....
I think....


That you just helped create a monster.

I might go purchase a few of those cheap NOID cyms and sick it in my tree...
And some oncidiums, and intergenerics, and brassia... and tenuifolia... and whatever else I can find cheap locally.

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Beautiful tree!