how or what is the best way to mount a dendrobium
 

well we had a heck of a storm last night.. i had to rush and bring in all the orchids from out side in the dark rain and thunder and lightning.. no fun.. 2 of my dendrobiums got knocked over lost all of the material they were in
and decided.. i had great luck mounting a phal. and its a beaut.. i want to mount dendrobiums.. but i would like to find out how either in nature they grow/or mounted the natural way.. and then do that.. i think it would be interesting to say the least and another learning curve for me.
the phal i mounted was sooo happy.. it now has a flower spike and lots of new roots and growth.. which makes me verry happy too.. heh..

This depends on what kind of Dendrobium you own.

Just to give you an idea...

Dendrobiums from the section Spathulata grow upright and should be mounted in such a manner.

Dendrobiums from the section Dendrobium which includes Den nobile, for the most part are pendulous growing (grow downwards).

The above mentioned are generalized examples.

However... :evil::evil::evil::biggrin:

I did find some sites with a few Dendrobium pics of them growing in situ! :)

Vortex's Orchids - Orchid In Situ Pictures

Google Image Result for http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2097/2253864671_29621f946b_o.jpg

Google Image Result for http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2633619806_db7f6a9a2a.jpg?v=0

Google Image Result for http://las.new-england.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/images/20070317-006-dendrobium-sml.jpg

Dendrobium speciosum growing atop on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I think you get the point...

You'll start seeing growth patterns that will tell you whether they grow downwards or upwards or if it doesn't matter. Most are epiphytes, but a few are lithophytes or terrestrials.

The problem is, the genus Dendrobium is very large.

It is advisable to mount smaller Den. It is not so easy to mount mature ones as they are too big already.

There are a lot of Chinese posts for mounting Den. Here're some examples. You can still read the photos :)

Read photos in this link from the bottom to the top:
page 1
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/taiwan-or...758&l=f&fid=25
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/taiwan-or...767&l=f&fid=25

mount small den

mount den

another link
another link
another link
another link

ty guys,.. this one is named hollywood.. dont know what type it is unfortunately.. its the ones you get at the big box stores.. planted upright as they all are.. heh.. and ty for the sites! ill go check them out ..

my guess would be if it is from a bbs your den is likely a phal type or nobile - those are the only ones I have ever seen in stores anyway ;)

i have had good luck mounting large dendrobiums using monofilament fishing line. the thinner the better, as even 4lb test can hold a pretty good-sized orchid, and thinner line is more invisible. if your plant is getting a LOOOT of sun, though, you may want to use heavier line as the sun rots the mono. i sometimes use my really complicated fishing knots, but find that standard "granny"/half hitch knots work just fine on lighter line.

i just wad some moss against the mounting spot, place the main root cluster over the moss, and wrap it until snug while adding a bit more moss over the roots and under a few of the wraps. this gives some moisture retention while the plant is adjusting to its new home, but mostly falls away by the time it is fully adjusted and clinging on its own. i then tightly tie one end of the fishing line to the mounting branch, and loosely tie the other end high up on the dendro cane. this gives it support, but doesn't "choke" it. repeat for each cane that seems to want to fall away. eventually you can cut the line once the plant is free-standing, or just let the sun do it for you. ta-DAA!

with a lot of water and sun, i have yet to see a dendrobium that didn't take off and stand on its own within a year or even less.