Mountign vs. Potting
 

So I am curious.......

mounted vs. potted. practical reasons, or just aesthetic ones?

I currently have several hundred young plants in liners, all need to be moved to a more permanent accommodation be it in a pot or mounted on a piece of bark or whatever.

So far, I have moved roughly 600 plants into semi hydroponic pots over the past week. 32oz. Fruit fly cups (holes drilled for drainage 1" up from bottom) and filled with Hydroton.

What I'm finding is that while the hydroton is going to be reusable for many years, this past week was ridiculously expensive at 35.00 a bag.

I'm in S. California, so it's usually hot and dry and no humidity to speak of.

I have a very large greenhouse.

What I have to transplant still are Cattleya, Orchidglade, Doritis and Laelia.

With large volumes of plants, I'm wondering if I should just mount all of these and water frequently instead of semi hydro.

thoughts?

I prefer mounted plants for looks mostly but I find that they are just as easy to take care of as potted plants. I just water a little more often. But like you said you live in a area that has less humidity then I do. Also unless you can find mounting material for free, it will be more expensive then the Hydroton

I have been growing is S/H for 6 years now. For me as a windowsill grower mounted orchids are a pain in the you know what. With the low humidity that we have here in Idaho iS/H has been wonderful. I too have Cattleya, Laelia, and Doritis in it. I have never heard of the genus Orchidglade though. Got pictures?

Sorry, not a genus.

I was typing quick as I was late for an appointment... it's Cattleya orchidglade.
'
they stuck in my head when I was typing because they are huge right now.

It can really depend how you are growing them.

Mounts are not good for people growing inside their
house. Mine have to come in over the winter and it's a case of where to put them where it doesn't matter that they are dripping after being watered every day. I have three which hang over the side of other pots in the bathroom, but I would struggle with many more as I need the tiled area in the bathroom to allow them to drip as much as they want.

Having mounts outside or in a greenhouse is great though and I find them easier than the potted ones when they are outside. I don't need to think about them too much, just douse in water every day, let them drip on the floor and don't worry about them.

I agree with Rosie. Do you intend on selling your plants? If so, you may want to consider the average customer's desirability for potted vs. mounted specimens. It's easy for someone to mount a potted specimen but going from mount to pot is intimidating at best. I think the average person would prefer to purchase a potted specimen, especially if they don't grow in tropical conditions.

it depends on how much you can water, mounts need watered almost everyday. especially if you are in ca

The decision to mount a particular orchid can be dependent on practical reasons rather than aesthetics. Although, aesthetics can play a part in it, should the option be made available due to a cultivational environment that most closely approximates those of the environment that the orchid naturally inhabits.

It also depends on how well you're able to grow a certain plant using certain particular methods.

I think potted would be easier to sell, mounted orchids are always more expensive, and don't always make nice for the dinner table center piece. Also is there shipping involved, how about the weight factor.

Considerations of selling the plants aside, one advantage of mounting is the space savings you can get in a greenhouse. I've seen a lot of growers use angled mesh walls to hang rows of mounted plants, with benches for potted plants in between if desired. This may not be an issue for you if your greenhouse is very large and most of your plants are babies.

I don't agree that mounted plants are necessarily more expensive for consumers. A lot of growers now offer mounted plants at very similar prices to potted; while the initial investment for mount materials can be higher, the eventual savings in media and fungicides (I see a LOT less fungus on mounts than I do in pots) should break even after a short time. One grower/breeder I know mounts mostly on crape myrtle and red cedar, both excellent for the purpose and usually free for the taking in his part of the world.

I grow almost exclusively in my house, with a few orchids going outside for the summer, and at least 50% of my collection is on mounts. The dripping can be a problem, but I use 'humidity' trays or other houseplants underneath hanging orchids to catch any runoff. Potted plants drip too, for that matter, especially when you hang them up high...

For me the major advantages of mounting plants are light utilization (I can fill an entire SW window rather than just the sill) and ease of watering/fertilization. Most of my smaller mounted plants are hung on racks (cheap tie and pants-racks from the big box store) that I just take down and water en masse instead of taking each individual plant to the sink.

Just my opinion of course, YMMV... :)

--Nat