New Mount!!
 

I just mounted my new baby Catt-long name! AKA: (Rhyncholaeliocattleya Waianae Appeal)

The TINY bit of info I was able to find about it was only that of one parent and it's growth is around 20ish inches... this one is currently about 9 inches and is a year old.

I hope it does well with this, it has a few years growth room I hope. To my understanding, I can split it later on if it's growth is insane right?

I'm starting the mount off upright on a table, I can hang it later if it gets a bit rootie! Do these prefer to remain upright or upside down? I'm good with either, but I'd like to start it out as it is happiest.

I live is a studio right now and don't have any sunshiny windows (a BIT of afternoon light), so I'm growing under 2 bulbs that my Phals and Violets seem more then happy with. I know Catts like a bit more light, do you think it will be fine if I have it in the spotlight of the lamps? I could try to put it outside, but I tend to be "out of sight, out of mind" and would hate to forget about it... Temp and humidity has been easy to maintain since it's rainy and humid here in NC right now. I have a humidifier to plug in when it gets dry. Any tips?

Cattleya tends to grow along the mount and all over the place so this mounting seems right to me!
The only thing I am worried about is that this cattleya is gonna get MUCH bigger and it's gonna spread. So the mount seems a bit small. And taking an orchid off a mount is sometime an hassle ans they bound with their piece of wood and it can damage the roots.
I am not the one to ask for artificial lights as I grow on windowsills. But Cattleyas usually do well on mounts as they prefer to grow on the drier side. I put all my mounts in water for at least 15 minutes everyday. If the air is too dry or it's too hot, I tend to spray them 12 hours later.
Good luck.

Thanks much! I'm crossing my fingers too... If it outgrows it's mount faster then I anticipate I plan to use some creative methods I've seen others use! Hopefully all will work out... :scratchhead: The pictures I've found of others of this particular type show it to still have room in a 5-6 inch pot at 5-6 years of age. This mount has about 6 inches of grow room on the front side, so I hope it grows according to what it's siblings do!

I would have started this on the lowest portion of the mount since it tends to grow up. And nmounting any orchid is fraught with danger. You can cut the wood up if you ever really want the plant off. A good skill saw and grinder would work well. Hope to see it when it gets going. Here's an effort to grow a bunch of catts on a mount. This is just the beginning. Hope to get at least a dozen on here soon.

Thanks much for that! *sigh of relief*

You said they grow up? Everything I kept reading (though I may have confused myself as I'm researching Den care too since I bought them together and have never had them before) said to pot them tallest growth back so they can grow new growth forward... I only just finished mounting it, so I can move it if needed I think... I have it sitting flat on the table for now, I don't know if that makes a difference?

Like I said, I know NOTHING about Catts and Dens, so HELP! :biggrin:

and Thank you...;)

That's a cool mounting method by the way, is that a bird feeder?

I've seen people mounting a mount behind a mount to make more space... ^^
You probably can show the 'bottom of the mount toward the sun to have it grow that way first then when you put it upright it's gonna go up again.
Could make quite a show!

MC is right. You can alway mount the mount on another mount. Or pot it in a pot, mount and all. Or mount another catt or den on this one growing away from it's sibling. My mount is hardware cloth wrapped into a tight tube tied together with phone wire. Then I stuffed spagnum moss down into it. I only put enough moss in it to get the dead catts going. Hard to see but they all have started new buds. I am going to just attach more as I get them and pack more moss into it as needed. I like how yours is laying horizontal. Kinda cool.

Oh. Catts as well as other orchids tend to grow up. That is they tend to grow up on most mounts depending on the orientation of the mount which is usually hung....up. In the pic of yours the growth will most likely be to the back from where we are looking at it and grow roots to the back also. Just a thought. Plant another one at the bottom of the mount. In the crotch of the cut brach looking appendage and let it catch the one planted already.

Oldest growth to the edge of the pot - not the biggest - tho many will grow in multiple directions anyway. Catts will orient the growth upwards so don't hang it upside down.