Transferring Angraecum Distichum from pot to mount?

[DesignerofBeauty]

Hello Everyone!

My angraecum distichum seems to be doing well, but hasn't bloomed frequently for me. It's currently in a basket filled with bark on the floor of my terrarium. I have heard from numerous sources that it doesn't like to have its root system disturbed.

That being said, I'd like to bring the plant closer to the light source in my terrarium. This requires me transferring it from a pot (on the floor) to a mount (along the wall). Does anyone have any advice about how to do this in the safest manner? My terrarium has hygrolon on the wall, but I also have cork and live moss as well.

Thank you!

[katrina]

If it's doing well in the pot, why not just hang the pot where you were thinking of putting the mount? You can buy different lengths of pot hangers...some are designed to clip on the edge of pots and there are some that have a loop you set the pot inside. I have both kinds, many different lengths, and I hang a lot of pots...especially in the summer when everything is outside. Just a thought.

[wisdomseeker]

I agree with katrina.

Like you, I needed one of mine to be closer to the light in one of my terrariums (well established and growing in a small plastic net pot) around April of this year. I used 2 neodymium magnets (MAGNET4LESS-APPLIED MAGNETS-Neodymium Magnets-Rare Earth Magnets-Ceramic Magnets-Industrial Magnets-Magnets Wholesale To The Public). One magnet inside of the pot and the other magnet on the outside glass of my terrarium, which allowed for an easy mount against the back wall.

I have bare glass (with a solid black background), no cork or hygrolon. These magnets are very strong (some have a pull force of 65lbs & 120lbs - MAGNET4LESS-APPLIED MAGNETS-Neodymium Magnets-Rare Earth Magnets-Ceramic Magnets-Industrial Magnets-Magnets Wholesale To The Public). You can easily break/crack glass if not careful. The thickness of my glass is 3/8". You can not see the magnets in the photo below (for obvious reasons: magnet is inside of the pot and I could not get my camera in back of my terrarium to show the other magnet against the glass), but maybe it will help to show/give you an idea as to what I did.

Also... moving this orchid closer to the light really helped with flower mode.

[DesignerofBeauty]

Thank you for the advice! I like the magnet idea and will likely incorporate that. Any ideas on how to hide the basket?

[wisdomseeker]

Shape & size of basket? Basket material (plastic, wood, etc.)?

I guess it depends on what you want to do (cosmetically), along with the type of set-up you have. Most of my terrariums are mainly used for orchid grow-outs, so I'm not very concerned with exposed pots or baskets. If it is a focal display with a "natural feel" (like a vivarium) I would probably want to hide an unsightly 'man-made' basket, or pot, to blend in with everything else.

You might possibly be able to attach some cork bark on the basket... and then mount some sort of plant onto the cork bark as added camouflage (eg., live sphagnum)? Just throwing out an idea. I know you will come up with something creative (along with designing something of beauty). Let us know how it works out, and share a picture if you can (almost everyone loves a picture).

[DesignerofBeauty]

Wisdomseeker,

I have a vivarium, so I'm interested in the aesthetics of the setup. The pot is 2 inches, plastic, and is more of a "basket" as it has slots.

I am thinking of gluing some hygrolon to the basket and letting another orchid grow on top of the hygrolon.

Thanks for your tips! When all is said and done, I'll post pictures!