Growing on trop. hardwood (Ipe)?

[tropterrarium]

I got a bunch of tropical hardwood scraps of ipe (Tabebuia, Bigoniaceae): 1x6, 2x4, 2x2, 4x4. Has anybody mounted on it? It is very dense and heavy, but should be more rot-resistant than other woods. Given that it is so hard, roots can certainly not penetrate it, but I wonder whether roots can attach to it. It may work ok for species with thick roots (Epidendrums, Brassia), but not for more dainty rooted groups (pleurothallids). Any experiences?

Otherwise, I've mounted on natural branches (manzanita, citrus, hibiscus), wood slabs (pine, redwood, oak), cork, some treefern.

I grow in terrarium and GH, intermediate temp with RH around 75-80%.

[tucker85]

I've never tried mounting on hardwood but I think that the grain is so tight that it probably wouldn't be an ideal mount. The tight grain keeps hardwoods from absorbing much moisture and doesn't provide a good surface for the roots to attach to. On the other hand some orchids will grow on almost anything so even though it might not be ideal you may get it to work for some plants. Good luck.

[glengary54]

To Prove a point, I have grown orchids on compact disks, so porosity would not be my concern as long as you are willing to water frequently. My concern is that ipe is an oily wood and I don't know how orchid roots would react to the oils. I would try one plant and see what happens.

[tropterrarium]

Cool, growing on CD! I agree that penetration of wood by roots is not as much of an issue. The oil is an interesting point, and that could be quite significant. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Connie Star]

Originally Posted by glengary54

To Prove a point, I have grown orchids on compact disks, so porosity would not be my concern as long as you are willing to water frequently. My concern is that ipe is an oily wood and I don't know how orchid roots would react to the oils. I would try one plant and see what happens.

Do you have photos of orchids growing on CDs? That would be fun to see.

[glengary54]

I don't, I gave it to the person whom I was proving a point to. I will mount something tomorrow and post a picture once it is established.

[got ants]

Teak is a type of "iron" wood, and a rare commodity amongst growers. It will last forever, insect resistant, rot resistant, and also a decorative wood.

I would jump on the Ipe wood in a heartbeat. I might age it a little in the sun, before mounting an orchid to it. Just drill a hole and put your mounting wire on it, and hang it amongst your plants. Once you've seen some aging, go ahead and mount something to it.

[RJSquirrel]

ipe wood has the highest rating for natural insect and disease resistance with no treatment.

but if this ipe wood was used for decking as thats what it is for. It has been impregnated with toxic chemicals and preservatives.

[keithrs]

I would mount on Ipe in a heart beat.

[glengary54]

For those of you who are interested, here is a link to a very informative article on Ipe wood.

Ipe Lumber- ipe wood's properties, toxicity, hardness etc.