Stick it!

[Tracy]

So I have very few "trees" that are candidates for mounting orchids.  Some palms have been candidates but smooth trunked palms that are self cleaning aren't always the best either.  So I have followed the advice of one of the orchid growers I have acquired many plants from and either purchased "Orchids on a Stick" and mounted some myself.  In other words I choose to "stick it" sometimes.  DoomsDave's comments about stick mounts in my post on my Archontophoenix stump mount going rotten prompted me to create this post.  Just a few of my sticks as I walk around the yard.  Are you choosing sticks or boards sometimes too?

[palmsOrl]

Very nice, I'm impressed.  The orchids compliment the palms well and should do well mounted and hung like that.  I also have a few of those exact same type of hangers for some of my orchids and baskets.  They are not cheap, but worth it and last a long time.

Trunking tree ferns are apparently excellent for mounting epiphytes, including orchids, but then you would have to be into caring for large tree ferns too, which isn't the easiest in most climates and that is assuming you have the interest to begin with.

I have actually had good luck with tree fern plaque mounts for some orchids and bromeliads.  Some take to them well and some not so much.  Many require a bit of sphagnum moss around the roots to retain enough moisture when mounted on tree fern plaques in my experience.

[Silas_Sancona]

Nothing growing atm for obvious reasons but some future mounts, saved after i trimmed the Mesquite out front last year.  Base of the big boy, pic. #2,  is is about as thick as my arm.  Can see something Cattleya alliance..and some Tillandsia ( and / or an eye catching Billgergia ) fitting nicely on it. -This doesn't include a box full of other drift wood mounts, to be used later, sitting idle in the shed. When my orchid collection was sacrificed to the furnace after the move here, saved all those mounts as well.  Also going to try stuff that prefers growing on rocks, on natural Lava "pots" as well.. There's a landscape supply place in San Marcos that sells it individually or in bulk.

Smaller mounts, longest is about a foot in length.


Big mount.. Lots of possibilities w/ this one.

[Tracy]

11 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Also going to try stuff that prefers growing on rocks, on natural Lava "pots" as well..

Dendrobium speciosum will be a good one for growing on rocks.  I have some different ssp growing in small plastic pots that I set in larger decorative ceramic pots that were too tall.  The solution was to put some large beach cobbles down into the decorative pots so the plastic pots would sit up higher and be flush with the top of the ceramic pots.  After a couple of years now, the D speciosum roots are all grabbing onto the cobbles below after traveling out the weep holes of the plastic pots.  I need to transplant them into something bigger now, so will have to look into those volcanic rock "pots" in San Marcos.

[Silas_Sancona]

7 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Dendrobium speciosum will be a good one for growing on rocks.  I have some different ssp growing in small plastic pots that I set in larger decorative ceramic pots that were too tall.  The solution was to put some large beach cobbles down into the decorative pots so the plastic pots would sit up higher and be flush with the top of the ceramic pots.  After a couple of years now, the D speciosum roots are all grabbing onto the cobbles below after traveling out the weep holes of the plastic pots.  I need to transplant them into something bigger now, so will have to look into those volcanic rock "pots" in San Marcos.

 Aussie Drendrobums are on that list for sure.. As are several Rupicolous Laelia/ Cattleya alliance things.. really anything considered Lithophytic.  

When i start putting everything together, was thinking placing chosen specimens -grown on lava- on top of some sort of gravel in say one of those shallow, square or rectangular Bonsai pots would make some stunning display pieces.