my orchid rack finally :)

[Riona]

So I got ambitious finally and made my orchid mount. Didn't turn out as a tree like I wanted at first, but it still is nice. Though a bit front-heavy. I need to find a rock I can put in the base. . . And before you comment on the health of my orchids, most of them were on clearance when I got them, so not in great health. And the top 2 levels are all the same plant. I split the first into thirds when I took it out of the pot, and then the top one a single bulb came off, so I mounted it in thirds, though you can't see the "baby," and I don't entirely know if it'll end up living or not.


I made it into an I-like shape to hold it up. Figured that way I could hang the orchids by somewhere in the middle instead of right on the ends of it. And it didn't end up needing any sort of bracing(though I've got some braces in case it ends up needing them later)


I used cedar fence posts for it(they're a bit rough) and hung some hooks from the top of them. Then I drove in some nails most of the way to hold those on. Entire cost of the project was under $20. I had the nails/screws, the hooks were $1.97 for a pack that had twice as many as I needed, and including the brace post that I don't have on now, I spent $14 on the wood.


Just for fun. I had the wood sitting in my kitchen, and that guy had climbed up one of the nearly 6' uprights and was chilling. He's outside in the garden(alive) now. I shooed him into a baggie and let him go since I couldn't grab him because he was jumping away.

Of course if anyone can figure out something I could use as a wick to get water into the sphagnum around the roots without taking all of the boards down, I will love you forever

[Stelios]

nice one. I love the cute visitor.
I can't think what would subsidize a wick but i would try using some silicon gel to create rims guiding the water around.

[lmartiny]

Riona, that is quite clever. I like it. I too use rescues for mount experiments. For the most part they make it. Or, you can always replace at some point. The way you have it mounted you can just take it outside and hose it down good.

[orchidlover55]

That is a great idea very smart Riona. The orchids are pretty. Are you just going to mist them everyday? When all those blooms can you imagine how pretty they are going to be? Thanks for sharing with us.

[Riona]

The moss on them gets really dry really quickly(even though the humidity near my plants is about 50-70% usually) so I've just been taking the mounts and soaking them in water until it is all wet. I figure once they start to grow roots, I can keep getting the phals wet daily and do the dendros and random bulbed intergenerics every other day. Which is why I want to figure out how to make a wick system, heh. I also need to get some fertilizer. Neither home depot or lowe's had any for orchids when I went in yesterday. Soaking them as often as I need to, should I just use the full strength recommendation on the packaging to fertilize them?

[Bolero]

I was going to say 'Nice Rack" and then realised that might be inappropriate.

Well it looks great anyway! I haven't seen something like that before.

[mariha]

Hey!
That is really good idea, and nice too! Shame, I didn´t see it earlier, when I was trying to make my orchid tree. I mounted my orchids on an appletree in sphagnum moss, I mist every morning, but sometimes, once a month, I take the whole thing to the bathroom and shower it thorouhly. And my flowers like it, all of them started to give new roots after mounting.
Is your rack too heavy to take it to bathroom sometimes?

[digitalgate]

NOOoooo cricket loves plant. get rid of it.

[Riona]

Don't worry! I tossed it out into the grass after I took a pic of it

It isn't that the rack is too heavy to move, but it is too front heavy. I have a couple of cement blocks in the base of it to weigh it down. It'd be too much work to move it, but the slats come off so I can take each off and soak them until all of the moss is wet then rehang them. The moss dries out quickly enough that I'm not too worried about rotting them.

[kid a]

Hey that is pretty cool looking!

[patticake]

Originally Posted by Bolero

I was going to say 'Nice Rack" and then realised that might be inappropriate.

Well it looks great anyway! I haven't seen something like that before.

too funny!
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I think it's really cool! What a great idea! As Imartiny said, you can take it outside and set it under the sprinkler! That would give them a nice "rain"!

[Brooke]

I see plants with different light requirements, how are you providing light during the winter?

Brooke

[Riona]

I've got a window that has an open shade for now, if the ones on top need more later I've got a compact flourescent light that I was going to hang over them. If that isn't enough I'll be moving the top row(s?) closer to the window and putting up more phals instead.