Wacky Mounts

[latsyrc]

Here's kind of an odd question. I've read that orchids can be mounted on bark, cacti skeletons, cork, and so on . . . does the medium have to be organic? I mean, does it really matter what I mount an orchid on as long as it gets enough water? Has anyone seen an orchid mounted on something really weird?

[gerneveyn]

I've seen some phals mounted on hardware cloth and sphag and tubes of hardware cloth filled with bark. I also found a picture of phals growing on a cinder block wall in S. Africa.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think they would do well on unglazed pottery. One orchid enthusiest that I used to see at shows was selling his pottery that was made like ornate baskets woven of thick strings of clay then fired. He sold them with and without orchids growing in them.

[latsyrc]

Gerneveyn, that's neat! What exactly is "hardware cloth?" Maybe I'll just google it.
Wow, okay. I would not have called that "cloth."

[johnemartin]

One acquaintance grew an orchid mounted along with a staghorn fern & told everyone that this was what the fern looked like when it finally flowered ! ;-)