2 new mounts

[valley]

I was grumpy so I went to lowe's to see if maybe they had new orchids. They did! I came home with a dendrobium aggregatum and an oncidium ampliatum. I decided after a quick skim through here and google to mount both of them. So out I went to the woods behind the house looking for the perfect mount. Tossed'em in the tub to soak in hot water while I picked out the old nasty medium they came in. The oncidium had more bad roots than good and the dend was so over crowded it was growing about a dozen new bulbs under the bark. Poor baby. So I spent a few hours (apparently...) carefully picking it apart. I ended up with 5 plants with new growth and older PB. I dusted with root hormone, packed them in sphag, and tied them on with hose strips.

So.... how'd I do?? Please tell me now if I messed up big... I'm still very new at this, constructive criticism is more than welcome.

(BTW I know the dend is supposed to be dormant but it seems to be confused at the moment. And that the mount is too small for the oncidium, I plan to attach it to another mount when I find a better one. )

[koshki]

The mounts looks good, but I think you might have trouble keeping the oncidium hydrated enough. They are real water hogs.

Lucky you...just go out in the backyard and find mounts!

[orchidea]

I agree with koshki.
Oncidiums are not the best candidates for mounts. I have a very difficult time keeping them happy in the pot with coco chips watering at least every 3rd day now and almost every day during the Spring and Summer. They like water.
Please keep in mind that everything you mounted needs bright light and not all dendrobiums need rest. Does it have a tag?
But your mounts look great, good job...

[Phalcycle]

I agree with everyone above.
I attempted to mount my oncidium, but after it showed signs of stress (wrinkled bulb) I converted back to s. moss. It is doing happily now

[valley]

Well I like to play with them every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day so having something that actually wants to be bothered will work out great for me. And if it shows the slightest sign of dehydration I'll slip it off of the mount in a heartbeat. It's just cherry wood so it should be easy to peel it off even if it attaches. From what I understand the dendrobium aggregatum does need a winter rest to be broken when new growth appears correct?
Thank you for the heads up on the water Any other helpful hints?

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by valley

Well I like to play with them every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day so having something that actually wants to be bothered will work out great for me. And if it shows the slightest sign of dehydration I'll slip it off of the mount in a heartbeat. It's just cherry wood so it should be easy to peel it off even if it attaches. From what I understand the dendrobium aggregatum does need a winter rest to be broken when new growth appears correct?
Thank you for the heads up on the water Any other helpful hints?

Sorry, missed "aggregatum". I am not use to seeing species orchids in Lowes, LOL. You are right, this one needs rest.....

[valley]

So I didn't mount them upside down or backwards? Sweet

[katrina]

Originally Posted by valley

So I didn't mount them upside down or backwards? Sweet

Don't worry about that...even if you had mounted them upside down/backwards or whatever...they would adjust themselves in time. With that said...they look great! [Waaaay better than my first attempt at mounting. ]

[orchids4me]

They look great!!!

[syndywindy]

They look great! The den should really be nice looking when those plants all mature. I agree with what others said, the onc may hve a hard time mounted unless you can really give it a lot of water and not have it dry out. Watch for wrinkled or pleated pb's and leaves a sign they are thirsty.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by valley

Any other helpful hints?

Have you researched the culture of these species and if so, do they fit the conditions you are growing them in?

[valley]

As best I could. I'm not having the easiest time finding really specific info on any but the most common ones without asking. My temps, humidity (50-80% misted 1-2 daily depending on the orchid), and light are all good. Beyond that I'm not finding a whole lot of specifications. I've resorted to trying to figure out where they come from and what the climate is there and hoping someone will offer me their personal experience (which I find far more valuable than any culture sheet).

[PhalPal]

Valley congrats on being a new orchid grower who is not afraid to try mounts!!! Nothing is more beautiful than a blooming orchid on a mount.
If you have trouble finding exact information, especially on species, you might want to try this site: Culture On Demand - Orchid Species Culture Sheets Many of their info sheets are free but if you want to buy more they are only $1 a piece.

[valley]

Phalpal you are wonderful. I hadn't seen that site before. Thank you!!

[valley]

Alright, I have a question specific to mounts. If I spray the sphag 1X/day (morning) it turns crispy overnight, 2X/day the sphag stays soft but no more than humid in the middle between sprayings, 3X/day the sphag stays nice and humid/ almost moist in the middle. I've been doing 1X/day for the dend (supposed to be dormant right now but is shriveling at an unsettling rate), 1-2X/day for the mini oncidium(supposed to "dry out between watering", they seem to LOVE it), and 2-3X/day for the full sized oncidium(supposed to need lots of moisture). All of the plants have excellent air circulation with slightly drier air than the ambient (ambient is between 50-80% in that area, 30-40% in the rest of the house and probably lower in the air blowing on the orchids). Does this sound "about" right or should I pump it up/turn it down?? This is the kind of info I'm just not finding anywhere, no matter how much I look. All of my watering is my vain attempt of interpreting potted culture to mounted culture. I am more than willing to spray 4-5 times a day if need be, but I also do NOT want to drown my mounts.

[Miranda321]

I love the look of mounted orchids, but I am afraid to make one as I don't know what I would do if I wanted to go on vacation for a week. The pots will last a week, but it does not sound like a mount can go more than a day. Do you think a mounted catt would be happy in my orchid terrarium for a temporary home for the week (80% humidity)?

[Brooke]

Valley the one thing you haven't mentioned is how much light are they receiving. This time of the year the aggregatum needs very bright light. If receiving lots of sun, you can mist the plant daily. If it is ugly and gray, ignore it.

Did you divide the aggregatum into the multiple pieces or did you buy multiples?

Brooke

[valley]

They are under artificial light, I haven't a window in my house that gets enough light even in winter. Yay for living in a mini forest right? So every day is bright and sunny for my orchids. The aggregatum was one severely pot bound plant. The tag had a date on it, over three years ago. I spent about 3 hours splitting it up and got 5 plants with old and new growth and lots of healthy roots. I know this time of year they are supposed to shrivel, I just didn't think it would be noticeable for weeks after treating them as dormant. It doesn't look stressed, it's not severely shriveled, but I can tell the PBs are less plump than when I mounted it. Which is what made me wonder if "dry out between waterings" meant dry for a few hours or days. It will be hard for me to keep from watering at least once per day, but I'll do what's best for my plants.

The other two plants I have mounted seem to be loving it but the aggregatum has me wondering....

Another thought, It did look to have gotten hit by some cold before I got it. Could that have triggered it to go into an insta-dormant state?

[Brooke]

It would have been better for the plant if you had kept the plant as one piece. The more pbulbs the stronger the plant. It would have been better to wait until active root growth in the spring when they bloom and make new pbulbs.

What type of artificial light? Are they capable of producing 3500-4500 fc when running?

It is OK to have *some* shriveling of the pbulbs. Giving them a spritz of water on occasion should prevent excessive shriveling.

How cold did it get? It is a cooler growing Den in the winter so some coolness is actually needed to bloom.

Brooke

[valley]

That's the thing, it was actively growing when I bought it. If you read back through I mentioned that it was a bit confused when I bought it. New root and leaf growth. I'm trying to very gently coax it back to the calendar (which is why I've watered as much as I have).

The lights are capable of putting out a total of about 9000fc (not including the effect of the reflectors) but the spacing, reflectors and location of plants and lights puts this mount in about 4000fc. I got lots of practice on lighting with my planted aquariums. Between the aquariums and the orchids my living room looks like a sunny day at the beach!

As for the cold, I don't know. When I got it home it just looked unhappy. At first I thought it was just because it was so tightly packed in the pot. When I unpotted it I found that all of the roots touching or near to touching the pot looked like they had been frozen. And the whole thing just felt cold. One leaf also appeared to have taken damage from the cold. I trimmed off the damage and so far the remaining roots look just fine, no further damage showing itself.

What is "on occasion"? an hour after crispy sphag? A day? A week??
I have been trying to figure out how to handle the need for cool in this one. So far I'm thinking of moving it near a window at night and back under the lights during the day. The windows don't get near enough light to grow this plant but the lighted area is a fairly stable 67F. Any ideas? Also, I'd really like to see it thrive as a plant before it flowers. Would keeping it at stable temps promote plant growth without triggering flowering? Or would it just stress the plant?

During the winter my house is very stable temp-wise, in summer it will have pretty dramatic differences in day and night. It will also be more humid.

[lmartiny]

I like how you attached the Den in various places. It should do well on a mount. It looks good. I was going to say that the wood you put your Onc. on does not look very seasoned and it could still deteriorate. But it looks like they recommend it be potted anyway due to water. I enjoy making mounts but have found them to be time consuming, i.e. water. Try to stick to ones that like to dry inbetween. I've stuck with a couple of Phal mounts and they just aren't very happy campers. (especially now, getting little attention in the GH for winter)
The grower I just visited had an enclycia cochleata (sp?) growing on a rock and it was full of blooms. Beautiful.

[Brooke]

Valley I can't tell you how to grow your plant in your conditions. I have given you the conditions the plant needs to grow and bloom you now have to translate that information to your conditions.

If your Den doesn't thrive and bloom to your satisfaction, then pick another genus. You will find many orchids that will appreciate your conditions.

Brooke

[katrina]

Originally Posted by valley

The lights are capable of putting out a total of about 9000fc (not including the effect of the reflectors) but the spacing, reflectors and location of plants and lights puts this mount in about 4000fc.

What kind of lights do you have? I didn't know there was fluorescent lights that produce fcs that high.