Zoo Med Cork Tile As a Mount?

[NiNiDazzle]

I was browsing PetSmart today for some wood mounts and saw this cork tile by Zoo Med, made for terrariums. Here's a link to what I'm talking about: Amazon.com: Zoo Med Natural Cork Tile Background, 12 x 12-Inches: Kitchen & Dining .

Would this work well for mounting minis? I was thinking of cutting it up into 2"x6" pieces.

[Ron]

Hi I had a quick look at the photo and they seem to cut from a single piece of cork, rather than chopped up pieces glued to gether.
Should be ok.

[mayres]

Hey I kinda like that concept - looks a little more "natural" than the shingle concept I'm using. I wonder if they have these at my Petsmart - I must go check this out!? I'd like to see an actual example and see if it looks as good "in the flesh" as it does on screen?! If you try it be sure and post a plant mounted on it when you get one (or several!) done.

[Brisbanite]

This is also an idea to use up wine corks and some wire. More natural than tiles. Time on your hands is all you need. Something I made in an afternoon.

[NiNiDazzle]

I'm going to try it. I bought a piece from Petsmart today but wasn't sure if cork would be a good medium. My Phal. violacia for the growing project is kinda pitiful and hasn't done anything since I got him, so I'm hoping a mount will give him a jumpstart.

Now to get hubby to hand saw the pieces.

[NiNiDazzle]

Originally Posted by mayres

Hey I kinda like that concept - looks a little more "natural" than the shingle concept I'm using. I wonder if they have these at places like Petsmart? I'd like to see an actual example and see if it looks as good "in the flesh" as it does on screen?! If you try it be sure and post a plant mounted on it when you get one (or several!) done.

The piece I bought from Petsmart looks very nice. Which is why I wanted to try it out. I tried pine, but it just looks too unnatural.

Once I mount a chid, I'll post pics.

[Greybeard]

Those look like really fantastic ideas, I'm noy ready to try my hand at mounting just yet but if needed I was wondering if pieces of drift wood like they sell at our local aquarium store would be OK They are already pre cleaned of pests and germs and the like for aquarium set ups Keep giving me those good ideas for when I'm ready to mount Good luck

[Ray]

The ZooMed cork tiles I've seen is pressed cork oak bark. Aside from the high degree of flatness and being thinner, it's pretty much the same stuff sold by orchid supply stores, only significantly more expensive than most.

[Brooke]

Linda a mature violacea needs a fairly good size piece of cork. Here is a pic of my violacea from a couple of years ago.



If you do mount it on a 2 x 6" mount, you can mount the mount on a bigger piece but it isn't always easy to do without disturbing attached roots.

Brooke

[NiNiDazzle]

Brooke -- How big do you think I would need for the violacea?

[NiNiDazzle]

Originally Posted by Ray

The ZooMed cork tiles I've seen is pressed cork oak bark. Aside from the high degree of flatness and being thinner, it's pretty much the same stuff sold by orchid supply stores, only significantly more expensive than most.

Hi Ray. Those are two of the main reasons why I like this piece so much. I grow inside so flatness and thinness is a priority for me.

[Brooke]

Linda I finally remembered to measure my mount and it is 8 x 10. It doesn't have to be precisely that measurement but an adult vio can be quite big. Most phal mounts need to be longer than wide to have any hope of keeping the roots on the mount.

Brooke

[NiNiDazzle]

Originally Posted by Brooke

Linda I finally remembered to measure my mount and it is 8 x 10. It doesn't have to be precisely that measurement but an adult vio can be quite big. Most phal mounts need to be longer than wide to have any hope of keeping the roots on the mount.

Brooke

Wow, that is pretty big. I may start out with the small mount and as it gets bigger I'll just mount the small onto a larger piece. I'll make sure to guide any roots to not wrap around the back.

[NiNiDazzle]

Finally got my DH to cut the slab for me. I think it looks pretty darn good. I haven't mounted the Phal. violacea yet, but here's a couple of pictures of a Dendrobium lindleyi (aka Den. aggregatum) that I did today. The mount is approximately 6"x8".

[Ray]

Looks good Linda, but I have one suggestion: Put the roots against the slab with the moss on top of them, not under them. With the plant sitting on a bed of sphagnum like that, it will put its roots into that first, rather than attaching to the slab.

[Greybeard]

Originally Posted by Ray

Looks good Linda, but I have one suggestion: Put the roots against the slab with the moss on top of them, not under them. With the plant sitting on a bed of sphagnum like that, it will put its roots into that first, rather than attaching to the slab.

Ray, I'm having trouble finding suitable mounts for my project Phal ( I want to try and mount this one ) Do you have any suggestions ? Local garden centers don't seem to stock anything Orchid spiecific, kinda of on a shoestring budget right now

[NiNiDazzle]

Originally Posted by Ray

Looks good Linda, but I have one suggestion: Put the roots against the slab with the moss on top of them, not under them. With the plant sitting on a bed of sphagnum like that, it will put its roots into that first, rather than attaching to the slab.

Thanks Ray! Will do.

Google has sooo much info and it's a 50/50 shot on whether I had it right. Good thing I didn't buy the lotto.