mounting on coco fiber

[snazzyboots]

hey all,
have any of you mounted on the coco fiber sheets that are used to line flower boxes? if so are there any orchids that would do well or not on it. it is an inexpensive and renewable source that is easy to find so i'd like to use it if it will be suitable. i am able to water as often as needed so that wouldn't be a problem. i have a noid phal that i got at the bargain bin at lowes mounted on some as an experiment but i don't want to risk trying others if it is going to be a big fail. any suggestions or advice is welcome. thanks!
jenny

[Ray]

Coco fiber is sometimes used as a medium, so I did the same thing as you're suggesting.

The biggest problem is hanging it up. The stuff loosens when wet, and between its own wet weight and that of the plant, it may pull off of a hook. Fortunately, I have seen two solutions that seem to work:

One customer of mine silicones it to a rigid plastic sheet to give it some rigidity. I prefer to let them "breathe" from both sides, so take a basket hanger and bend the wired parallel to each other like a long, thin fork. Push them down through the middle of the thickness of fiber until they protrude from the bottom about an inch, bend them around in a "J" shape so they hold the mat, and voila' - a built-in hanger.

[snazzyboots]

yes the possibility of it coming off a hook was one of my concerns. thanks for that tip. do you find any particular plants do better on this than others?

[Brooke]

You could use Gutter Guard on the material which will give you something very rigid to support the material plus have a convenient hanger. Your roots would wander in and out of the material and Gutter Guard.

Brooke

[Ray]

Good idea, Brooke!

Snazzy - which plants will or won't do well has a lot more to do with the overall combination of your cultural parameters than just how it is mounted or potted. Under my conditions, I mount mini-catts and plants with pseudobulbs, as they can go longer between waterings than those without them. What's good for me might not be for you, or vice verse.

[snazzyboots]

Awesome. Thanks. I have several mounted orchids just not on the coco fiber. I only just put one noid phal on it the other day so I don't know how it will do. All of my other mounts are thriving. Ive got a den that I'm gonna try this weekend. Thanks for the advice.

[Ron]

Check out how I do mount them with CoCo pads, I get top growth and so easy to look after

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...g-orchids.html

[snazzyboots]

thanks ron, for the pics. it seemed as if it would work but it is great to know the experts agree and have had good results. today i got brave and mounted several plants. hopefully they will do well. fingers crossed

[rcb]

I tried a piece once, tied some fishing line around it to hold it together and have something to hang it from.

For me it didn't work, didn't hold enough water in my conditions.

But it looked very nice.