Roots not clinging to mount. Huh?

[made4engineering]

Hello! I grow all my orchids on a 4' log, by a window, w/ lights too. I have had a few of my orchids for about 6 months, the rest very recently. My gongora, for example, has fat pb's and is spiking now, but the roots dont stick to the bark like I wish they would. The roots seem to be following the contour of the bark, pushing up against it, and even splitting the bark when they get under it. But no roots have cememted themselves to the bark as thouroughly as they did the original barky potting material that I extracted them from when I got them. Why?

[Aleksa]

Originally Posted by made4engineering

Hello! I grow all my orchids on a 4' log, by a window, w/ lights too. I have had a few of my orchids for about 6 months, the rest very recently. My gongora, for example, has fat pb's and is spiking now, but the roots dont stick to the bark like I wish they would. The roots seem to be following the contour of the bark, pushing up against it, and even splitting the bark when they get under it. But no roots have cememted themselves to the bark as thouroughly as they did the original barky potting material that I extracted them from when I got them. Why?

Same problem here... Roots just grow on the surface but not attaching actually..

[BlakeeBoo]

Orchid leaves and roots only grow when they are not in bloom. The roots may stretch and reach a little (like towards light sources) but they will not actually start to cling to the log until after it gets done blooming.

[digitalgate]

they choose the type of tree they want to cling to. Not other way . change mounting
material. some time they are look for a particular type of fungus(which type? who know)

[kmarch]

I'm thinking along lines similar to digitalgate.

I would think that there's somethign they don't like about the mount. It's hard to say what though.

[Vivienne]

I have to agree. I only have a few plants mounted but none seem to like it all that much. I have been toying with the idea of putting them all in to pots. My Encyclia tampensis is doing the best... at least it's growing, but the roots are just spreading, not grabbing. I'm using cork bark and fear that that is the culprit. It doesn't seem to retain any moisture at all. Does anyone have experience with tree fern slabs?

[Vivienne]

Another thought... I have a large sheet of coco fiber (used to line flower baskets, etc). Has anyone ever tried to mount orchids to it? Opinions on whether this would work?

[fred]

made4engineering can you please go into your UserCP at the top left of the page to Update your Profile with your Location as this will also help us with giving you the right advice also as we have members from all over the world that will also help us to understand your growing Conditions.

thank you

[made4engineering]

Thanks guys... The mount is a cedar log, and holds moisture, but i guess the bark could stand to be craggier. But orchids attach to cedar baskets, right? So somehow I don't think its the type of wood...Maybe I'm just being impatient

[Vivienne]

Perhaps it's impatience. Where did you get the log? Was it treated with anything?

[made4engineering]

Actually, I chopped it off of a old cedar tree myself

[Vivienne]

hmm it could be time, it could be the type of orchid. If they aren't suffering I would say let them be.

[kmarch]

Hmmm. This one has me puzzled. I've mounted orchids on all sorts of things but never cedar. Growing in a cedar basket is a little different because with a basket the point is not to get the roots to stick to the basket. In that context the roots not sticking to the basket would not be noticed as unusual or problematic. 6 months doesn't seem like a long time for a plant to become established. I'm just now really seeing a lot of new root growth on my mounted Den. tetragonums and i've had most of them for a year (give or take a month or 2). Maybe those that suggest patience have it right. The plant is growing new roots though right?

[digitalgate]

now you know everyone told U to change mount. May be that might help. (dear, you have
to wait 6 more months before you can tell if the plant like it.)

[fred]

I would still like your PROFILE to be UPDATED thank you

[epiphyte]

Perhaps the bark isn't stay moist long enough to encourage the roots to adhere. Bark in pots stays moist way longer than bark on logs.

It could also be the orchid... I have both Laelia anceps and Laelia superbiens mounted on 5 ft plus avocado branches and they both receive the same amount of water but the anceps roots are completely plastered to the bark while the superbiens roots are half on and half off.

[kmarch]

I think Cynthia has lots of mounted stuff. I'd like to hear what she has to say.

[made4engineering]

Well, I chose cedar because it is supposedly quite rot-resistant. The rest period is ending over here, but the Gongora seems to have grown about 30 new fresh white roots while ive had it. Is humidity a large clinginess factor? I think maybe my humidistat is lying to me.

[Nancy]

I was at my local greenhouse just the other day and I was looking for something mounted. The proprietor had some Dendrobiums that came from his greenhouse that received an award. He had quite a few of them, some mounted on cork and others mounted on tree fern. The tree fern mounted plants were beautiful, but the cork mounted plants appeared to be struggling and the growths looked kind of on the dry side. I would say that tree fern makes a better mount, in my opinion.

[Vivienne]

I can now say that I once had 4 plants mounted on cork. 3 are dead. 1 is okay but isn't taking root. I will be switching that one over to tree fern as soon as my order from Oak Hill arrives. That is if Chicago ever gets a break in the weather. Moral... no more cork for me.