Mounting a Laelia

[Nancy]

I sent my husband to the greenhouse to bring me back something to mount. He's very good about doing this and I know he'll have good help finding something appropriate. On his last trip he bought me a Lailia sincorana. It's growing and this growth may bloom so I'm not doing anything with it right now. has anyone had experience with mounting this type of Lailia. I read that it requires perfect drainage, something that's often difficult to achive when potted. I would love to see some examples of mounted Lailias. Let me know what you all think.

[Nancy]

I just remembered that this plant is spelled Laelia. Sorry about that.

[jerrymeola]

There is not much difference in mounting a Laelia than any other Cattleya. There is a difference in mounting species vs hybrids. I find the hybrids are more adaptable. You need to be more consistent with species.

With all mounts they need more consistent watering and must be given fertilizer regular. They will do OK with some neglect but they will slow growth a lot when neglected.

[JLu]

Nancy, Sophronitis (Laelia) sincorana is an interesting plant. It fits nicely into the Hadrolaelia (thick leaf) category of the genus. It also acts and looks like a rupiculous (rock ) Laelia (most of which are Hadrolaelias). Interestingly, Withner points out these things and proceeds to say it is not a Hadrolaelia or a rupiculous Laelia. What was that duck story?

The web site How to Grow Rupicolous Laelias gives some excellent media advice for these plants. Even more than the C. aclandiae we were discussing, this plant wants to be wetted and dry quickly. Both C aclandiae and S sincorana come from Bahia although sincorana seems to be further inland and drier.

We do not own sincorana, but we grow several Catts and Laelias on rock as shown in the web site above. I'm convinced that those in rock are the best growers we have. I can recommend that method. You can either pot it in rock in a clay pot or put it in a plastic or wooden basket with rock (use plastic gutter guard to line the basket and hold the rock in). A plastic basket has the advantage of not rotting. Since the media never rots there is no reason ever to repot. You just put the old pot and all into a larger basket with additional rock. You can hang the basket if you wish to keep air roots from laying on bench tops. We water plants in this type media about every 4-5 days in the growing season and about once per week in the winter. At least in the GH, watering schedules must take into account recent temperatures and humidities. A strict rule of thumb is not really useful.

Good luck with your sincorana.

[Nancy]

Thanks JLu. My problem is that I have no more room for another basket. I have a very bright spot to hang a mounted plant.

So Jerry, any special considerations at all that you can think of? My mounted plants, so far are species and they seem to be doing fine. I haven't had any of them very long. I mist the plants every day, soak them once a week, and fertilize them once a week. I have cork bark and driftwood to mount on. My humidity runs about 70%. I was thinking of using just a small amount of spag on the mount under the roots. Thank you for your reply as well. I hope you don't mind if I pick your brain a little more.

[JLu]

Nancy, it will do fine mounted on anything. Actually the basket can be hung just like the mount, so I see little difference between them as space goes. Maybe I'm missing something. Virtually all our baskets are hanging. I'd be careful with the spag, it holds a lot of unnecessary moisture. This a rock plant from a hostile environment.

[Nancy]

That's why I thought just a little bit of spag under the roots but none on top. I'm really concerned about it now. It's in a plastic pot and they seem to take so much longer to dry out than my clay pots. The weather is very warm now. I don't think this is the best time for making the change to a mount but I fear for its life in the pot. What care would you suggest I give it after it is mounted?

[Nancy]

I mounted the plant. It did have some bad roots which I cut off as well as one backbulb. It is an almost straight horizontal grower and probably would have prefered to be mounted that way. It was mounted horizontally but I hung it vertically with the pbs facing slightly downward. I imagine as the plant grows it will reorient itself in an upward direction again. I put a tiny bit of spagnum moss under it. The roots are entirely exposed. Jerry and JLu, do you think this is the best way to mount this plant?