Gluing orchids

[Uechi]

I have seen several references that talk about using glue to mount orchids on wood or stone. Outside of the mention of clear silicone cement the only other reference said not to use resin based cements. Does any member have experience using glues, how did they work and what would you recommend?

[jbigio]

Used wood glue to attache my air plant to my orchid tree that i made and they are are fine but haven't tried actual orchids.

[fred]

I have never heard of anyone using glue to mount an orchid.
myself I don't think that is a good idea.
the chemicals in the glue alone is enough to put me off not only that glue would stop the growth of the roots as well.

[Ron]

Hi.
Maybe a bit of help.
In Australia we have a product called "liquid nails".
At a Orchid talk recently a Professional Nursery said he used it to put his seedling on mounts as it is quicker to do than tyeing each plant on.
He uses the one that does not smell like vinegar.
This non vinegar one is suppose to be non toxic.
Afraid as I never have many plants to mount I never bothered to write down the brand name of the product.
I just tie on with a 10 lb strength nylon fishing line.
Cheerio
Ron

[jerrymeola]

Using glue is quite common with Tillansia so toxicity is not the problem. What I find is that the portion of the plant that is attached by glue eventually dies and the plant falls off.

If new roots grow on faster than the old portion dies it will stay on or else it falls off. I mount thousands of orchids and do not see any advantage in glue.

[hera]

What about low-temp hot glue gun?????

[Syl]

I purchased a mounted dendrobium with air plants from an exhibitor at a local home show and he showed me how they mount them with hot glue gun. That was about 6 months ago and it has been growing with no problem.

[davetheorchidaddict]

I have used liquid nail to mount some orchids and have had no problem, I read about using it in some article that I found on the net, mostly I use wire of electrical ties.

[Ben G]

Originally Posted by hera

What about low-temp hot glue gun?????

that will never work

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by Ben G

that will never work

Actually, it works quite well. If you put the glue on to the mount and allow it to cool before attaching the orchid, there is no damage to the orchid. Compared to other drying adhesives, the bond is formed quickly and you don't have to worry about the toxicity of the solvents. I usually prefer to tie mounts but if I have a lot of plants to mount and not much time glue guns come in handy.

[FLBob]

I have been using a product called Gorilla Glue for years without problems
The advantage to glue is that the plant can be placed vertical very soon after I apply the Gorilla Glue and it is secure even in wind.
Gorilla Glue does expand so only a drop or two is needed to hold the plant in place, and it drys in under 1 hour.
I have never seen any chemical toxicity issues when using Gorilla Glue. I've used it on tender seedlings and large divisions.

[Azzadazza]

I use hot glue to mount my tillies and have used it for some orchids but only when roots are protected from the glue by the bark they are hanging on too.

[Riona]

I was actually signing on today to ask about that. My mounted orchids(all tied to a wooden plank) are starting to sag and try to fall off. But most of mine don't have developed roots(were rescued) If I was to glue mine so they'd stay up instead of sagging before they get roots to hold them on, where would I want to glue them? I'm assuming it's safe since even people with reefs use glue(though super glue gel) to glue corals down in their tanks at times.

[Brooke]

If you have orchids with a rhizome, on the rhizome. I don't know where you would glue a phal or vanda since they can grow roots or spikes on the stem.

Brooke