Your pics of orchids mounted on cork

[vanda]

I just found out my parents-in-law own land with cork trees on it and they said I could go and cut some cork for myself which is fantastic. My problem is I have no idea where to start. Some one will show me how to actually cut it off the tree but I don't know what I want. Are flat slabs the best or would a piece with a kind of cupped shaped recess be even better? If I could see some pics of your mounted orchids it would help a lot. Any advice is also welcome.

[fred]

this link should help you vanda

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orchid-mounting/

if you have more questions just ask

[prisana]

Vanda, I was looking around a bit, but didn't see any site giving advice on it. I'm not sure how to cut off the cork bark from it's tree, but it should be quite loose like most other bark. Try cutting around the trunk or branch with a small saw just deep enough to cut through only the bark and not the tree itself ( the bark is pretty thick ) then chisel it off , the bark will grow back in it's place , in time. Let us know how it goes...

[arleneg]

Hi vanda,

Get both types -- a slab and a cupped piece. We pretty much know how to mount on slab. So I'll make a suggestion on the cupped piece.

Place cupped piece with the recess facing downward. Mount your orchid on top (raised part). Ta-dah! Use your imagination on what surface (e.g. tray with loose coconut fiber or moss) to place the mounted orchid on. Sorry...no pics here. Honestly, I saw a display at a exhibition and kept it in my brain database for future reference. I should really make a sketch of it, in case I get amnesia.

[vanda]

Originally Posted by prisana

I'm not sure how to cut off the cork bark from it's tree, but it should be quite loose like most other bark. Try cutting around the trunk or branch with a small saw just deep enough to cut through only the bark and not the tree itself ( the bark is pretty thick ) then chisel it off , the bark will grow back in it's place , in time. Let us know how it goes...

It sounds silly but I know how to take the bark off the tree (and i can get help from some one to make sure I get it right) but I don't actually know what the piece for mounting the orchid should look like!

To take the bark off the tree a pen knife can be used to slice through the bark (being careful not to cut too deep as you say) and then it just peels off. You can't take the cork from the upper branches as this will kill the tree, only from the main trunk. There is a fresh layer of bark under the old one which needs a few years to grow before being cut again.

[Vivienne]

vanda - here are two pics of cork mounts that I just did last week. Hope this helps.

[Ellen]

What I would do, were I offered the opportunity to get bark from a cork tree, is take one or more big slabs like the professionals do, and cut them up later into the sizes you want for the plants you plan to mount. I've never done it myself, but I know that the pros basically strip the loose outer layer of bark from the whole trunk and lower branches of the tree. There's obviously some stage in the tree's development when the bark is ready to harvest. You're lucky because in Portugal it should be easy to find someone who has harvested cork bark and get them to help you, or at least give you advice. The bottom line is, as long as you're doing it, take a good supply. Cork is fairly easy to cut with a hand saw, so you should have no problem making small mounts from the big slab.