Tips & Care: Basic Tools and Equipment for Orchids (Part 3: Mounts)

MOUNTS:

Although most orchids may be successfully grown in pots, certain species prefer to be mounted on a substrate more closely resembling the one they would grow on in nature.  The basic requirements of a mounting material are much the same as a potting material;  it must drain perfectly and not decompose rapidly.

The most commonly available mounting materials are slabs or logs of tree fern, cork bark or cypress.

Occasionally, one can find pieces of Florida buttonwood or other hardwoods that make good mounting materials.  Tree fern is the most moisture-retentive of the three and may also be found carved into decorative shapes and totems.  These materials may be purchased in large sizes and sawed to meet individual requirements or purchased in assorted sizes.

Any hardwood that is non resinous and does not decay rapidly can probably be used for mounting orchids.  Inquire locally to see what local materials other growers might use.  When using tree fern mounts, be sure to orient them so that the fibers are going up and down in order to provide proper drainage.

BASKETS:

A very convenient way to grow orchids is to use baskets.  Often, the plant won't need to be repotted until the basket deteriorates.  If the plant begins to outgrow its home, it can simply be placed, basket and all, in a larger basket.  These containers because of their open nature, also have the advantage of being better able to meet epiphytic orchids' drainage and root aeration requirements.  Some orchids, notably those in the Vanda group, prefer to be grown in baskets because of their rambling aerial roots.  Indeed, most growers in subtropical areas of Florida and the Gulf States use no medium at all when growing vandaceous plants in baskets.  

Wire or plastic baskets are available, but wooden baskets are the most commonly used.  They range in size from 4 to 16 inches (10-40 cms) and are usually sqaure but can be hexagonal.  Cedar and teak are the most common woods and cypress baskets are available from time to time.

Teak baskets tend to last longer and consequently are more expensive.  when using a fine potting medium in a basket, like it first with an old piece of fiberglass windown screen, sphagnum moss , or coconut fiber to keep the medium from falling out.  For more info check the Part 2 of this series

The main disadvantage of baskets is that they must be hung.  also, the display of blooming plants is not as easy as with a pot.  Wide-ranging roots may also be a problem, preventing easy placement in containers for the home.

WIRE PRODUCTS:

Wire is used to fasten, secure, stabilize, and hang orchids.  Although it is easy to make your own, it is more convenient to buy premade wire products.  Rhizome clips are the most straightforward way to stabilize a newly potted sympodial orchid.  Styles are available for both plastic and clay pots.  You have passed the potting test when you can secure a mature cattleya with one properly placed rhizome clip.  

Occasionally, a tall plant needs a little extra support.  The grower can use a straight stake that fastens to the edge of the pot for this purpose.

A ring stake, or hoop, will help contain an unruly orchid as well as provide support.  Single and double pot hangers in an assortment of lengths allow you to place a pot almost anywhere.  Many growers hang their whole collection using "s" hooks of varying lengths to achieve intermediate heights.  Baskets are hung with three or four strands of light-gauge wire.  Fourteen or 17-gauge wire is useful for attaching plants to mounts or engineering a vanda into a basket.

STAKES:

Bamboo and other straight stakes may be inserted into the potting medium to provide additional support for a newly-potted orchid.  They are also used for setting a vandaceous plant into a basket.  Their primary use is to support the inflorescence of an orchid in a more attractive fashion as well as prevent its collapse or breakage.

TIES:

Like wire products, ties are essential ancillary items to orchid growing and potting.  Many growers like to tie pseudobulbs, together to make a neater arrangement when repotting.  Some may tie a plant to a support stake to add additional security.  Plants can be tied to mounts using almost any material including monofilament fishing line or old pantyhose cut into strips.  A basic selection of ties includes plastic ribbon tie, twist tie, bell wire, and perhaps, some monofilament or twine.

NAME TAGS:

Help eliminate namelss orchids; always use a name tag.  There are labels available in a style to suit almost any use, so keep a selection on hand.  Most are plastic; aluminum tags are available for extreme growing conditions or where permanency is desired.  Some provide spaces for bloom and repot information; some are available in colors so that you may code certain plants.  Most simply slip into the pot, while others tie on with wire or loops.

FUNGICIDE:

A wettable fungicide powder should be used to dress freshly cut plant parts.  This provides a barrier to infection until the orchid heals itself.  An inexpensive product such as Captan, Ferbam or Zineb can be made into a paste about the consistency of heavy cream and dabbed onto the cut part using disposable cotton swabs.

Some growers prefer to just dab a little of the powder onto freshly cut orchid tissue.  Fungicide can also be mixed in a quart hand sprayer according to label instructions and used for spraying seedlings or plants that have been bruised during unpotting.

Thanks a lot to Greg Allikas for his contribution on this post.Join Greg Allikas on Facebook