Phal question

I have a Phal that I purchased almost a year ago.......the roots are really coming over the side of the pot. After reading some threads on "that other place" I'm wondering if I can put my Phal in a basket like I have my Vanda???

And my Vanda.............after having it for almost 2 years, it FINALLY put out a bloom spike. Then during a wind it got knocked down by my over-6-foot tall cerus when IT fell over. Whew! No problem, Vanda was ok. A couple weeks later, another wind, it got blown down from where it was hanging and fell IN THE GRASS AND BROKE OFF WHERE THE BUDS WERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing was even near it, that's what makes me ill. Cripes, I was SO torqued. The bloom spike was probably at least 6 inches long and had buds on it. It will probably make me wait another 2 years. Pfffttt...........

That's a shame, but I bet it surprises you and blooms a lot quicker than that.

Jim

I can only hope.............

I don't know about Phals in baskets but they can be mounted on wood with a bit of sphagnum moss behind it and hung. This one hasn't been mounted long and is just starting to root.

Ouch! What a tragic tale. It's even multi-episodic. Potential for a series there. I have a couple of orchids with similar sad histories. One is thirty something years old and has never bloomed. If this orchid ever blooms it might mean the end is near. Troubling but I think it's getting close. Your attitude (peeved as all get out) will help see you through this difficult time. I recommend going out and buy a few new orchids to assuage the pain. Totally justifiable. If anyone asks, tell them I said it was okay.

If the Phal. is summering outside I'd consider rafting it with a sphagnum backing similar to what Bree has but on a slated platform that is all bottom, hung horizontally and has lots of sphagnum wired on. If you can't find a raft you can always make one by taking apart a basket down to the base. A basket will work well too but if you plant the Phal. upright and water gets down the center it will most likely rot. Rafting will allow you to have the plant hanging the way it grows in nature in the summer and then upright, if necessary, to hang it indoors in winter.

I am a visual learner.........I can't quite picture that.........do you have a good photo or 2 so I can really SEE what you mean? I "think" I know, but want to make sure.

I would really like to go get a pink vanda..........that is all the orchid place has here, pink and blue. Mine obviously is the blue one. Would LOVE to have a couple of other colors, but don't really know where would be a good place to purchase without seeing the real thing and get a decent sized plant. Now, if someone in Florida would buy one and send it to me with guarantee of payment plus postage............*sigh*.............

Umm, hint? Write me if you're interested.

That's possible, Anna. I may be headed to Apopka in the next couple of weeks. Actually, I'll be with Laurel so whichever you write is fine. Any of you Florida girls coming along?

Jim

I had to go hunting but here's a photo of a raft mounted orchid. It's a slat mount and, depending on the orchid, you can wire on a lot or a little sphagnum. I have no recommends regarding sources but they are sold by orchid supply houses as "rafts"

Oh, and I meant hung vertically, not horizontally. I'm pretty tired and wind burned. Need to get horizontal myself.

This message was edited Nov 2, 2011 8:24 PM

Do you wire the spaghnum under, over, or both on the roots? And does the plant itself point upwards? I assume so.

It depends on the orchid. In your climate I'd wire a healthy amount to the wood and some over the orchid's base and sown the raft, allowing the roots to dangle. Phalaenopsis hang more sideways and downwards in nature. That's why they don't get wet in the center. Growers for the trade often keep potted young plants on steeply slanted plant racks for the same reason.

Hmmmmm.......................may have to visit the orchid shop if I go to Madison tomorrow..........and hopefully the Spousal Unit will not be along so I can "shop"...........

Yep! anna z see my mounted Phal photo earlier..

Here is another example of a Phal mounted on driftwood.

Jim

Oh, that looks way cool.

Someone told me about mounting Phals sideways or upside down, after I had done this one, but I've always summered my potted phals outside and never had a problem.
Here's one I did, taken a while ago...it's in spike now...which I did find I had to move it down lower in the greenhouse wall cause the spikes were getting so tall.

One thing I forgot to ask is can I use any kind of wire, or should it be special coated wire? I think my kids have some speaker wire that is coated........otherwise I'd have to use electric fence wire, which isn't coated.

Jim I really like your driftwood mounted Phal too...did you find the driftwood or buy...if found was it freshwater ? if salt did you have to wash it ?

Use the coated wire. I use phone wire as it's just the right diameter.

The drift wood has a story. My mom and dad, now both deceased, were on vacation in Eurorpe back in the late 1980s. At the Rock of Gibraltar, my dad spotted this driftwood, hopped a fence and went down to the sea to fetch it. My mom kept it in their family room with a silk flower wired to it. Tacky I tell you but that's how it was. My dad died in 1997, and when she passed a year ago, I got it, trashed the silk flower and mounted this phal to it. I dedicated it to my father and keep it in a special spot.

Jim

Well, not everyone can say, "Oh, and that piece of wood my dad picked up when he was at the Rock of Gibralter..........." (said in an airy, offhand way...............LOLOL)

Jim, it's gorgeous, and the fact that it has a family history makes it even more special...I know you cherish it, as I do things that are from family.
I love items from my family "history", and what is just a piece of wood to someone else is something special to you...much the better for you, and here's hoping that someone else in your family will cherish it as much as you do later on in life. Enjoy !!

You can use any kind of coated wire but I like fishing line best because it is clear. If you happen to be driving by a cable or phone person, and ask, they usually will give you wire scraps from their jobs. Have them show you how to peel down the outside thicker covering and then you will have a pile of thin coated wire.

I'm sure there is some fishing line around here.

So I start by tying a loop at the end of the line and trimming it. Then pull a second loop through and on to the mount. Starting where you attach the backing (like sphag or coconut mat) to your mount by running the line a few times up and down the mount to fix the backing. Then lay the orchid on the mount and gently run the line around the orchid making sure not to pinch the base or any roots. This is where I like a little coconut mat fiber over the top of the plant so as not injure the plant. End up back down at the bottom and tie off. Leave some inches on the end to pass upwards and around the wrapped pieces in case the line slips or loosens.

Can I put some spaghnum under the mat stuff if I use that?

Another thing you can us is old panty hose cut into to thin strips. It's soft, stretches, won't in injure the plant and dries very quickly. Once the plant is attached you can remove it easily also.

Here's some using both methods. The panty hose are barely visable and sometimes is much easier to work with than the fishing line.

Here's a site with pictures of the mounting process...then take suggestions that seem to work best for you.
One thing for sure....Attach you hanger before you mount your plant.

http://sapphirechild.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-mount-orchid.html

This message was edited Nov 6, 2011 9:00 AM

Thanks. I found that helpful.

So you have some options there. I have mounted with rubber bands but they rotted as did the panty hose method. Yarn might stretch but it is okay. Really fine lingerie elastic works well and lasts. If you are wanting to mount during a time that the orchid is dormant and not making new roots be sure to use a stable medium to tie down. An orchid that handles drier conditions like a Tolumnia doesn't need a sphag pad but a Phalaenopsis will appreciate it.

I'm leaning towards the pantyhose, and can reapply if it seems to be rotting. I'm going to use a regular orchid wooden "basket", probably taking off one side of the slats. Altho I have been looking at the woodpile in the woodhouse to see if there would be an appropriate "stick". And the guy at the orchid place said they sell cork, but I could probably get it cheaper where they sell fish and aquarium supplies. Might check into that at WM tomorrow when I go to town for band rehersal. Ok, at this point I guess I am mostly undecided untill I explore all the options.

You can use wood just make sure it is not too heavy to hang and it is a hardwood that will last. Cork might be better for something with fine roots. It is expensive to get a big slab. I'd check out the wood pile for a piece of (first preference) hickory or oak. I also use Crape myrtle (not big or flat enough for a Phal) and dogwood. If you use the basket or for that matter the other materials mentioned it looks nice to apply a teased out layer of that cocomat liner used in summer annual baskets over the top of the sphag. One circle does tons of orchids and the mat holds the sphag and orchid to the mount. You can sew the sphag, orchid and mat on with fishing line and a tapestry needle and the mounting material will be invisible.

Well, all that being said, I guess I'll just stick with the wood basket like I put my Vanda in, since I bought one special for this project on Friday. No hickory or oak in the woodhouse....mostly either maple or elm. LOL And I "think" I might have some coco fiber somewhere in the garage.

After all this we expect a picture. Okay?

I'll try and get to the project tomorrow. I put my new Vanda in the wooden basket tonight. Wired it in there so it would stand up straight. Pruned off the spindly dead roots. We'll see how it likes it.

A word of caution about buying a stick from a pet supply place...I bought some good looking pieces of wood from one, and the things sink like a rock, and discolor the water, so they may not be good to mount orchids on. They are meant for reptiles, but I'm not sure they are safe for them either.

I agree you have to be careful. Any product sold for another use may not be good for orchids. I occasionally experiment but only with spare plants.

The guy at the orchid place said that some people use a cork...........and told me I could probably get it cheaper at a place that sells fish. I'm going to use the wooden orchid basket anyway.

I think Laurel and I both use wine corks.

Jim

Do you cut them up? Just throw them in the pot, tie them on the stick? Only because I read you guys do this earlier, I have started collecting wine corks. One bottle at a time. This is a good part of orchid growing. Never realized that a glass of Merlot was good for my orchids!!! LOL

SO has a lot of woodworking equipment. He used to do custom picture framing when we were in college and has a manual bench top chopper. We collect a baggie full of corks and then he chops them into four pieces which is about the size of medium bark. For big guys, like larger Catts, Stanhopeas, Gongoras and big Dens. I'm sure whole corks would be fine. Some people say they rot but I've got orchids potted in wine cork that are three years old and the cork is like new. Maybe they rot in plastic. My corks are all in baskets or terracotta pots. There was a vendor at a show a few years ago that took wine corks and wired them together to create orchid rafts. It didn't exactly look very natural but that's another interesting option.