The Magic of Orchid Mounting

Orchids are some of the most beautiful flowers in the world, and humans have a long history of growing, harvesting and planting them. There are over 35,000 known varieties of orchids growing in the world today in all different types of climates. Orchids are a very popular and beautiful plant to have in one’s house.

It is important to take some time to understand how to best care for the particular type of orchid you may have, as orchids have specific light and watering requirements. Orchids have beautiful blooms and flowers, but if you do not care for them properly, you may experience disappointing blooms or even a total lack of blooms.

For decorative purposes, people have developed creative ways to mount or transplant an orchid to grow on a mount that can be easily moved around the house or even hung on a wall or in a tree. In nature, it is common to see orchids growing in all sorts of places, such as the forks of trees, on rocks, on other larger plants. There are a number of techniques and methods involved in  mounting  an orchid so it will take root on the mount successfully.

– Prepare the mount before you apply the growing medium and the orchid to it. Especially if you plant to hang this mount on a wall, you need to get all the hanging hardware installed before you apply the growth medium and the orchid so as to not disturb the plant while it is attempting to take root in the medium.

– The  mounting  material, or growth medium, should be soaked overnight in water.

– One of the best materials for the growth medium is sphagnum moss, which is an organic material that is well suited for orchid roots to grow in.

– A further technique with the sphagnum medium is to allow the orchid to take root in the sphagnum before putting the sphagnum mat on the mount. This allows for a more secure root structure.

– The plant should be loosely tied to the growth medium and the mount using twisty ties, fine twine or fishing line.

In addition to the sphagnum moss, orchids can also be successfully mounted on dead cacti, tree fern slabs, tree bark, rough wood or cork bark. Cork bark is widely regarded to be the best  mounting  material and growth medium for orchids. The roots are able to penetrate and take hold quite will on cork bark, and the material itself provides a measure of nutrients to the growing orchid.

One thing to consider when planning to mount an orchid to a growth medium is what the requirements of your specific orchid are. Orchid species that should be kept dryer than others should be mounted on a material that promotes quicker drying, preferably a permeable or porous material.

There are many resources in print and online showing step by step instructions on how to best mount various species of orchids in a variety of ways. The orchid  mounting  process is quick and easy to learn, and is a good thing for any gardener to know how to do.