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Mounting Brassavola Acaulis

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by sol, Sep 17, 2010.

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  1. sol

    sol New Member

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    Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and a beginner at collecting orchids. I'll be mounting a Brassavola acaulis when it arrives and do not know which direction to point the roots so that the leaves fall gracefully the way they should from the mount. Tia for any help,
     
  2. Tom-DE

    Tom-DE Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    B. acaulis is a pendent plant, so I mounted mine upside-down
     
  3. sol

    sol New Member

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    Thanks, I had a mental block. I don't know why my instincts were off and upside down makes sense.

    I thought about ordering tree fern plaques instead of cork but I'm not sure yet. Does anyone like the tree fern better? Are there preferences for this particular plant? Thanks for your assistance.
     
  4. Jon

    Jon Mmmm... bulbophyllum...

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    I always prefer thick-rooted plants on a nice piece of sandblasted manzanita. I can't say for sure if it's an appropriate mount for this species, though, as I don't grow it.
     
  5. sol

    sol New Member

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    Jon, I'm embracing that idea :clap: Can you recommend a source for the wood?

    I also have a question regarding the placement of sphagnum directly underneath the plant. I think I remember reading somewhere that some mounted plants suffer from a bit of root rot. Since these get watered and misted practically every day is the sphagnum necessary? I imagine the roots must love it and sphag has some anti-fungal properties. I'm a bit confused about this :confused:
     
  6. Jon

    Jon Mmmm... bulbophyllum...

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    The placement of the sphag is generally species specific. Someone else will have to chime in on that part of the equation.

    I like getting manzanita from Manzanita.com. An unfinished burl might be pretty sweet.
     
  7. Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    I never put moss under the roots, only on top and not tied down really tight. In my conditions, it is just to give a bit of extra humidity until they get established. I prefer cork or other hard wood with some texture to the bark. Tree fern stays too wet with daily watering except for something that never wants to dry. There is a picture of a mounted plant at http://www.orchidspecies.com/orphotdir/brassaacaulis.jpg. No wads of moss at the base.
     
  8. sol

    sol New Member

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    Marni: I think my reason for liking the tree fern plaques initially is because they lay flatter against the wall. The manzanita doesn't but I'm still considering. Thanks for posting the photo. My conditions are dry but I would rather worry less about root rot.

    Jon:I saw coconut husk plaques available at Tindara which I like just as much as the manzanita so I'll be deciding between those two. I really like the piece of burl for a plant to sit on my windowsill. I may get a few pieces and work the other way around: decide which plant I want to place on it :D

    Slightly off topic: A baby Sed japonica that I received over the summer is really not doing too well. She's hanging by a thread, but I suspected something was wrong when I received her and didn't bother to ask for a return. There is barely any root left. She is now out of the pot and mounted to an old wooden spoon from my kitchen. This one is now my very first mount :eek:
     
  9. Pook

    Pook Disneyed

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    Just to confuse the issue, I grow mine in a basket with sphag which I hang from 2 adjacent corners. This photo is from 2006. It's still in this basket. Mine grows in the window not a GH.
    Brassavola_acaulis_plant.jpg
     
  10. sol

    sol New Member

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    Nice! I haven't seen one like that before, a great take on a hanging plant :clap:. More options, hmmmm...

    Good growing, I love brassavola:)
     
  11. sol

    sol New Member

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    I just placed an order for 3 medium sized pieces of unfinished manzanita burl with a flat side. Each piece of burl is approx. 3 lbs. I should be getting a sample of a thick piece of sandblasted branch as well.

    I'll be getting my plants sometime next week and I should be able to post some pictures. Thanks for all the suggestions. I hope I get this right :eek:
     
  12. sol

    sol New Member

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    I forgot to ask about how to go about putting the mount on a hanger. I ordered some 6 inch S hooks thinking that I could attach (screw in) an eye which I can purchase from HD. I'm not sure how it will hold up since I'm guessing that the wood will change over time. What would be the standard way of attaching a hanger to a piece of burl? Or do these pieces come with something already attached?
     
  13. John Klinger

    John Klinger Active Member Supporting Member

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    Several interesting question. What part of the world do you live in? In every part of the world there are hard wood trees. Sometime there is some real good mounting material in you yard. Almost all fruit tree wood is a good mount. Find what you want. trim to your specs and put in the oven for 3 or 4 hours at 250, this works. As for hanging, drill a hole in the mount and attach a wire and go from there. Any drift wood from the ocean is not good, to much salt.
     
  14. sol

    sol New Member

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    John, thanks for the tip on sterilizing the wood. I ordered my burls from the place that Jon recommended for convenience. You're right, there are a few rural paths by me where some nice pieces are available if you look hard enough. I had also seen pieces of grape wood on the internet which I liked very much.

    I wanted to go with the vendor for now because I figured he would have barrels of nice manzanita pieces to choose from, at least for my first mounts. I can't imagine 3 pound burls; he said the wood is dense. I can't wait to see my pieces :).

    The person I spoke to there asked me if they were going to be hung, so I'm hoping they come set up that way already.

    Btw I went with medium sized pieces, roughly 5-9" x 4-7". I think I could have gone smaller but I wasn't sure; they are all for brassavola.