This is a forked piece of cypress approximately 5' tall. I have 9 orchid varieties and 2 tillandsia varieties mounted. when the orchids get rooted onto the cypress, hopefully the "tree" will take on a nice appearance. All the orchids are compact growers. The "tree" gets shaded around noon.

That's cool! I have seen people doing similar here with chicken wire 'trees'. I like your's better. How long will it take to cover the tree with green?

Daisy

I don't know, Daisy. Orchids, particularly the compacts, don't grow very fast. I am looking (more) forward to the roots taking over and creating a root-jungle. I will add another couple of tillandsia before I'm done. I don't want them to feel slighted.

Great idea, Ken. Help us keep up with the progress as this is something we may all try.

Jim

That is cool Ken, will you bring that into your orchid room in the winter? I have hesitated to mount anything on driftwood because I am not sure what I would do with it during the cold months.

Yes, I plan to have it spend the fall and winter months in the solarium. I will simply wire it to one of the vertical aluminum studs so that the cypress will be supported and so that the plants will receive good light throughout the day. I guess I could even hang it from a beam, so that the cypress rests against the vertical glass. I will know what I prefer when the time comes.

Hi Ken, looks promising, but do not the Tillandsia and orchids have different (winter) requirements? Depends of course on the species, so which did you choose? (I grow both too, but though they hang now nicely together for summer they have separated winter lodgings: cold or 'warm' room)

Ruud

No, Ruud. All my tillandsia are native to the USA, specifically S. Florida. Though I will water them a bit less than the majority of my mounted orchids in the fall and winter months, they pretty much get watered on the same schedule as all my potted orchids. Keep in mind that they will get bright light from early morning till dusk while in the solarium. They will actually get more light in the fall and winter months than they do in the spring and summer months. They all reside under large oak and cedar trees while outside. You might have noticed that the two tillandsia are high and on a separate "fork" and thus are far enough from any orchid that I can easily control their watering schedule. Practically speaking, and this is simply based on my experiences growing epiphytic plants, it is very hard to over-water mounted plants.

Looks great, Ken!

That's beautiful Ken! You should post it on the "what have you mounted orchids to?" thread....

Thank you, Patty. It is not yet "beautiful", but I hope in a few months, after roots begin to grow and dangle, it will take on a life of its own.

I didn't want to get into trouble by posting to two threads. I stay in trouble enough as it is.

Well I think it's beautiful! And I think you should have posted to that thread to begin with instead of starting a new one...but that's just me!

Here's that giant tillie as of today--still not 'open' but getting nubby. Don't forget, I've said it's nothing special when it opens anyway.




And here's the dragon orchid making lots of new leaves...

It's going to be a sight for sure once those orchids take hold and take off, Ken. But I see daily watering in your future . . .

Around here, the individual plants would have to be watered daily pretty much anyway. I don't think it is more work.

I have so many tropical plants and do so much watering, that my schedule wouldn't change a bit. I have lots of mounted orchids, tillandsia, and staghorn ferns.

Ken...that is so cool. I love to see orchids mounted, more natural looking. You ladies and gents that live in FLA. I am so jealous. I would love to have my plants growing outside like you do and not have to bring them in in the winter.

Thank you, Mike. Yep, for us who grow tropicals, living in S. CA or central and south FL would be like living in paradise. Our paradise only exists six months a year.

Well, our paradise is pretty well at an end for a while. It will be 92 for a high, 75 for a low, and a 50% chance thunder showers everyday now through mid-October. All of the weather prognosticators have left the building and are on call for hurricanes only. And so it is in Florida. Most of us gardeners water and pull weeds in the evening or early morning and hide by the AC in the day. Everything starts up again in late September. Even the church choir is on break and my next library talk is September 16th.

Jim

And do I hear an "Amen" from all my fellow Floridians! I'm in the A/C right now, in cool down mode!