Can i grow an epiphytic plant such as Phalaenopsis on a peice of driftwood?
Question:will it be sufficient as long as i spray the roots and fertilize once a month or does it need to be contained in some kind of medium?
Answers:
Sure you can. In fact, epiphytes prefer being hooked to a host rather than the potting medium you buy at orchid shops. It's just a little more trouble doing it like that and most folks don't want the bother. You will need some spahgnum moss (at yr local nursery) and some jute or cotton twine.
Remove the orchid from the pot it came in and try to remove as much of the potting medium as you can without forcing it from the roots. Cut away any roots that you break as well as those that appear brown, dried, or rotted.
Hold the root mass against your driftwood, cover it with the moistened sphagnum moss, and hold the whole mess in place by wrapping lightly with the twine. Don't use plastic ties. In time, the roots will take hold of the wood surface and the moss and twine will no longer be necessary. Until then, keep the moss moist, the air around it warm and humid.
You will need to moisten this arrangement more frequently than if potted. Otherwise treat as any other orchid from then on.
This all good, but I would use some sort of moss to hold some water, also
If you want an alternative, try a staghorn fern. They get HUGE, and almost live forever. All I did was take a "clump" of sphagnum moss, placed the fern on top, and wrapped the 2 with copper wire to the wood. I never water mine. I just spritz with a spray bottle. One minor thing, make sure the driftwood is not from salt water.
you can get some moss of some trees and put in a blender with milk.mix - well and pour on whatevr you want moss 2 grown on,Bill Nye the science guy
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