Question

Orchid   Hello Wayne,

My grandfather used to cultivate orchids on trees, and I've always wanted to do the same. I'm just too scared to kill the beautiful orchid :-(. So I decided to take the first step, and I got this one you can see in the atached pic, which I'm planning to move to a tree in the front of my house, place it in the center where there's shade, and most branches meet, forming a cavity. I started reading online about how to do it, but then I read that some species of orchids are meant to grow on the soil/ground, while others can grow on trees. Do you think this one is suitable for the tree? Any "how-to" advise will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Richard

Answer
Richard, many people grow their orchids on trees in the south of Florida.  The one shown (Doritanopsis)can be attached to a mount in your part of the country. It is true that most growers of this plant prefer pot culture. The main issue with mounting this plant is that most of Florida can be subject to temperatures at or below freezing in the winter and in excess of 90 degrees in summer. Since your plant prefers temperatures between 55-85 degrees F., if you want to mount it, I suggest a piece of tree limb that you can attach to a tree and, then, when the temperature drops below 50 degrees, you can move it to a more sheltered location. To mount this plant, I recommend mounting it on a bed of moss and tie moss and plant to your mount before hanging it on a tree.  Another option is to use a wooden basket.  Try to place the mount where the plant will receive early morning sun only. On days when the temperature approaches or exceeds 90 degrees you will need to mist the plant to cool it-- unless there are cooling breezes. On a mount, this plant may need to be watered ot misted daily as it has no water storage organs as in cattleyas.