My first attempt at mounting a Neo, traditional style

[Heather]

This is my Yoroidoushi - 'Dagger' that I got from Karen in Calif. as a trade. The roots were all over the place and the little growth in the front was pretty loose in the pot, so it was a good choice to experiment with first.

Jason Fischer was nice enough to send along an extra pot and some moss for me to play with when he sent the Seikai we traded for.
I had a lot of fun with this, and Jason's bottle mounting instructions made it very easy. I look forward to moving the rest of my plants to this sort of mount.

Before:

After:

 

[bwester]

and you say this is an orchid of some sort?
oke:

 

[TADD]

Not too bad, that nice long sphag makes it alot easier!

 

[Marco]

looks great....i need to get some extras of those pots.....i just made some room by pawning off my big noid hd phals to the SO as test subjects :evil: with one more going to her next week

 

[dave b]

looks good.

 

[Heather]

Here's the rest of my small but seemingly ever-growing Neofinetia collection.

Back row, left to right:
Normal variety, mounted on tufa, 'Mameba', and the 'Yoroidoushi'
Front row 'Shutennou', 'Tamakongo', and 'Seikai'.

'Gekkeikan' coming next week.

 

[Marco]

nice score on the sekai!!! i need one of those

 

[Ron-NY]

looking good Heather!!

 

[Sangii]

healthy looking plants Heather ! I have to try and mount one of mines traditional style as well ?

 

[NYEric]

How is the plant in the upper left hand corner mounted?

 

[streetmorrisart]

Really nice, Heather. They just look "right" that way, though I like your mounted one too...somehow that's alright for furan.

 

[myxodex]

Good job ... I hope they do well for you. Neo collections have a way of growing ... just as well they are small. I picked up another eight form NWO at the Peterborough Show here weekend before last to bring my collection to 15. I made the mistake of getting one of the Neofinetia books in Japanese with the translated names ... now I have big eyes. One of my favourites in the book is a stunning variagated bean leaf ... costs $50,000 ...ahhh.
Cheers,
Tim

 

[Heather]

Thanks everyone. I had a lot of fun doing it and am looking forward to getting my moss today so I can re-pot my Shutennou as well.

Funny about that way of multiplying. Note to self, stay away from that book!

Tim, which ones did you pick up in Peterborough?

 

[streetmorrisart]

AAAAA moss? There's string that looks like it and blends into it too... Makes it easier to keep that nice mound in top form.

The books are deadly! Botannishiki probably tops my list, though it won't be mine for awhile--probably a long while. I love the tinge of red to the leaves and the cherry root tips.

(You'd think I like Neos and Angraecoids more than I do paphs from the way I post, but the truth is I'm too overwhelmed by all the lovely slippers to compliment them all.)

 

[Marco]

im getting some of that 5a moss....i need to go get some of those plastic neo pots too

 

[DukeBoxer]

Heather, I have a quick question. How are the neos in their special pot with moss mounded up considered "mounted"? I am going to J&L on saturday with neos on my mind and they have it as their orchid of the month, multi growth in bud and blooming. I have been looking at them for the last two months or so and can't understand a few things, that being the first. The other is as I look at the world map, I see no part of Japan, not even the ryukyu islands, that are within the tropics, yet there are epiphytic orchids growing there. Is the climate there something like the climate in England, where a warm current passes by therefore warming the land. There are palms growing on the coast of England right?

 

[Heather]

Uhhh....Jason? Paging Jason Fischer....!

I have no idea of the answers to any of those questions, I'm afraid.
I've always heard the term "mounting" in regards to this method, so I repeated it.

With regards to climate I know they can take cooler temps in the winter (which is one of the reason's I decided to start growin them.)

Hopefully one of our more knowledgable members will chime in?

 

[TADD]

Well let me tell you about my winters here... I live in Zone 7, while my plants were kept in our mud room (an enclosed porch) all winter. The temps would dip into the 30's at night and sometimes during the day. I barely watered my neos all winter from about the end of October until February. The neos got really bright sun light, but pretty harsh treatment for temps. The didn't skip a beat, and look great. I didn't lose a single plant, in fact I think they are stronger because of it.

On another pouched orchid forum, a man in Japan name Tom has photos of a neo on one his tree outside covered in snow! Neos rock.

I believe it is called a mount because it is not in a pot of sphag, just mounted on the top of the mound of sphag. But then again what do I know.... :evil: Sorry I rambled a bit....

 

[Heather]

But then again what do I know.... :evil: Sorry I rambled a bit....

Not at all, that was most helpful to us newbies!

Can you explain "barely watered" more accurately? How often is "barely" please? Thank you!

 

[TADD]

Barely watered was maybe when it warmed up to the high forties - I would water the plants lightly- a quick run of the hose. Once a month(whenver I felt like it) I would just watch the plants and see when they need it. These plants were in a humidity tray that actually had ice in it one day.... I used an underbed storage bin, with two large bricks and put the plant tray on top of the bricks. I would fill the bin with water to near the bottom of the tray. I misted once in a great while also.... I really just abused them for 3 months.... My dendrobium monoliforme was also in there. Does that help? I water my neos in the summer at least twice a week.They are mounted in sphag (Japanese style) in clay pots. I think it keeps the roots cooler in the summer.