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Orchid
aachenelf

Sophronitis dilemma

15 years ago

My Sophronitis cernua is running out of room to roam and I'm not sure what I should do next. Originally this was a tiny plant with only a couple of pbs. I pinned it to a block of tree fern and it grew. First it covered the top of the block of tree fern, then grew down the sides and now is attempting to grow around the bottom at which point there will be no where else for it to go. Had I used a much larger piece of tree fern in the beginning or attached a few more pieces of tree fern to the sides a couple of years ago I wouldn't have this problem now. But I didn't and now I can only see a couple of options.

Top view (you can see new pbs already growing on top of older pbs)

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Side view

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Bottom

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If I attach another piece of tree fern on the bottom, this is going to be a very oddly shaped mount. I could live with that. Or should I stick a couple of pieces of tree fern in a wooden slat basket and simply set the entire plant on top in hopes it will grow down the sides of the basket? Eventually it would probably grow around the bottom of the basket too at which point I would have to do something else. Opinions?

On another note, what do you do when plants outgrow their mounts. It's not like you can easily rip them from the old mounts and attach them to new, larger mounts - or do you?

Kevin

Comments (5)

  • 15 years ago

    What would that plant do in nature? It would ramble, covering every surface of the mount and then, now being essentially a ball, would expand outwards in all directions. I have plants that have outgrown their mounts who are a plant ball like that, the original mount no longer visible. Epi porpax is a common plant people do this with.

    The other thing I have done is to reorient them. What if you hang it upside down, is there room underneath that it could cover. I have also taken them off being surprised how easy and non-intrusive it was. Most of the roots may not be attached to the mount but to each other and the thing may come off relatively easily.

    Just like someone who complains that they had to pay one million in taxes last year, I can only congratulate you on a successful and healthy plant. I'm sure you'll find a solution, I wish I had your problem with my Sophronitis cernua and my Maxillaria sophronitis as far as that goes.

    Nick

  • 15 years ago

    Nick

    You're right. This thing is definitely going the direction of making itself into a ball. If this is ultimately OK, I'll let it do so. It kind of bothers me to see it basically growing on top of itself, but again if it can survive this way so be it. Maybe at some point it will just bug me too much and I'll try ripping the thing apart and starting over.

    When I made the decision to concentrate on small growing plants for space reasons (and because I really like them), I didn't take into consideration even plants that don't grow very tall can still spread out like crazy if given the opportunity to do so.

    Kevin

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  • 15 years ago

    Kevin, it depends what you want from this plant. The easiest would be to put the mount into a wood basket and let grow all over it.

    The cernua I have is mounted on a cork slab, about 12" x 6", and it long ago completely covered it. The plant is grown year round -- flat -- on a light shelf with the leaf tips about 1" down from the tubes. It doesn't try to move onto the bottom of the slab because it doesn't get good light there. Instead, it pokes new growth out sideways into the air, and when each forms three or four bulbs, I cut them off and give them away.

    I feel my plant is big enough to satisfy me at the size it is and I don't need more. There are many other plants that I need space for in the greenhouse without giving it up for a monster cernua.

    It all depends on what you want, Kev.

  • 15 years ago

    CJ - In reality, this plant is probably large enough right now to satisfy me, but of course since it wants to expand I feel a bit (but not much) obligated to allow it do so. I think the basket idea is probably the best solution. That wouldn't take up much more space, but the plant could still wander a bit more. It would also be kind of fun to see it make the adjustment.

    Kevin

  • 15 years ago

    I second the basket idea, I have done that and it works well and looks good.

    Nick

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