Mounting H. papilio

16 years ago

I am relatively new to growing Hippeastrum but have admired the beauty of H. papilio since it was first pictured in advertisments. Over many years I have grown 'Staghorn ferns' as an epiphyte on cedar boards. The sequence of photos show my method. I cut a piece of 1" cedar board about 20" long. I drove a series of 1 1/4" galvenized nails around the edge. I selected a medium sized health bulb. I pre-moistened long fiber sphagnum. I gently romoved the bulb from the pot removing the offsets I placed it on the board as shown in the photo. I mixed some good potting soil with super phosphate and Ironite and placed a fist full at the base of the bulb. I firmly attached the bulb to the board with a couple pieces of nylon line nailed to the board. Using 20lb test fishing line, I wove back and forth over the sphagnum covering the roots well. The line should be fairly tight holding the moss firmly. I screw an eyebolt into the top of the board to allow hanging from a nail. I place the board in dappled shade. I water it by squirting it with a hose or plunging it into a bucket of water. Papilio experiences a dormant period in Houston during the heat of mid summer so I took advantage of that dormancy to do this project. H. aulicum apparently also occurs as an epiphyte so I have mounted some seed grown bulbs in a sphagnum hanging basket.

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Featured Answer

kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)

14 years ago

I tried it yesterday. May redo with more soil around the roots, but was easy enough!
;-)
K

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Comments (13)

kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
16 years ago
Wow...thanks for the "tutorial"...when is the workshop!?!
Just kidding! I HAS having another bulb sale this year, or did I miss it?!
Kristi
mariava7
16 years ago
Thank you sooooooooo much Pat!

You're giving me so much ideas and projects that I wish I can do. I used to do something similar to that in the Philippines which I called "Wall Garden". Instead of cedar boards, I used those Orchid tree fern slabs, use sphagnum moss, chicken wire and plant different miniature/small leafed plants(philodendrons, flowering vines, bromeliads and ferns) in it.

Sighhhhh....If only I had that much time.
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Jan Sword-Rossman Realty 239-470-6061
16 years ago
What a great way to mount papilio, maybe I'll mount one of mine if I get ambitious. Thanks for sharing!
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
14 years ago
and another....
TigerFox
14 years ago
Thank pat for providing such a convenient and feasible method Mount Hippeastrum bulb on the tree or wall!!
TigerFox
14 years ago
Thank pat for providing such a convenient and feasible method Mount Hippeastrum bulb on the tree or wall!!
TigerFox
14 years ago
Dear pat:
Thanks for providing such a convenient and feasible method Mount Hippeastrum bulb on the tree or wall!!
Cheers,
Tiger
houstonpat
Original Author
14 years ago
My pleasure
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
14 years ago
I had a problem with the fishing line, so I used superfine netting (the king to keep birds away). Seemed to work well and might be a little more manageable! at least for me!
:-)
K
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
13 years ago
My mounted H. Papilio has just surprised me with another bloom on a nonexistent scape! Blooms are coming up right out of the neck. I have fertilized, etc. Don't know why these bulbs are doing this. Oh well...at least it's sort of happy mounted on its cedar plank!
K
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
13 years ago
Just went on the side yard and found other H. Papilio are starting to send up scapes too. They currently appear to be "normal" and won't be short. I wonder...since I got so many bulbs from one source, if these "short-scaped" variety are offsets of a mother bulb with similar trait.

I did fertilize a bloom a few months ago on a "short" scape and after fertilization the pedicle grew about 6 inches. I think Donna said she had seen the same growth.

K
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
13 years ago
I did see what I thought was extreme growth on my papilio pedicels that had fertilized seedpods and I'm also sure that the scape itself continued to grow at least another 6 inches. Now this may have happened every year and I never noticed it before but it really caught my attention this year...I know the pedicels always elongate when holding a fertile seedpod but these seemed extra long..