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rennfl

Experiment

rennfl
12 years ago

Hi all,

I've been thinking over the winter here about mounting some of my Hoyas. I mount many of my orchids, and was thinking that since Hoyas are epiphytes as well, that some of them might take to it.

Was thinking of starting with the ones that don't mind drying out in between waterings, and also ones that are able to stay outside year round, as I'm out of space inside for more mounts in the winter.

So I was going to start with carnosa, dasyantha, obovata and australis ssp. australis and calycina.

The mounting material would be a cedar shingle, which I use for my orchids, and have plenty around. Also, I had started a lot of cuttings last fall, so I have rooted cuttings already available to experiment with.

Has anyone ever tried this, and if so, how did it go for you? Also, any other thoughts, or something I'm missing here, please let me know.

Renee

Comments (7)

  • pirate_girl
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Renee,

    I've only mounted H. curtisii which like it fine, but onto bark I moistened it every single day to keep it happy.

    Too labor intensive for me. I gave it up after a year, but they particularly liked it & they have small aerial roots which will catch to the bark & help it hold on.

  • mdahms1979
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a few mounted Hoyas and Dischidias and they do require much more attention but if you have the growing space and ability to grow them it is well worth it. Species such as Hoya wayetii that have pronounced aerial roots are the best candidates but others can do just as well.
    Hoyas are epiphytes but unlike some orchids which have the corky velamen layer of tissue surrounding the root Hoya do not have such a highly developed root structure. Without this root structure to protects against dryness it would be best to consider most Hoyas as being similar to orchids with fine roots that require consistent moisture. Long periods of dryness will be detrimental to root and plant development. There are of course Hoya species that resist long periods of dryness in nature but for our sake it's probably easiest not to replicate this in culture.

    Here is one of my mounted Hoyas, Hoya loheri soon after mounting on cork.

    Here is a more recent photo to show the amount of growth that has occurred. This plant is mounted to the cork on a pad of sphagnum moss and there is also another pad of moss on the back of the mount which is held in place by a layer of capillary matting. The roots of the plant have penetrated through a large hole I drilled in the cork to seek out the moisture held in the pad on the back of the mount.
    This Hoya is now quite a bit larger and with weekly watering and daily heavy misting and wetting of the moss it does very well.

    If you were able to grow your mounted plants outside for most of the year they would do very well. A once daily heavy watering with the hose etc. would be all that's needed. I would stay clear of thin leaves species and choose ones that either have pronounced aerial roots at the nodes or that have thick succulent leaves. Hoya kerrii would be fantastic mounted and grown in very bright light. Some species such as Hoya kerrii develop their root systems within scars on tree bark or in the crotch of branches etc where moisture lingers, make sure to replicate this in culture. Mounts like cork bark tubes work very well as you can fill the tube with a media like moss and bark and then drill a hole to mount the Hoya cutting. I have one such setup and have used plastic mesh to hold the potting mix in place, the mesh being stapled to the bottom of the cork bark tube.

    Check out the link for a photo taken in habitat of Hoya kerrii. This is the perfect example of why I always say that this species wants to be grown in very bright light to full sun. Notice how the plant is much more compact instead of the wild climbing vine that happens when grown too shady. Also notice that the seed has germinated in a scar on the trees surface, many Hoyas grow in this way if they are in a dryer environment. Species that are in high rainfall areas that don't experience dry periods will root into mosses/lichens or directly into the ephyphyte layer that occurs on many tree branches.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Hoya kerrii in nature.

  • penfold2
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I grow several Dischidias on mounts, but no Hoyas. I did have a H. DS-70 that attached itself to some bricks in my greenhouse, so I imagine it would have done well mounted. Also, there was an article in Stemma (vol 1, issue 2) about mounting Dischidias that mentioned H. curtisii, retusa, wayetii, lacunosa, and picta as good candidates for mounting. Are you planning to use any moss on the roots?

    Please let us know how it goes.

  • mdahms1979
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Renee sorry I did not see the list of species you have mentioned. These species would need a good amount of moss to hold moisture and I would highly recommend another type of mount as the cedar shingle will not offer any nooks and crannies for the roots to penetrate. I would also recommend using smaller Hoya species as the ones you mentioned usually develop into massive plants and are just not suited to being confined to a small mount. Often these species are scramblers inhabiting large rock outcrops, scrubby vegetation or trees and they root at intervals into pockets of soil, humus, etc. so they would be best grown as large plants in the landscape vs on a mount. The best subjects for mounts would be small pendant growers vs robust climbers.

    Penfold mentioned the Stemma article but if you don't have access (Apodagis has them as PDF) then check out Dischidia.com for photos of Antone's mounted Hoyas and Dischidias.

    Mike

  • rennfl
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks guys for your thoughts, this is just what I was looking for.

    PG - watering everyday is not a problem here, I already do it for my mounted orchids.

    penfold, thanks, DS-70 is another one I left outside all winter, and it seems to be fine, although it did stop blooming after it got real cold. So I could try that one. And yes, I use spagh along the mount for extra water retention.

    Mike, good points. But I don't like cork mounts. I've used the cedar shingles even for mounted Bulbos, and you know how much water they like. And they grow and bloom. Also good point about the roots, although most of my Hoyas have decent developed roots along the stem here. Remember my pics of roots I've got? But, carnosa isn't one of them. So cross that one off. lol

    But obovata develops roots along the stem here, and the leaves aren't that far apart, making it a pretty neat plant for me.

    I've got so many cuttings that have rooted over the winter, I think I'm going to go ahead and try a few, keeping in mind what you've suggested. If it doesn't work, then lesson learned :).

    Renee

  • rennfl
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oh, and meant to add, yes I think I have that Stemma article, will look it up.

    Renee

  • mdahms1979
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    By all means if you have the cuttings you might as well try them. I would be very interested to see how it works out. My mounted plants took a while to really take off but maybe by the end of summer you will have a good idea of what species were as success.

    Mike

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