Mounting Orchids Outdoors: How to Give Them a Natural Home

Everyone’s received an orchid as a gift — most likely a Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid. After you’ve enjoyed it indoors, move it to a tree in your yard.

Non-gardeners need not fear, as anyone can easily mount these orchids outdoors. We’re fortunate to have near-perfect outdoor conditions for lots of orchids.

Choosing the Right Tree
Find a tree with rough bark. Oak, cypress, buttonwood, mahogany, certain palms, and many non-native trees are ideal. Avoid trees with peeling bark, like gumbo limbo, or very sappy trees, like black olive.

Preparing the Orchid
Remove the soon-to-be-free orchid from its pot, which often provides no drainage — a detrimental condition for these epiphytes. Don’t be afraid to examine the roots closely and remove any brown, dead roots with clean scissors. The same goes for dead leaf sheaths found on some orchids (like cattleyas). Remove any old potting media.

Notice the roots’ silvery look. After soaking, the velamen — a layer of cells designed to absorb water — turns the roots green. If the roots are dry and silvery-gray, soak the orchid in water before attaching it to a tree.

Finding the Right Spot on the Tree
There’s much conflicting advice on what side of the tree to use, but Jason Downing, Fairchild orchid biologist, offers a simple guideline: Look for the lichen. They may appear as small bushy clumps or look as flat as paint, but lichen indicates a good microclimate for orchids.

Mounting the Orchid

Orient the plant so new leaf growth points away from the trunk. Use soaked, long-form coconut coir (not the shredded kind) or sphagnum moss to cover the roots like a cup on one side. Using twine and a pair of helping hands, begin to tie the orchid at the root area to the tree. Try arranging the roots to encircle the trunk where possible before tying off. It may take two or more rounds of twine for a firm attachment.

Notice that Phalaenopsis have leaf growth that naturally leans to one direction. Orienting this downward helps the plant shed excess water that might otherwise lead to rot.

Caring for Your Mounted Orchid
You want the orchid’s roots quite secure against the trunk, as this helps them eventually attach themselves. Then, thoroughly water the orchid — do this early in the day so excess water evaporates before nightfall.

Watering depends greatly on location and species. For example, Phalaenopsis orchids, which lack water storage organs, may need more frequent watering, possibly every other day in drier conditions.