I grow smaller mounted orchids in our living space-not the basement or garage. When I first saw these lovely little things at Oak Hill Gardens years ago, I was mystified as to how one could grow them as they are so small. Do you have to water them every 15 minutes? Where could you put them? What do you hang them on? But I bought a couple anyway. Now OGC has walls & walls of them.

So, what to do next? Research! I found they don't grow any differently that the larger guys. They just need a little different attention. Try to mimic their temperature, light, humidity & hydration requirements as best you can. You'll find most all of this info (plus more) on the labels from OGC. You may find it beneficial to add a humidifier, fan, & a thermometer with hygrometer to help you track these.

Obelisks work well for growing & displaying them as they allow you to water & fertilize from all angles. You do need to make sure that the crosshatching is of an appropriate size so you don't end up with a 6' obelisk with 12 orchids hanging from it. Closer is better most of the time. Check for the weight of the obelisk too, as some are downright heavy when they are full of wet orchids & hunks of wood.

I place my obelisks on a regular plant turntable which is on a plant caddy. There are pebbles on the top of the turntable. Pebbles aren't necessary but they do make it look neater & hold the drips from watering. You can rotate the obelisks easily so all sides get even light. Just give them a quarter turn every other day or so. The plant caddy allows you to move the whole thing easily. I found after a period of time that my mounted orchids were doing much better than their potted siblings.

Since they are small & open on all sides, they do need to be watered more frequently than potted orchids. Don't ever use soft water as it will kill them. Mine get showered every 3-5 days. Simply place them in the shower and turn the water on. Check the temp so you don't freeze or scald them. A sink with a sprayer is another option.

Fertilizing is a bit more time consuming inside than outside unless you have a faucet attachment you can use to spray them in the shower. I use a spray bottle & do each one individually. That saves fertilizer from going down the drain & also doubles as a good time to check over each individual plant. In winter, some may need less water & fertilizer. Others go dormant & need no, or very little, water & no fertilizer. Know your orchids needs, meet them as best you can & they will thank you for it with nice flowers

In the summer you can move them to your 'outside' living area. Your little orchids will thank you for this as this is their primary growing time. Put them in an appropriate place where they are sheltered from storms & scorching sun. A garden umbrella or shade cloth can easily be used. They will benefit from normal rainfall or your hose when it doesn't rain or they need fertilizing. Squirrels & chipmunks don't eat orchids. They are trying to bury what they've already found. There isn't enough medium on mounted orchids.

I hope you will enjoy these wonderful little guys (& their larger siblings) as much as I do. Ones I have the most fun with are: Onc. pusilla, Tubecentron Niu Girl, Aerangis hyaloides, Aerangis citrata, Podangis dactyloceras [this is my favorite], Sophronitis coccinea, Den. oligophyllum, Den. rigidum, Ascocentrum curvifolium, and Gastrochilus japonicus. Go out to OGC soon & treat yourself to 3, or 6, or 9 of them. They have walls & walls of them to choose from. If you do, you'll really have given yourself a treat.

Have fun growing.