How to Make an Orchid Tree

Orchids bear bunches of long, strap-shaped leaves and flexible stalks of elegant flowers, and generally grow in small pots or containers. Some orchids grow on mounts, with their roots exposed to air. Since orchid roots prefer air circulation to tightly packed soil, mounting leads to healthy long-term growth. Orchid trees present a specialized mounting process, with orchids attached to wood or branches for an artistic "tree" effect. Build your own orchid tree with driftwood and a stable base for a different orchid look.

Driftwood
Christmas tree stand
Pen/pencil
Peat moss
Twine/wire
Miniature orchids
Scissors
Spray bottle
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Use store-bought driftwood for the structure of your orchid tree. Secure the end of the driftwood in a small Christmas tree base and put the "tree" in a spot with indirect light and good air circulation. Choose more specific sites based on individual orchid needs.
- 2
  Decide on your orchid layout. Use miniature Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Oncidium and Vanda orchids for variety and color, but choose a range of orchids with similar growing needs. Hold the orchids to the wood to design your tree. Mark the wood with a pen or pencil to remember where the orchid root systems fall.
- 3
  Soak peat moss in water and wrap it around the wood in your marked spots. Secure the peat moss with wire or twine to provide a growing base for the orchids.
- 4
  Move orchids to the tree one at a time. Pull the orchids gently from their pots and brush away old potting material. Trim any dead or dried roots back to healthy root matter, then place the orchids against the wood, with roots against their designated peat moss bases.
- 5
  Cover the orchid root systems with new sections of wet peat moss. Wrap wire or twine around the tree and peat moss sections to hold the "plantings."

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