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Cork-Mounted Plant Care

Lucky you! You’ve got a stunning new plant baby that you’ve chosen to hang on a very special wall. Also lucky for you, mounted plants are easy to maintain. Most cork-mounted plants require similar care (depending on the species). I won’t go into detail on species-specific care here; look up your species-specific care for light, water, humidity, and fertilization requirements. .

Plants are mounted to cork with or without substrate (soil or other medium) depending on their species. Epiphytic ferns, like staghorns, are mounted with sphagnum moss to provide consistent moisture. Some orchids are mounted without any substrate to allow airflow around the “roots”. Other species, like hoya, r. tetrasperma, monstera, etc., are planted in a ball of soil and encased in sphagnum moss (the sphagnum moss functions as a soft pouch to hold the soil). Most of the mounts I make are made with a substrate (sphagnum moss with or without soil), so the following directions are tailored to this type.

Basic Cork-Mount Care

When choosing a wall to hang your mount, consider the light requirements of the plant. Use a screw with an anchor or screw directly into a stud to hang your mount; the mount will be heavy when watered. Do not hang directly above photographs or prints since the mount could drip water if not drained after watering.

Depending on the water requirements of your mounted species (does the species like to be fully dry before being watered or does it like to stay consistently moist? does it like to be drier in the colder, non-growing months?), you will do the following steps more or less frequently:

  1. When it is time to water, lift the mount off of the wall. The mount should feel light if it is dryer.

  2. Run the sphagnum moss root mass under tepid tap water until the mount is heavy. Avoid running the leaves under the water. You can also fill a sink, bathtub, or bowl with tepid water and let your mount soak for 10 mintutes.

  3. Lean the mount against the side of a tub or sink to drain for 15 minutes.

  4. Carefully (the mount will be heavy!) rehang the mount on the wall.