FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have a cow skull that's been sitting outside for awhile, being weathered. It's never had any chemicals used on it, it's just a skull. Can I plant orchids in the eye sockets and/or mount them on it, or would the calcium and such in the bone be harmful to them?

Also, does it hurt orchids to be crowded? I'm thinking probably mini moth orchids, possibly a vanda or cattleya mixed in. If it wouldn't hurt them, I'd like to just about cover the skull in orchids and sphagnum moss.

I don't know, but that sounds awesome! Please post a picture if you do it. Is calcium normally harmful to orchids? I know phals are happy being crowded, but not sure about vandas and cattleyas.

I Googled it, and found a few results where people have done this sort of thing before.
One person said that they've always had bone sprout fungus when they used it in vivariums, but I had a vivarium for awhile that was built around a horse skull, with no issues whatsoever. I also have a goat skull in a vivarium with no fungus yet. I'm guessing fungus happens if there's still meat or oils left in the bone, and this skull has been in the Texas sun for years. It's literally bone dry.
I also found this: https://www.orchidsforum.com/threads/bone-mount.15499/
Which is an attempt that was what I'd call "wildly successful".

I think I'm gonna get some kind of clay dish from the garden center to put the skull on, heap some moss on that to help with the humidity, and then go from there. Might try a tillandsia or two as well,

I'm not a Ping guy, but reading your post, I was thinking that a dried skull might be a great place to grow a few Mexican Pings. I believe they're tolerant to some degree of an alkaline environment I'f I'm wrong, someone will jump in to correct me on this.

Good growing,
Mike

That would be really cool and probably more suited to what might actually be found growing wild on a skull, but I don't think my ultra-sunny window spot that I keep my CPs in has any room for a cow skull.

Plus, there aren't really any spots to plant the pings in, and I imagine they'd dry out too easily if I tried to grow them as pure epiphytes.