EpiWeb is a PETE polymer, so wetting does nothing - other than getting it wet, of course. It is meant as a tree fern substitute, for mounting (vertical or rafts) or for use as a very open, airy medium or aerating additive.
I am experimenting with it in a couple of ways - I have several bulbophyllums on it, and they seem to be doing well, really sending their roots through the mass, and I potted a standard yellow ondidium in the medium in of one of the conical baskets, and again, the roots are really going to town.
You have to consider your conditions and watering habits when choosing any medium or mount. I grow in a greenhouse and have a lot of vandas in slat baskets, and lots of other plants in S/H, so frequent watering is standard, making EpiWeb a good choice for others. If I was an in-home grower, I think I'd use it to "open up" other media (50/50 with sphagnum sounds like an interesting experiment), or possibly alone in a pot for vandaceous plants.
Not to contradict Scott, but in my (admittedly limited) experiments, the stuff seems reasonably compressible (much more so than tree fern) - enough so that the chucks can be pressed into a pot to hold the plant in place while it gets established, but without cutting off the air glow to the roots.
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