Wetting agent for sphagnum on small mounts?

[Another_World_Terraria]

Originally Posted by Roberta

I have lots of mounted plants that grow outside, get watered by misters each morning, overhead sprinklers every other day. By afternoon, they're bone-dry. And they are growing and blooming happily. Actually, the only ones that have any moss at all are those that need a bit more moisture, like the Pleurothallids and some of the Oncidinae. Cattleya-tribe and vandaceous ones have no moss, just roots on a bare mount.

I also suspect that the humidity in your terrarium is a lot higher than in my back yard (I have been living through about two weeks of humidity that is 15-20% or lower for most of the day... on a good day, maybe 50% in the middle of the day)

Epiphytic plants have evolved to handle some drying out - it doesn't rain ALL the time. And even with high humidity, they will still dry(That's why leaves have a waxy cuticle, which helps to conserve water... and is also the reason that foliar feeding is useless) I think you're trying to solve something that isn't actually a problem.

Thank you, this is really good info. Definitely something for me to think about.

I enjoyed browsing the website links you have in your forum signature.

[Waterdog111]

Roberta, I have been using a small bottle that miracule grow puts out thats pink color, it says to spray it on the folage(which I have been doing. I like the results Im getting with it. If the leaves have turned very light to close to yellow Ill spray them several times and they get much better. It says on the bottle its .05x.05x.05 very low strength.
I know Ive only kept orchids a short time in comparison to yourself and many of the others here. Im just trying to learn. And you people have taught me a bunch. It is greatly appreciated.

[Roberta]

WD, When you spray the leaves, little or nothing will be absorbed by that route. But of course when you water, what you put on the leaves will wash off into the medium where it can be absorbed by the roots (the REAL route into the plant) It's more efficient to go for the root zone in the first place.

[Another_World_Terraria]

I got Grow More EZ Wet 26 and mixed it per instructions for wetting soil elements (1 Tbsp / gal of water).

Using a spray bottle I applied the solution thoroughly to the sphagnum moss on the plant mounts.

After checking the moisture level of the sphagnum on all the mounts over the period of a day, it is clear that the EZ Wet has made a big difference in the sphagnum's ability to absorb and retain water from my misting system. The plants are remaining moist throughout the day, whereas before they would be bone dry by mid day.

A few points to clarify:

1. These plants are wet cloud forest species which do not like to dry out

2. The sphagnum is soaked after misting, but does begin to dry out more and more throughout the say, so it's moist but not too wet later on.

I also used this wetting agent on some other types of plants like a mounted fern which was drying out too fast, and it worked like a charm for that as well. Also, I applied it sparingly to the top surface of some potted plant substrates which were drying out a bit too much for my liking. On the latter, I need more time to evaluate.

I'm very pleased with the results of this, and it was cheap, easy, and fast to do. I will report again in the future if there is anything worth commenting on.

Oh, also, the label on the EZ Wet does list a few other benefits such as helping excess salts drain off, and a few other things I can't recall. The point being, this may be beneficial in ways other than just helping moisture absorption and retention.

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[Waterdog111]

I thank you for the results on your experiment and I think back on problems I’ve had with some orchids I’ve lost in the past and that product may I say may have helped me to not lose all of those. I’m thinking of trying it out. I’m sure if I do I will have to be sure not to overwater. I have seen with some phals that they can easily go bone dry for a good spell and still thrive nicely.

---------- Post added at 03:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 AM ----------

A good deal of my plants recieve no water from the top, only from the trays they sit in that are filled when needed. I do have cool misters that maintain the humidity in the room.

[Another_World_Terraria]

Originally Posted by Waterdog111

I thank you for the results on your experiment and I think back on problems I’ve had with some orchids I’ve lost in the past and that product may I say may have helped me to not lose all of those. I’m thinking of trying it out. I’m sure if I do I will have to be sure not to overwater. I have seen with some phals that they can easily go bone dry for a good spell and still thrive nicely.

It's too early for me to say anything definitively or to know what the long term results might be, so if you do decide to try it, be very cautious. I have yet to see if the EZ Wet has any effect on the plants themselves (phytotoxicity or anything like that). I will keep a close eye on them. As noted, I don't think overwatering will be an issue for the species I used it on, since they like to stay moist or even wet all the time.

I would definitely be very careful for species which need to dry out between waterings.

If you try EZ Wet 26, maybe only apply it to a few common plants you could stand to lose if there was a problem (nothing irreplaceable) and then give it time to be sure nothing bad happens.