Mounting phal on hygrolon slab: a good idea?

[Gio555]

Hi all!
I was thinking about phase out the classic bark mix and pots and switch to mounting slabs.
I find a very interesting media sold in England: hygrolon slabs with an epiweb core.
I have seen in this forum and elsewhere that some people use it for mosses, ferns, lepanthes ecc with awesome result...but I can't find someone that use it for phalaenopsis.
Maybe hygrolon holds too much water for phal?
Do you have any experience about that?
Thanks for any advice!

[tucker85]

I think it would work well. I don't think there's any problem with it holding too much water, because the roots will be open to the air. You won't have a problem with root rot. Hygrolon hasn't been available in the US until recently so I've never seen it in person. Some synthetic products aren't stiff enough to mount on so, if that's the case, you may need to attach some kind of backing to make it stiff enough for mounting. Try it on one or two phals and see how it works. Good luck.

[Gio555]

Thank you Tucker85
Yeah I know, it's a north european product and in the US it's not so common yet.
Maybe for you the ecoweb / aquamat tissues are easier to find.
Hygrolon (and Aquamat) are not so stiff to be used without a core, but they can be wrapped around something (epiweb, in my case).
You are right, I must try to know.
I will start with some cheap hybrids, just in case!

[RosieC]

Interesting. I'd not seen the ones with the epiweb core, but I was actually thinking of trying hygrolon with a backing of epiweb to make mounts. Hygrolon on it's own is not firm enough but I think with the epiweb core it would work.

The stuff actually comes from Sweden and is imported in to England, so you might find a closer supplier than the English one. This is the link to the Swedish manufactures site showing their European dealers.

Epiweb

---------- Post added at 09:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:49 AM ----------

Interesting though, it seems the slabs might be something not on the Swedish site, but only on the UK dealers site. I wonder if they are putting them together themselves.

[Gio555]

Originally Posted by RosieC

Interesting though, it seems the slabs might be something not on the Swedish site, but only on the UK dealers site. I wonder if they are putting them together themselves.

Yes Rosie, I think so too.
But if you want to try, i have seen an american webshop that sells similar "hygrolon on epiweb" slabs. I can give you the site address via pm if you need.
However I have meda some count...if you need more than few slabs, it would be much more cheaper if you buy some sheets of the two materials and made them by hands!

[RosieC]

I'm in the UK

I already have some epiweb I've not used, so I might still try getting the hygrolon separately and putting them together myself.

[Gio555]

Oh sorry Rosie, I didn't see your flag!

[Magnus A]

Hi

I think it will work very well to mout phals onto Hygrolon as long the Hygrolon is supported by something else. I have glued it onto Epiweb myself but you can gllue it on any durabla material.
I like Epiweb as the roots tend to go throug the hygrolon into the Wpiweb and back again.

The orchid with the thickest roots (4mm) I have mounted on this setup is a Aer. decaryana. It is a very young plant that I have ha some problem with but it seem to like its new mount.

[Bud]

Thanks to Magnus A, I was one of those who first got Hygrolon in the US....now we have a US distributor to order it from online somewhere in Chicago.
It comes in different shapes, baskets, flat boards, twiglike ropes and round hollow containers....it is really cheap even the shipping is reasonable because its very light.
I transfered two of my ghost orchids on it and its thriving well....

[Gio555]

Thanks Magnus, the testimony of an "hygrolon expert" is comforting me!
Now it's time to place an order, start to build some slabs and try.
I will keep you informed!