Please share experience with Epiweb

[Floridian]

Hi, prompted by another thread I just researched Epiweb (yes Ray, I went to your website first ) as a potting medium. If you have used it, can you please share some details?

How do you use it? In a regular pot (approx. how often do you have to water?) or in S/H pot with water reservoir or in the pots made from epiweb?

How often would a slab need to be watered? Same as a fernroot slab?

I am also intrigued by the hanging baskets for stanhopias. Do you just use that and the epiweb chunks for stanhopias (or other types of orchid)?

Has anyone experience using the material outdoors in semi/tropical climate? How does it stand up? Any inorganic material that breaks down slower than bark here in South Florida has my immediate attention...

Any advice would be much appreciated, and apologies for the many questions.

Thanks a million in advance.

Cheers

[rtsingleton]

My experience is you have to be prepared to water frequently because there is so much aeration with epiweb...

[AHAB]

... and it will outlast you and your great, great grandchildren!
AHAB

[Ray]

I agree with both responses.

EpiWeb is NOT connected to semi-hydroponics in any way, shape, or form. It is a polymer material (made primarily from recycled soda- and water bottles - that mimics tree fern.

It does not absorb water at all (OK, all polymers do, but it's insignificant on the scale we are discussing), but holds moisture in tiny droplets within the web. It has little-to-no wicking ability.

The primary reason for using a medium or mounting material such as EpiWeb or tree-fern, for that matter, is to provide mechanical stability for a plant growing in conditions that will be very frequently watered, with fast drying.

As to the stanhopea pots (mesh bottoms, rather than EpiWeb), folks use any medium that suits their culture.

[quiltergal]

I've got some EpiWeb chunks I bought a while back from you Ray. I bought them mainly so I could try something different. Only trouble is I have not used it yet. I'm assuming it can go in a pot and the plant would need to be something that likes to be watered often and dry quickly. Any suggestions?

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

... I'm assuming it can go in a pot and the plant would need to be something that likes to be watered often and dry quickly. Any suggestions?

Vandaceous and Tolumnias... My (ex)-Vanda Blue Magic is doing great in a pot filled with EpiWeb (and some LECA). It currently has 2 large spikes and is delighting the house of my cleaning lady (my shirts too look now better than ever! )

[Swamper]

I agree with Ramon, since the first Neo I bought came in a basket and inside it was tree fern which I presume could have just as easily been epiweb. I like the basket with the epiweb too maybe I'll try it with a vanda keiki soon.

[cirillonb]

I had to ask Ray this question when I first purchased EpiWeb. It basically does not hold water. Some may get trapped in the tiny spaces for a while but is it totally inert.
I have used it in a pot with a Vanda (supplemented by some PrimeAgra to held avoiding watering so much) and have a Tolumnia mounted on a small sheet of this as well. The vanda is doing super, wish I could say the same for the Tolumnia but I refuse to water more than once a day. So not a problem related to the EpiWeb
Nick

[kavanaru]

Nick,

as for your Tolumnia... I do not have any Tolumnia growing on EpiWeb, but when I mounted my Tolumnia hawkesiana (it did not like the pot I had it on), I started having problems with it as the roots were drying out too quit (the plant was sprayed 4 times a week, though) I solved the problem adding some Sphag (not much!) around the roots, and keeping the same water regimen. It helped a lot, and the plant started producing new growth (and I think some little spikes are also coming now)... maybe this could help with your plants too... my

[cirillonb]

Originally Posted by kavanaru

Nick,

as for your Tolumnia... I do not have any Tolumnia growing on EpiWeb, but when I mounted my Tolumnia hawkesiana (it did not like the pot I had it on), I started having problems with it as the roots were drying out too quit (the plant was sprayed 4 times a week, though) I solved the problem adding some Sphag (not much!) around the roots, and keeping the same water regimen. It helped a lot, and the plant started producing new growth (and I think some little spikes are also coming now)... maybe this could help with your plants too... my

I was cautioned against using sphagnum so I wrapped a thin layer of coconut fibers but these don't hold water either. They just protect the roots from the sun. Maybe I'll add a thin layer of sphagnum over the coconut fibers so the roots aren't "soaked" in it.
Thanks,
Nick