Hygrolon & EPI-WEB in a closed environment

[Mr.Fakename]

I'm heavily considering Hygrolon and EPI-WEB panels in a terrarium build, but I still have questions about them.

For some people they're a miracle (hi DC), and some say they're useless without a misting system or water flow to keep them damp at all times.

For those of you who have tried those materials on the long run, what are your praises and complaints?

Are roots able to breathe when they're inside the mesh? How to your water if plants stay permanently wet? Do the salts in the fertiliser build up? Should I just shut up and order the damn thing?

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[DirtyCoconuts]

i have never used EpiWeb but it is scary to me as it is very tough and very permanent, you are NOT removing it or removing the plant from it....ever

say what you want to about this grower ( i think she has some really cool ideas) this story is AWFUL

A warning on EpiWeb – orchidkarma


for the hygrolon, look up my all time favorite thread..
Project Phoenix

Akhenaten is the KING of the stuff and this thread is like a sales pitch with how amazing he uses it.....the dendrophylax have been on the mount and moist for years at this point but you should ask the master

[Ray]

At one time I was the US outlet for Epiweb, later switching to a US-made version when the originator was unable to supply me adequately. It is recycled PETE bottles and ABS, so absorbs no water at all. The only retention is droplets in the mesh. If there are any mineral deposits left behind when fertilizer solution evaporates, it is not adhered to the surface, so easily washes off at the next watering.

Hygrolon is polyester “3D spacer fabric”. The mesh and fibers of the thread are much finer, so it holds more water per volume due to capillarity, but again, the polymer itself absorbs little-to-no water.

Hygrolon wicks, Epiweb does not.

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

i have never used EpiWeb but it is scary to me as it is very tough and very permanent, you are NOT removing it or removing the plant from it....ever

say what you want to about this grower ( i think she has some really cool ideas) this story is AWFUL

A warning on EpiWeb – orchidkarma

Those are good points, although I mostly grow monopodial orchids so I'm not too concerned with propagation and weird inflorescences. Same with roots going through, I intend to leave the plants there for good!

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

for the hygrolon, look up my all time favorite thread..
Project Phoenix

Akhenaten is the KING of the stuff and this thread is like a sales pitch with how amazing he uses it.....the dendrophylax have been on the mount and moist for years at this point but you should ask the master

It does look super clean and very inspiring. He didn't explain how he does those Hygrolon tubes, but it looks like some kind of foam or moss?
Wouldn't say no to a Dendrophylax though...
I'll send a PM and ask for advice, thanks for the recommendation!

Originally Posted by Ray

The only retention is droplets in the mesh. If there are any mineral deposits left behind when fertilizer solution evaporates, it is not adhered to the surface, so easily washes off at the next watering.

Hygrolon is polyester “3D spacer fabric”. The mesh and fibers of the thread are much finer, so it holds more water per volume due to capillarity, but again, the polymer itself absorbs little-to-no water.

That's good to know, if I choose this solution I'll add a proper drain for easy cleaning once in a while.

Did you personally use those products?

[estación seca]

Correct, Epiweb does not wick water at all. You must water any plant on it.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

Did you personally use those products?

I didn't (and don't) sell anything I don't use.

The "EcoWeb" (US-made Epiweb - just floor scrubber pads cut to your preferred size and/or shape) and "AquaMat" (US-made Hygrolon) payed big roles in my experimentation.

In my greenhouse I had plants growing on slabs or in baskets of EcoWeb, or in plastic pots with 1" cubes of the stuff as potting medium.

Hygrolon/AquaMat was more often used as a wicking covering over an inert substrate, sometime using EcoWeb as that, although I did do a vertically-aligned "composite" of AquaMat and Ecoweb strips in a pot that worked well, too.

If you want moss to grow on the Hygrolon, I suggest you purchase a tropical moss starter from one of the frog suppliers. They are spores mixed with milled sphagnum that you wet and smear onto/into the surface. In about 6 - 8 weeks, it'll germinate and grow. Native mosses don't so as well in an indoor enclosure.

[Mr.Fakename]

Thank you for your inputs guys.

I've just seen that Dusk, the company behind those products, offers a kit for my terrarium (ExoTerra 90 x 45 x 45cm).

There is some kind of modularity; branches and lianas can be swapped with magnets. That would be great for plants that would need to be taken out at some point, like baby Vanda.

I'll see if they can provide more info and pics and decide if I go that way or DIY!