"New" orchid cabinet with drip wall

[Magnus A]

Have promised an update in another thread, and here it is. Though I had a large pruning of undesired moss just last week but you can clearly see the massive moss growth in this not so good picture.




And some of the mounts with very little moss on have not been in the cabinet from the beggining.

[Vanda lover]

Beautiful! I think the moss looks great, but I suppose it must interfere with the water being absorbed through the wall?

[Magnus A]

Originally Posted by Vanda lover

Beautiful! I think the moss looks great, but I suppose it must interfere with the water being absorbed through the wall?

I do not realy get your point. The water is supplied through the black tube with orange nozzles on the top, by a pump on a timer. The water is then transported down through the Hygrolon by gravity and capilary forces were the moss and the orchids roots can excess the water.

The problem is that some mosses are so strong growing that they choke some orchids. Others die off while they grow and form a dead moss math between the living moss and the Hygrolon. This dead material get WAY to wet and hold the water on the wall to long, far longer and in larger amount than Hygrolon itself. Pure Hygrolon is perfect moist after soaking as the excess water is pulled down by gravity.

I am now trying to balance pump schedule to minimize the running time and make sure that the wall stay evenly moist and not to wet for longer times.

/M

[Vanda lover]

Oh, I see

[Gio555]

Awesome job Magnus, brilliant!
I am trying to set up a intermediate/warm orchidarium with hygrolon slabs all over, and your project is exactly what I have in mind for mine.

Can you kindly explain how the "false bottom" works?
I mean...it is above a water reservoir, with a stripe of hygrolon that wick up water to keep the "false bottom" moist?
Or it is the water in excess that run down the slabs that keep it moist?

Thank you anyway!

[Magnus A]

Originally Posted by Gio555

Awesome job Magnus, brilliant!
I am trying to set up a intermediate/warm orchidarium with hygrolon slabs all over, and your project is exactly what I have in mind for mine.

Can you kindly explain how the "false bottom" works?
I mean...it is above a water reservoir, with a stripe of hygrolon that wick up water to keep the "false bottom" moist?
Or it is the water in excess that run down the slabs that keep it moist?

Thank you anyway!

The false bottom is just a removably "shelf" with a compartment with water under it. The water is taken from the compartment by a pump and distributed over the walls by drip nozzles. The water then flows back through the slabbs down to the comparment under the false bottom.

I need to clean it every second to third month and make sure that there is enough of water in it. I "topp it up" with RO water whenever needed:

[Gio555]

Oh thanks Magnus, understood!
So the "false bottom" is kept moist by the water that flows down.
You have to clean it only once every two or three months?
Wow, I thought it was harder to maintain clean!

[Magnus A]

Originally Posted by Gio555

Oh thanks Magnus, understood!
So the "false bottom" is kept moist by the water that flows down.
You have to clean it only once every two or three months?
Wow, I thought it was harder to maintain clean!

The false bottom is covered with hygrolon that act as a filter. No material from moss or plants go through but some algea follow the water down and die in the dark compartment under the false bottom. And remember, I have no organic substrate in the cabinet except moss, and orchids (and algea that comes whatever you try to do...).

[Gio555]

I thought the "fresh" ro water was taken from a tank outside the cabinet and the compartment under the false bottom was only to collect wastewater.
Instead, the water is in constant loop.
Very interesting!
Have you ever had problems of stagnant water in the compartment? The pump manages to keep the water oxygenated?

[Discus]

Originally Posted by Call_Me_Bob

That's awesome! Does anyone know if hygrolon is available in the states?

Firstrays have recently launched "AquaMat" which is similar to hygrolon (and similarly, their ecoweb is similar to epiweb). AquaMat

Magnus - that is a wonderful grow area!