Wetting agent for sphagnum on small mounts?

[Another_World_Terraria]

I'm wondering if anyone has used a wetting agent for sphagnum. I have some small, mounted plants on sphagnum. My grow tent has constant air flow and heat, so the substrate dries out quickly. Some of the watering is done by an automatic misting system, and it doesn't soak in very well / runs off the mounts sometimes. I was thinking of trying a wetting agent so the sphagnum absorbs the mist better and stays wet a bit longer. Any thoughts or suggestions?

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[Waterdog111]

Sounds like it could be a good idea.

[Ray]

If the water is running down the mount, it’s getting to the roots, isn’t it?

I would look into reconfiguring the misting before trying a surfactant.

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[Another_World_Terraria]

Originally Posted by Ray

If the water is running down the mount, it’s getting to the roots, isn’t it?

I would look into reconfiguring the misting before trying a surfactant.

They have sphagnum and it dries out enough that it becomes hydrophobic. There is a slight moisture on them but it dries out fast. I don't think the plants are getting much water through that.

I tried adjusting the mist head positions, angles, etc and there's not much else I can do at this point.

[Waterdog111]

Maybe less than one drop of dawn dish soap per liter, I wouldnt think that could hurt as its used in conjuntion with a disinfectant when plateing seeds. Thats what Ive read.

[estación seca]

I would increase the frequency of misting until they never dry completely.

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[Arne]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I would increase the frequency of misting until they never dry completely.

Exactly!

[Another_World_Terraria]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I cannot increase frequency of misting that much because this is a grow tent with a mix of mounted and potted plants, of different familes and genera of plants, so it would result in overwatering and rot of some species. Also could introduce fungal and bacterial issues.

I am going to try using wetting agent on targeted mounted plants. I ordered Grow More EZ Wet Soil Penetrant 26%.

I will report back in the future.

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[sunfire]

If you are able to cultivate a layer of carpet moss on the sphagnum/mount it would probably solve your issues. I actually seed my new mounts with bits of moss from my other plants for this purpose. Sometimes it takes, sometimes it doesn't.

[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.