Getting Green: Folius Moss Mix on PrimeAgra

[Joseia]

Folius moss mix growing directly on PrimeAgra, inside a glass vase.



Below, not the greatest pic, but it shows more of the vase from the side with a better shot of the thickness of the PrimeAgra layer.




Inspired by some of the really good ideas in this forum, I am planning a terrarium build incorporating moss. I bought some dried moss mix from Folius and wanted to start experimenting with the moss in a small way. I found an old glass vase, with a 4 inch diameter and about 5 inches high, and filled the bottom third of the space with PrimeAgra. I used just a small quantity of the moss mix, mixed it with RO water and spread a layer of it directly across the PrimeAgra itself and sealed the top with plastic wrap (with holes punched through for ventilation) and kept it under T5 HO lights. Max temp during the day is 75, drops down to 69 at night. It has been growing for a month now and it seems to be doing well. To my surprise, two small plants are growing also, I think they might be ferns.

In addition to experimenting with the moss, I also want to check out the PrimeAgra again, now that I have an RO system. I bought some PrimeAgra from Ray last year to try out S/H and put a few plants into it, with not-so-good results. I had put the plants into the S/H when they were showing signs of new root growth as directed, but all the new roots kept shriveling and dying as soon as they contacted the PrimeAgra, and I kept seeing LOTS of salt buildup on the PrimeAgra.

After reading on OB, I realized that my problem was not with the PrimeAgra itself, but the quality of my tap water, which averages about 215 ppm throughout the year. After purchasing an RO system from Ray this past Spring, I wanted to try the PrimeAgra again with nice clean water with TDS readings of 8 ppm instead of 215! I figure if I can grow a sensitive plant like moss right on top of the PrimeAgra with RO water, I can grown anything in it. So far, results look very good - I see absolutely no salt buildup in the media. I have also been watering another vase with nothing but PrimeAgra in it and letting it dry out, and still no salts crystallizing on top of the media like the last time around.