wet mount part II
 

here is part I

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...wet-mount.html

i liked it and it was sort of successful and i learned a lot.


i realized the issue is that the cubes are not magic, they grab water and they hold it but only as well as they are able given the micro environment....so..i added a reservoir


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...73f4037d_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr




the wicking is good, like 3" above the top of the can is visibly moist so i assume another inch above that is orchid moist

we will see how this works


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...38d86425_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr

Hardware cloth is one of my favorite materials. So long as you don’t mangle it, the results are so sharp and clean looking. Nice setup!

Do you think adding a hygrolon layer just inside the hardware fabric would increase the vertical wicking? And are you going to cover the finished mount with the black cloth as in the other photos?

I am not. I found that the max lift of the hygrolon is less than 5” and it is a lot of work to get it set up and looking decent. I like it still for things with fine roots or where I want to use it as the structural material.

Any updates on these rockwool wet mounts? Looks like a great idea for growing bulbo’s!

i am mixed.

they are great when it is wet out but they get really really dry when it is dry out. I think that i would overall reduce the amount of rockwool and use some more sphagnum along with the LECA...i really want to figure out how to add a resevior. i was playing with using old aluminum cans with no top and putting the mount in that. that way there can be a lot more water IN the mount itself. I made one like that and it is underwhelming me but i might have chosen a bad location for it and i have not been doing a lot of tinkering but it is a developing concept.

many of the bulbos are very happy but i still have to water them. i dont mind watering but the idea of this design was that it would require no interaction in my environment.


Also worth noting that the weather has been WEIRD for the last 2+ years and vastly different than the prior 39. so, perhaps the climate is not holding up its end of the equation LOL

Outstanding choice on the water reservoir DC! :bowing:lol:

If you pack the rockwool more densely, the "core" will stay wetter longer, and possibly higher up in the column.

The issue is that the hardware cloth is providing no barrier to evaporation whatsoever, so any water wicking upward evaporates before it can get very high.

Alternately, have you considered an active setup, using small pump to drip water onto the top of the mount so it can trickle down?

Or put a reservoir above the mount with a tiny pinhole in contact with some of the hygrolon.