# Drylok background - how well will plants root to it? Will mixing with coir help?



## reesa447 (Oct 25, 2019)

I'm planning my second viv and leaning towards drylok for a background. For my first, I used silicone + neherp's background mix which was fine but I'm concerned about it holding up over time. Hygrolon seems like a lot of work and I'm already overwhelmed. So that led me to drylok.

But my concern with drylok is how well shinglers and moss will root against it since it looks kind of slick in photos. Anyone have experience they can share? I've also considered mixing a little coir with it which I've seen discussed also looking for some feedback on this. Any suggestions would be great.


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## hygropunk (Aug 27, 2017)

I wouldn't call Drylok slick. It dries to a matte finish and has tiny pieces of grit in the mix that give it a bit of 'tooth'. Having said that though, while I've had moss grow on it, I've never managed to root epiphytes on Dryloked surfaces. It's still basically paint. Mixing in a little (moistened) coir might help.


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

You can get a smooth-formulation Drylok but I don't think that's fish & frog safe. I read the MSDS once and decided to give it a permanent pass. Normal or original-formulation Drylok is like 30-grit sandpaper. Far from slick. But also, yeah. basically just paint. Dry as hell.

Have you considered going foam-free and just using cork pieces, in a "cracked-cork mosaic"?



> how well shinglers and moss will root against it


If this is what you want to maximize, the "mosaic" kicks ass.

good luck!


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## Monstera (Dec 10, 2020)

I’ve had a hard time rooting epiphytes on drylok but some moss will grow. I found glueing some reptisoil down on the drylok underneath where I placed the moss helped it grow a lot better, perhaps you could glue down some cork bark or driftwood on the drylok for bromeliads etc? Or even carve out a portion of your foam to stick bark in ?


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## Ocean (Dec 10, 2020)

Maybe put a small piece of hygrolon under the epiphyte before glueing it to the background? I would think shinglers would climb up it okay though.


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## Chris S (Apr 12, 2016)

I've found shinglers, like marcgravia, can adhere to drylock with no real issue. For true epiphytes, I would work a small bit of cork bark in for a ledge when doing a great stuff background (and leave it unpainted), and then you will have no issues with having an area where epiphytes can thrive.


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

> perhaps you could glue down some cork bark or driftwood on the drylok for bromeliads etc? Or even carve out a portion of your foam to stick bark in ?





> For true epiphytes, I would work a small bit of cork bark in for a ledge when doing a great stuff background (and leave it unpainted), and then you will have no issues with having an area where epiphytes can thrive.


Both these approaches are getting towards something, but neither - certainly not the first - are what I suggest. In fact I would actively steer you away from the first.

Here's my suggestion. 
Sketch out your desired background. Have some areas with foam, and some other areas with cork bark ("cracked-cork mosaic"). 

The easiest and most plant-friendly approach would be devote more space to the cork, and use the foam in "islands" in a "sea" of cork and moss-filled cracks.
Build the foam "islands" on a bench or table. You can carve and texture and seal and color to your heart's content. I use XPS foam board, a serrated paring-size knife, fish-safe epoxy, and dry tints for concrete. You can get really creative with the carving. I like to pick a "model stone" for carving and tinting - sandstone, limestone, granite, whatever. 
I epoxy all sides except the back - I leave the back in bare pink or blue foam board. I do 2 coats of epoxy, minimum, and apply the dry tints (Dry Powder Pigments) to the final layer. It's a little bit "artistic" - there's a learning curve, but you can get good. I use a full-coverage, medium-thick coat of fish-safe black silicone on the back, to adhere the "islands" to my glass. It's WAY BETTER to have the tank laying on its back for all the silicone work. After all the foam pieces are siliconed into place I like to drape a damp t-shirt onto them. It helps with curing.
After the silicone holding the "islands" has cured, play with arrangements of cork pieces in between the "islands". Leave a gap between every cork piece, and around all the "islands" An inch is great, less is OK, but more is not helpful at all. I'd even call it bad. It's too wide to pack with moss (LFS, specifically). You can break and shape the cork all you like. Smaller cork pieces = more gaps & more moss = an all-around moister environment (given equivalent amounts of misting or dripping water inputs). You can mount "dry-foot" plants (e.g., brom pups) right on the cork, and pin "moist-foot" plants (e.g., most viv plants) to the moss to get them started. They will "crawl around" and thrive where it suits them, avoid (or die) where it doesn't suit them. Even your "dry foot" plants will often send some roots into the moss, to exploit the goodies there. 
Also know that you can use cork curvature to your advantage - I like to mount the curved cork pieces so I can pack some better soil behind them. Either plant rooted pieces right into that, or let your plants discover it for themselves as they expand from initial moss-pinned cuttings. They will exploit it and thrive.
As I'm doing my dry-fit layout I like to trim the back of each cork piece where needed to make the pieces sit comfortable without "rocking" on the glass. Three points of contact, or just flat all along the sides, and open at the top if it's curved. An oscillating multi tool works perfect for this trimming.
Once you have the cork dry-fitted to suit, then start adhering it to the glass. I just pull out one piece at a time, squeezing a little silicone on the bearing surfaces of the cork, and then mooshing the cork back into place on the glass.
Just like with the foam - after all the cork is all siliconed into place I like to drape a damp t-shirt or towel onto it. The moisture helps get a good, strong, complete cure.
When the silicone is all cured, grab a big bucket, put some warm water into it, and throw in your dry packs of LFS to get them soaked. Then pour off the water. Pack moss into all the cracks. I mean pack it. It takes a lot of moss.

That's my suggestion. I've had *a lot* of success and pleasure with this route. *WAY MORE* than just foam covered in whatever, which I have done a lot of in the past but have not gone that route in at least 5 years now. It's better for plant rooting and growth, and it's just another "reservoir" that holds & releases water to the air or the plants growing on it.

Have fun, good luck!


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## SmallScaleDan (Nov 16, 2008)

I use a combo of real tree bark and spray foam. Once the foam dries, I carve it, and cover any yellow with Drylock, or silicone and aggregate. The picture below show how well you can blend it if you work at it. The epiphytes root readily into bark. 

Dan






















9


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## Gastrotheca (Sep 4, 2020)

@*SmallScaleDan, *do you know what type of bark you use for your backgrounds? 
Looks great!

Gastrotheca
-----------------------------
Crested Gecko 0.2.0


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## SmallScaleDan (Nov 16, 2008)

Gastrotheca said:


> @*SmallScaleDan, *do you know what type of bark you use for your backgrounds?
> Looks great!
> 
> Gastrotheca
> ...


The one pictured above is black walnut. I'm not too picky, just whatever I find, but Cottonwood, Walnut, some types of oak, and Siberian elm have all done well for me in the past. You want it to be as thick as possible, and you want to totally seal both ends and the back, so that the only exposed surface is the naturally weather resistant outer bark.


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## Gastrotheca (Sep 4, 2020)

@*SmallScaleDan, *do you treat the wood/bark in any way before putting it in your vivariums? (baking, boiling, chemicals)

Gastrotheca
----------------------------
Crested Gecko 0.2.0


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

I like to steam cork and wood now, after boiling it for many years because i like the coverage and dont have to deal with buoyancy.

I used to gently bake it too, but set up a rack with a high intensity mercury flood and flip it when its done on sides. Or sometimes i just let small pcs dry.

Cork is really thermophobic so if you try to heat it through with baking you can degrade or even carbonize the nice character.

Other woods can be more delicate. I try to achieve thorough penetration of fissures a d pores with a kill duration of 10 to 20 minutes full strength rolling boil steam. 140 kills most earthly microbial life with 160 to 180 taking care of oocysts.
Im gentler with virgin cork.

If i feel i must go more extreme with a piece i just dont use it, rather than have carbonized pieces in a tropical viv for the animals to 'taste' per olfactory or other contact senses.


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

When cork is over baked it doesnt carbonize like charcoal, the edges and details harden and shrivel and gets a distinctive smell. It loses its flex and just isnt as nice. 
Im always in the back of my mind worried it may someday become more difficult to get. Im a cork monger.


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