# My Hygrolon doesn't wick!



## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

I've been growing a rescue Phrag. besseae on a Medium Hygrolon Epiweb mount for a few months. It finally started a new growth, but the leaves were staying too wet in my plant tank. I took it out and placed it in a windowsill getting shaded west light. Since removing it from my tank, the Hygrolon has been bone dry except for 2" above the water line. The reservoir keeps water about 3" up on the mount and humidity inside is above 60%.

Anyone have suggestions?


----------



## folius (Jan 2, 2013)

That sounds unusual - what is your ambient humidity?



Spaff said:


> I've been growing a rescue Phrag. besseae on a Medium Hygrolon Epiweb mount for a few months. It finally started a new growth, but the leaves were staying too wet in my plant tank. I took it out and placed it in a windowsill getting shaded west light. Since removing it from my tank, the Hygrolon has been bone dry except for 2" above the water line. The reservoir keeps water about 3" up on the mount and humidity inside is above 60%.
> 
> Anyone have suggestions?


----------



## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

folius said:


> That sounds unusual - what is your ambient humidity?


We have two humidity gauges in the house and both are reading near 60% at the moment. It's currently >70% outside. It doesn't seem to be evaporation to me because I never have to refill the reservoir.


----------



## Ray (May 12, 2009)

There are a couple of things to consider.

The wicking rate of the fabric is fixed, but the evaporation rate is not. In addition to relative humidity, air movement and light impingement can also affect the evaporation rate.

Second is potentially the chemistry of the irrigation solution. I think it's likely to be a minimal effect, but dissolved minerals can also affect how well the fibers absorb and translocate the liquid. If the fabric is allowed to dry repeated after being wetted, that buildup will be accelerated.

The fact that you don't have to refill the reservoir very often suggests that something is blocking the transport to-, and/or through the weave.

Just a chance question, but have your treated the plant with anything that might be absorbed by the fabric and make it hydrophobic?


Ray Barkalow
Sent using Tapatalk


----------



## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

Ray, I only refill the reservoir maybe every 1.5-2 weeks, and it's only small (mug-sized) drinking glass. I attribute that water loss to evaporation directly from the glass and possibly a minimal amount off the small wet area of the Hygrolon. 

I don't even fertilize my plants; this one only receives rainwater or possibly water from the tap every now and then.


----------



## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

Hi Spaff, I ran into a similar situation with my windowsill plants and found that I needed a larger body of water in order to keep those plant moist while I was traveling. Even with the larger body of water (about a gallon per humidity tray, the water only wicks up about 6" due to the low humidity in my house. But I have found that smaller or lower plants stay moist, not soggy but completely moist. 

Here's a picture:


The Phal on the left is too tall to have any really moisture travel up the Hygrolon - there are two strips of it in the bottom of the pot and I have hydroton in the base then Sphagnum and the strips coming up from the humidity tray touch the sphagnum. When it was in a lower pot (4" tall) it stayed moist. Then the Maxillaria 2nd in on the right stays moist and is only about 4" above the water. I think the larger body of water helps keep the over all humidity level up around the plants but keeping them closer to the water trick, if that makes sense? I have about the same humidity in my home - sometimes more sometimes less but not by much.

Not sure if this helps at all but keeping it mounted as low as possibly without being in the water might help? 

Do you have a picture of how it is set up?

Duff


----------

