# Dusk Moss Mix Timeline



## Dinojedi (Jun 4, 2020)

Hi everyone, 
I am hoping to get an insight into the general timeline for the dusk moss mix in your experience. When should people expect to see the first bit of green and also when should moss clearly be visible? Timeline pics of the growth would be most appreciated! Currently, I have dusk moss mix that is attached to hygrolon and it has been 1 and a half months with very little green appearing. A drip wall completely saturates the hygrolon for 1 minute 3 times a day spread out between 8 hours on automation. I found that the moss does not dry out during this period and stays moist throughout. My light is a quality led bulb 6500 k. I will try to post updated pictures from my own experience with it.
Thanks!


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## Organics (Jan 17, 2020)

Doesn’t sound too off honestly, I got a bit faster growth but I’m pumping lot of light into my vivarium. 


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

First green heads showed after two weeks. It needs a lot of light to grow vigorous.


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## Dinojedi (Jun 4, 2020)

I'm using a jungle dawn spotlight which puts out 3500 lumens (Its a tall paludarium build). I see some green color the size of pencil led tips spotted throughout but most of it is still brown. I did put the moss on somewhat thick in certain areas will this change the rate of growth at all?


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

I painted a small layer but made it cover as much as possible. The moss did not pop everywhere, but it will eventualy..

This is 2;months progress :












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https://ibb.co/hB6Qzxq


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

This other vivarium a month after applying the duskmoss the same way :

https://youtu.be/xlRViIdgRno

Both vivariums are equiped with a skylight PRO 2 RH and PRO 2 RV.


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## Dinojedi (Jun 4, 2020)

Is the last picture in your post after 2 months? I know I'm not at 2 months yet but it is definitely not that green.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Yes the second and the last shot.


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## LCBeckett (Dec 20, 2018)

Seems to be dramatically affected by light, damp and airflow. I had nothing and assumed it had failed. It was like that for months and then boom, a change in mister position and more airflow as its getting hotter and suddenly I have more green. I'm about 3 weeks into another section and I'm starting to see green shoots.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

LCBeckett said:


> Seems to be dramatically affected by light, damp and airflow. I had nothing and assumed it had failed. It was like that for months and then boom, a change in mister position and more airflow as its getting hotter and suddenly I have more green. I'm about 3 weeks into another section and I'm starting to see green shoots.


I think light has a very big influence. In the vivs that are lighted by T5HO's here, there is not an inch of moss to be seen..


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## darts.in.a.den (May 2, 2016)

anything other then spaghnam moss growing from the mix? i hear that dusk moss mix only spaghnam moss really grows.


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## kblack3 (Mar 9, 2015)

I did the dusk moss. Didn’t have any growth worth mentioning for a year. Moved to Virginia from California. All other parameters the same. Tons of growth. I’m assuming it’s the higher relative humidity here


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## Dinojedi (Jun 4, 2020)

I have no misters but I have a pump powered rainfall and drip wall as well as a fogger. humidity stays around 75 with spike up to 95% 6 times throughout a 24 hour day. I just applied the rest of my moss mix in other areas. It seems to be doing well right under the spotlight where the rain lands on a piece of driftwood. I can see how very bright light is the best for this mix. It seems that areas that are just a little shaded by leaves are less green than areas that have more light. From my experience with other mosses, I believe it is important to have periods of drying and airflow (not completely drying) to promote growth. Most moss doesn't like to be always wet with running water unless it's an aquatic type, but moss does prefer to be always moist. 

Those of you who use misters and/or drip walls, is one better than the other for moss? I know misters provide a programable schedule, but I have that for my drip wall as well.


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## Barberdismay (Feb 26, 2020)

I’m have had different kinds of moss growing at different levels of light


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## Capsized (May 5, 2020)

Dinojedi said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I am hoping to get an insight into the general timeline for the dusk moss mix in your experience. When should people expect to see the first bit of green and also when should moss clearly be visible? Timeline pics of the growth would be most appreciated! Currently, I have dusk moss mix that is attached to hygrolon and it has been 1 and a half months with very little green appearing. A drip wall completely saturates the hygrolon for 1 minute 3 times a day spread out between 8 hours on automation. I found that the moss does not dry out during this period and stays moist throughout. My light is a quality led bulb 6500 k. I will try to post updated pictures from my own experience with it.
> 
> Thanks!


For me it was around 6 weeks and I am pounding light. At that point the moss was quite visible but not thick by any means.

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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

> Those of you who use misters and/or drip walls, is one better than the other for moss? I know misters provide a programable schedule, but I have that for my drip wall as well.


I've got both. Everything is on timers - my drip walls soak and then dry quite a bit. Continuous-run is shitty, for me anyway. I cannot recommend it. Very few plants want that, very few animals need or can tolerate that.

*Drip walls are hands-down better.* How wet you need to make stuff, you don't want to use misters for. I mean you'd just make the whole viv a damn sloppy mess. With drip walls though - that's all you're soaking, is the wall. Just be sure to separate your substrate from where the drip wall drains into the drainage layer, to avoid nasty wicking.

At my pump rates I need to run my drip walls several minutes per run, to get a good soak. At my drying rates I need to run my drip walls 2x/day in summer. In winter I back way off, to just a couple times a week.

My misters, I run 2-3x/day for about 15-20 sec apiece. Note the ranges. I bump up in summer and down in winter. My animals brumate and have a drier winter, wetter summer in nature (and in my care). The plants have to deal with it. If they can take it they live, otherwise...I don't have them for very long. With cooler temps, plant water needs go way down. In fact you'd probably kill some of them, watering the same way in winter as you did in summer.

Finally, would-be growers need to distinguish between _establishing_ a nice stand of moss, and _maintaining_ one that's going good. Many are quite tolerant once established, but more needy to get established. More moisture and more light. Mosses are made for dormancy and tolerance. Even many tropical species (the ones I keep, anyway) can deal with some winter rest. They might even need it; my animals sure prefer it, so that's what I do. (I like the rest too!)

If I was to start a new mossy viv, I would wait until March or April to do so. Just based on how I keep stuff. "Your mileage will vary."

Good luck!


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

Update. I'm remodeling a 36x18x36 Exo right now, adding some ledges / shelves. They are carved from pink foam board, covered on all sides but the back in eopxy, colored (while still super-sticky) with dry pigments, and adhered to the glass rear.

Anyway the point of the update is to signal I'm trying out a new drip wall building material. All my previous drip walls have featured *water lines* of 3/16" silicone aquarium airline tubing. That stuff works just fine but you have to punch, drill, or melt your own holes. I have found melting to be the best, by far. But still, it's kind of a damned hassle when you're talking like 12-15 feet of hose, and a little hole every quarter inch or so. This time I'm going to try *1/4" soaker hose made for drip irrigation*. I can jam the barbed drip connectors into the airline tubing alright, so I will continue using the airline tubing running from my water pump. The union will be inside the viv in case of a join failure. 

If it sucks I will note that here. If it works (which I fully expect) I may remember to say something, or I may forget. It's the fails that excite / agitate me the most, I'm pretty lucky in having learned a ton and being accustomed to stuff mostly working nowadays.

Note, I keep snakes and they mostly drink sprayed water. This soaker-hosed water will be emanating from behind the LFS "stuffing" in a cracked-cork mosaic / faux rock background. Any excess beyond the holding capacity of the LFS will drain down vertically into a Matala wicking break (and avoid saturating my substrate) and discharge through a bulkead into a discard bucket. Hence I am not worried about toxicity or contamination. If I had frogs or other dermal-uptake critters I'd be thinking differently about this. That also features in my wishy-washiness about coming back with a strong endorsement if/when it works.

Anyway - some may find use in this. Definitely anyone just keeping plants, or perhaps squamates or +/- terrestrial crabs or something.


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## Niv78 (Jan 10, 2021)

I just recently applied some dusk moss mix but had a question. Does it constantly need to be kept wet? I noticed it tends to dry out pretty quickly and turn a almost white color even though the humidity in my tank is over 80%.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Niv78 said:


> I just recently applied some dusk moss mix but had a question. Does it constantly need to be kept wet? I noticed it tends to dry out pretty quickly and turn a almost white color even though the humidity in my tank is over 80%.


I've been using dusk moss mix for about 3 months now, and the only spots to grow in have been those that are consistently moist. Any spots that I let dry out occasionally turn white like you mention and then don't fill in. I think if you use a mist system, it's best to watch where you get particularly wet spots and apply to those areas. Otherwise, you really need to stay on top of the misting. That's just been my experience the past few months.


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## Niv78 (Jan 10, 2021)

alus said:


> I've been using dusk moss mix for about 3 months now, and the only spots to grow in have been those that are consistently moist. Any spots that I let dry out occasionally turn white like you mention and then don't fill in. I think if you use a mist system, it's best to watch where you get particularly wet spots and apply to those areas. Otherwise, you really need to stay on top of the misting. That's just been my experience the past few months.


Yeah, I have an area that drys a bit faster than the rest and I feel like if I keep spraying that area I may over mist my tank.


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