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"Mulch" for watering trays?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 8:23 pm
by Fishkeeper
Anyone have any tips for minimizing evaporation from watering trays? Would filling the spaces between the pots with live sphagnum help at all?
Also, is there anything that makes a good mulch for larger CP pots with just one large plant in them? Would heavily rinsed hardwood leaves, chopped up into small bits, work?

Re: "Mulch" for watering trays?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 8:39 pm
by tannerm
Just use LFS.


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Re: "Mulch" for watering trays?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 8:55 pm
by Bhart90
Yea lfsm is the safe bet, I got a tray STRICTLY of slab seedlings I a tray of lfsm, and now that's it's been 4 months it's practically 100% self sustaining, it just found a happy medium, no pun it's tended hahaha


And I have a ton of random mosses growing from that dead, kind of neat to see a what comes of it. Like box of chocolate...

Re: "Mulch" for watering trays?

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:34 pm
by Greenthumbs Garden
Just searching a topic on mulching VFTs in pots to help keep roots cooler in summer months and came across this. Great ideas, I need to get some live sphagnum moss and will try this, if it goes well the best part is it will hopefully provide a supply of fresh live sphagnum.

Re: "Mulch" for watering trays?

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2020 11:59 pm
by mcgrumpers
Interesting idea. Did anyone end up doing this?

Another possibility (untested... it's just a random thought) could be to cover the tray water with small styrofoam balls, something like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/706699353/ ... ound-white

Re: "Mulch" for watering trays?

Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:29 am
by twitcher
I use standard greenhouse trays and get the transparent domes that are designed to cover them. The domes come in at least two different heights, so I can get the appropriate size for low rising or high growing plants. I needed to do this once my collection got larger in size. The task of keeping water in them was becoming tedious, to say nothing of getting a good supply of sufficient quality water.

I estimate that the water in the trays lasts about 7 times longer be keeping them covered with the domes, but that depends on how much time I keep the plants covered. Doing this for my pings (and dews, utrics) means that I have to shift plants around from 'low" trays to "higher" trays depending on what is blooming. This has not been a burden since keeping an eye on the show-offs is good care for the plants.

The trays and domes last a long time, as long as handled carefully. My first set is years old.

Re: "Mulch" for watering trays?

Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:40 pm
by MikeB
@mcgrumpers: Those small, white, styrofoam balls are worth a try. They would certainly reduce the water surface area that's exposed to the air.