it does not absorb water

davidsevit said:it does not absorb water

i will ask my qustion again...
i was helping a lady to take of her photus plant.it had a moss pole dried as a bone.
i squirted water at it but the water did not catch on the moss.
is moss a living thing that dies and needs to be replaced.?
what would happen if i pulled out the pole with the moss and give it a good bathing in our bathtub?
so it could absorb the water?

Have you tried soaking it? Spagnum moss holds moisture well. But it needs constant access to moisture or, like anything, it will dry out.

David, if the sphagnum moss (I assume that's what you are referring to) will be green if living and brown if dead. Either way, it will absorb water. You simply have to spray it well with a hose for several minutes. To rehydrate completely dry moss, you might have to do this 2-3 times each day for several days until the water is well absorbed. But as Cheryl pointed out, it does dry out fairly fast in hot environments, and water has to be re-applied daily. Lots of my epiphytic plants are mounted on sphagnum, and during the summer months, they all get watered daily unless we have a good rain.

ShadyGreenThumb said:Have you tried soaking it? Spagnum moss holds moisture well. But it needs constant access to moisture or, like anything, it will dry out.

it looks like trying to imitate nature is a long road

drdawg said:David, if the sphagnum moss (I assume that's what you are referring to) will be green if living and brown if dead. Either way, it will absorb water. You simply have to spray it well with a hose for several minutes. To rehydrate completely dry moss, you might have to do this 2-3 times each day for several days until the water is well absorbed. But as Cheryl pointed out, it does dry out fairly fast in hot environments, and water has to be re-applied daily. Lots of my epiphytic plants are mounted on sphagnum, and during the summer months, they all get watered daily unless we have a good rain.

i suppose i will have to invent some alternative to this pole it looks so pathetic.....especially when most of the thing is a plastic water pipe and the rest a thin layer of "try to imitate nature".
i cant stop being overwelmed by my new plumeria.....its full of leaves...thanks for your help