Long-time orchid growers may think back to the days when high quality osmunda fiber was available as a potting medium.  The roots of ferns - Osmunda cinnamomia or O. regalis - it was nearly ideal: soft, airy, held a lot of moisture without much chance of overwatering, it had the perfect pH, and as it decomposed, it actually fed your plants with a mild supply of nitrogen.  Unfortunately, the supplies of that fern root were overharvested, so we had to look for alternatives.

Next on the list was tree fern fiber.  The "trunk" of a variety of dicksonia species, it certainly provided the airiness an orchid likes, but it is coarse and brittle, and really does not hold water all that well.  Because of that, it is often used in media to "open up" the structure, or as vertical mounts or horizontal rafts.  It is also a classic material for the "totem poles" for climbing plants.  There has been extensive harvesting of this natural resource as well, so international trade has been stifled in an effort to protect the plants.

Fortunately, a bit of creativity on the part of folks in Sweden has given us an alternative that gives us the texture, airiness and water-holding properties of osmunda, without being a drain on natural resources.  In fact, it's made primarily from recycled PET - soft drink bottles.

First Rays is pleased to announce that we are the exclusive distributor for the US & Canada of a new, inert potting and mounting medium - EpiWeb.

Produced from recycled PET bottles, EpiWeb has found a great home in Europe as background panels and structures in terrariums and vivariums, as the root structures of plants can easily penetrate the structure, naturalizing  it quickly.  Click here to see the possibilities and some applications.

Epiweb products can be viewed in "The Store" in their own section, as well as in the "Hardgoods" department.  Click here to go to The Store.