Media Tests Round 2 | pH & Water Absorption- Bark, Moss, Pumice, Lava & More | Size vs Quality

Hi everyone, it's Annabel, welcome back to my channel! Today we are continuing the media tests I started previously, aiming to fully characterize different types of media, which helps us to understand how their individual properties can be used! Today I will be looking at Bark, Moss, Pumice, LECA, Lava Rock, S-te (kyodama) and superlite black, a type of small round clay substrate from a bonsai supplier. I will be taking pH measurements and measuring water Absorbancy, as well as looking at how media size can affect this. More info on pH rises in standing tap water- this is quite a beginner friendly website: https://www.happyhydro.com/blogs/news... For very detailed info on tap water quality and hardness- Here, but not... has an excellent and comprehensive blog post: http://herebutnot.com/watering-orchid... I speculate a bit here, but after a bit of reading It seems likely that, in this case, it is dissolved carbonic acid in the fresh tap water, converting to CO2 and evaporating over time, raising the pH after it has been standing for 24H. Link to my last media test video ( seramis, leca, moler, perlite and synthic) :    • Inorganic Media Tests & Characteristics | ...   Link to my Maxillaria repot video:    • Maxillaria Orchids | Variabilis Haul, Tenu...   Link to Kaizen Bonsai for more info on the products bought here: https://bit.ly/3aeYKRW Link to orchid garden media: https://bit.ly/2XZF69i Time Stamps: 00:00 Introduction 05:05 Media Being Tested 09:32 Starting The Experiment 11:00 Dry Weights 12:45 pH Measurements 13:30 Tap Water pH Changes 14:50 Bark pH 18:45 Moss pH 20:25 Inorganic Media pH 24:00 Graphed pH Results 26:10 Water Absobancy Measurements 29:10 Graphed Water Absorption 29:40 Size differences 29:57 Quality differences Hope you enjoy the video! ______________________________________________ Instagram:   / the.orchid.room   ______________________________________________ ❀ My Orchid Room ❀ UK Spare Bedroom Currently Moving Temps- 18-35C Humidity 50-75%. Artificial lighting, supplemented with daylight ____________________________________________ ✩ Plant Products I Use & Love ✩ Quick Disclaimer - These are products I genuinely love, buy and use- I wouldn't list something I didn't use regularly and purchase myself. I've provided links to try and make them easier to find, some of these are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of these products through the Amazon links below, I may get a small percentage towards future purchases, which really helps me out :-) If you choose to not purchase through these links though, I totally understand! I only recommend what I love and use ♡ ❀ Inorganic Media ❀ RHS Alpine Horticultural grit or washed gravel- non wicking pebble top layer LECA - Canna Aqua Brand: https://amzn.to/2Z5sPPy or IKEA Pumice : Medium grade ~10mm : https://amzn.to/3aTCIFn Or Kaizen bonsai, small or large grade: https://bit.ly/3aeYKRW Synthic: UK supplier https://bit.ly/2RCb4oI US: Glassbox Tropicals : https://bit.ly/2wHy2na Seramis : https://amzn.to/2QdyP59 or https://bit.ly/2V90RSJ (cheaper) Perlite ❃ Organic media ❃ Sphagnum moss by Besgrow Orchiata bark (Both from Orchid Acc. UK: https://bit.ly/3elQItD ) ________________________________________________ 💧Water & Nutrients🌱 ZeroWater Filter: https://amzn.to/2KaaYjP Rain Mix: UK: https://bit.ly/2yaTfX5 Akerne: https://bit.ly/2XEj3W3 Silicon: https://amzn.to/2K41IxJ Seaweed: Maxicrop Original : https://amzn.to/2VbQ0rv ________________________________________________ 💡 Lighting 💡 Lower Light Orchids (Phalaenopsis, Oncidiums) Cool white LAP '4000K' under cabinet lighting- Screwfix: https://bit.ly/2V5KBlv IKEA Tertial Lamps: https://bit.ly/2Vs492t Fitted with Amazon Basics 1500 lumen cool white LED bulbs: https://amzn.to/36RnRsG High Light Orchids (Vandas, Cattleyas) GEMMA Lights: https://bit.ly/34CqY7Z , 10% discount with code 'OrchidRoom' Mars Hydro TS600 MARS HYDRO TS600 Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3bagRcS ❃ Shelving ❃ Wire shelving, Hartleys direct: https://bit.ly/2REpeWl Metal shelving IKEA Mulig : https://bit.ly/3bkUjGc ✩ Pots ✩ 13cm Buckets Amazon: https://amzn.to/2V92cci (£~20 for 35) ______________________________________________ Cheaper alternatives to Elho outers: 18cm white pot cover: https://bit.ly/3cmwTRb DIY Self-watering pots: 15cm (White outer) made with IKEA Nejkon outer mask: https://bit.ly/2VuSu2S and various 15cm clear internal orchid pots Larger made using elho brussels outer pots: https://amzn.to/2QxPhwT (20cm) with orchid focus inner pots: https://amzn.to/2ZAW0KX (21cm) Or larger. _________________________________________________ Wick for self watering pots: https://amzn.to/2sMuWM7 Self watering pots with water level gauge: https://amzn.to/2S5o4UL Lechuza mini deltini: https://amzn.to/2sKHuny or other brand: https://amzn.to/2S5o4UL #MediaTests