Remounted (2)

Plant is getting dehydrated as seen from one of the younger, fully developed leaves becoming increasingly flaccid over the days. None of the roots are in contact with the medium when the plant was remounted as there is no way they can be bent towards the medium. Older roots had been cut off during remount leaving behind mostly the younger roots.

One obvious reason for the dehydration is the lack of roots touching the diatomite to allow water uptake from the medium. Another reason could be the inability of newly formed valemen layers to absorb moisture for the living root cells below the white layer of dead cells to take in the moisture. The newly formed valemen layer behaviors like a layer of wax; it repels water and stay white during watering. Only after some weeks of maturing do the velamen layers start to absorb moisture and turn green during waterings. Water droplets on the new non-absorbent velamen layers and moisture trapped in mature absorbent velamen layers dry up too fast ( maybe less than an hour after watering) to allow adequate time for uptake of water.

To remedy the problem, some sphagnum moss was sandwiched between the diatomite surface and two of the roots (see photo in Remount 3)to allow them to absorb enough water through direct contact with the moisture retaining moss and prolonged moisture supply to the roots by the moss. The sphagnum moss becomes almost (sometimes completely) dry by the next morning (i.e. in one day's time) when the plant will be watered again.