Mold on the substrate?...

Hello fellow emp lovers.
So, after doing a lot of reading on this site and asking some questions I decided to just pour water on the substrate in order to generate humidity in my emp's enclosure (which I'm sure most of you would agree with).

After a couple of weeks, I noticed that the top layers of the substrate weren't drying at all and since nothing in her enclosure had changed I figured I would stop putting water on it and just let it dry out a little bit. This morning I woke up and looked in the tank and there was a thin layer of mold growing over the substrate.

I promptly cleaned out the tank and added new substrate but this little bump in the road prompted me to ask some questions...

Is it best to just pour water on the substrate or should I be misting instead? The wetter, lower layers seem to facilitate burrowing.

If pouring water on the substrate is recommended then how do I prevent this from happening again? Do I need more air flow? (I was covering part of the screen with saran wrap)

Any help you guys can give would be great. Thanks. :HeathJoker:

Restricting air flow is almost always a good way to encourage mold growth.

And THIS is why I always advise against restricting airflow!

Actually, a little bit of mold isn't a big deal -- you can spot-clean it pretty easily. It's when you get two-inch-tall mushrooms that you need to do an overhaul.

Also, if you still notice your top layers never drying out, it's possible you're adding too much water. Your substrate should be cool to the touch and not drip when you squeeze a handful of it. (The bottommost layers might right when you add it, but the water should wick up and distribute evenly within a few minutes.)

Wow, those are some serious mushrooms bro. Thanks for the advice though. Now I feel bad that I messed up her home like I did.. ha ha. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks again. :HeathJoker: