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LFS question + funny story.

So, I have been looking for LFS for ages now, but the other day, I start honours at my new Uni and after class I decide to go for a walk. Guess where I soon ended up... that's right, the botany department and to my surprise, there is an entire greenhouse full of CPs... it was great. When I found someone, I asked about live LFS and they go; "well sure, your welcome to some of ours, wait here, I'll get you a little bag." So I waited and was expecting to be given a little tiny bit, even that I would have been happy with, but, to my astonishment, he comes back with half a shopping bag full... at least two kg of thick, green moss. I was like... WOW.

Now, I am going to put some in my terrarium, but with the rest of it, what is the best way to cultivate. Does it need that much light. Also, takeaway containers, left outside and heavily misted with rain water... would that work?
 
I've had the best success planting live Sphagnum onto pots outdoors with a standard CP mix. I don't quite fill the pot all the way, so that there's at least an inch or two of rim above the soil surface, and just keep it outside and wet like you would a Sarracenia. I rotate the pots every week or so and that combined with the low soil level provides a little occasional shade, which the Sphagnum seems to appreciate. It takes a while to get going, but once it does you can expect two or three inches, or maybe more, per year with good sunlight. I've also had notable success growing it in the bottom of my Nep terrariums on top of decomposing LFS, but it's much stringier and not as productive. Lately I've been surprised to find a big clump in one of my open-air Nep pots growing very vigorously without need for constant water. I don't quite know how that's working, but I think it may have something to do with it being very close to my shoplights.
Takeout containers will probably work, but do be honest I've had much better success with drained pots than tubs.
~Joe
 
So, I have been looking for LFS for ages now, but the other day, I start honours at my new Uni and after class I decide to go for a walk. Guess where I soon ended up... that's right, the botany department and to my surprise, there is an entire greenhouse full of CPs... it was great. When I found someone, I asked about live LFS and they go; "well sure, your welcome to some of ours, wait here, I'll get you a little bag." So I waited and was expecting to be given a little tiny bit, even that I would have been happy with, but, to my astonishment, he comes back with half a shopping bag full... at least two kg of thick, green moss. I was like... WOW.

Now, I am going to put some in my terrarium, but with the rest of it, what is the best way to cultivate. Does it need that much light. Also, takeaway containers, left outside and heavily misted with rain water... would that work?

Various sphagnum species (and they number in the dozens) tolerate different levels of water, light and heat. Diffused lighting has produced the best results in my particular case and the stuff grows wild. Under the influence of far too much coffee a while back, I submitted a blurb on cultivating sphagnum which may be of some use, perhaps as a soporific:

http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114240&highlight=sphagnum
 
Very cool. If I wanted any amount of sphagnum moss I could just go outside and collect endless garbage bags full. (I've had to before) :D
 
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