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Coming Out of My First Dormancy, Questions Regarding Mold, Rust, Soil...

I moved my plants back outside today from the garage, and when I was trimming off brown and black parts, I saw some of my plants already started their spring growth. :-D But I also saw some other stuff that I'm going to ask about.

What is this, and what should I do about it? I guess it's a type of mold... Can I just take off the top soil there and it'd be fine? I do intend to repot everything either tonight or tomorrow (probably tomorrow), so this mold most likely won't cause me any trouble.

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Any idea what kind of moss this is growing in this pot? Or is this not moss, and those taller parts are seeds of some sort? I have no idea.

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And my planter is a long, skinny one, and it has a metal bar that goes into holes in the middle to help hold it together. But that bar is rusty. Should I take it out, or leave it be, or sand it, or what?

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I'm not sure what some of my plants are planted in that I bought from Lowe's (I think peat with LFS on top) and a local nursery. Should I just replant all my VFTs and pitcher plants (red bug, purple pitcher, catesbaei, scarlet belle...) in 50/50 perlite and peat? In my long planter right now are two VFTs, an ordinary sar from Lowe's, and a purple pitcher, and they're in 100% peat and have been for the past year.

I also have a P. primuliflora (primrose butterwort) that I need to repot. I almost killed it with Orthenex last year and repotted it in 100% peat. Strangely, it seemed to keep growing through the cold months when everything else stopped. I'll research what media to plant this one, but if anyone knows off the top of his head, feel free to comment on it. :)

I have peat, LFS, silica sand, perlite, and orchid bark to choose from. I could go get something else if I should.

Thanks
 
Its the native north hills water garden moss lol! They're ordering in mid-april, i called, i cant wait! As for the fungus, i think repotting should be fine, i did that before... and i would say take out the pole. Tonight im starting a new mini-bog!
 
Its the native north hills water garden moss lol! They're ordering in mid-april, i called, i cant wait! As for the fungus, i think repotting should be fine, i did that before... and i would say take out the pole. Tonight im starting a new mini-bog!

IS your bog in the Pittsburgh area? I'd be interested in getting a tour sometime. :-D
 
:alien:
IS your bog in the Pittsburgh area? I'd be interested in getting a tour sometime. :-D

well, they're around my yard in windowboxes™. i have about a 2x3 1/2 feet in ground bog w/ a few sarrs. as for a "tour" (i guess i'd show you plants then we talk cps) i'd have to ask my parents. PM me i guess
 
1. I wouldnt bother to do anything with the mold..
just splash water over it for a few days as you water the plants..it will just disappear in a week or two..
no need to disturb the soil surface at all..
once that mold is exposed to open air and sunlight, it just disappears naturally..
(this is what I do every spring..the mold just goes away)
If you were planning to repot anyway, thats fine..but you certainty dont have to repot because of the mold..

2. some kind of moss..dont know the exact species, but it often grows on the surface of CP pots..
personally, I like it! I would also just leave it alone.

3. rust on the steel bar...probably harmless, but I would try to encase the bar in some kind of plastic shrink-wrap tubing..or paint it..
if you paint it, remove it from the pot, sand or file to scrape away all the rust back down to bare, shiny metal, then hit it with a coat of rustoleum spray paint, or something similar..but if you are going to paint, you have to remove all the rust first..you cant paint over rust, or it will just eat through the paint and keep rusting..

I would worry (a little, mild worry) about rusty water dripping into the pot over time..but its probably a non-issue..personally I would take care of the rust, but if you dont get to it right away, it probably wont hurt anything..

Scot
 
1. I wouldnt bother to do anything with the mold..
just splash water over it for a few days as you water the plants..it will just disappear in a week or two..
no need to disturb the soil surface at all..
once that mold is exposed to open air and sunlight, it just disappears naturally..
(this is what I do every spring..the mold just goes away)
If you were planning to repot anyway, thats fine..but you certainty dont have to repot because of the mold..

2. some kind of moss..dont know the exact species, but it often grows on the surface of CP pots..
personally, I like it! I would also just leave it alone.

3. rust on the steel bar...probably harmless, but I would try to encase the bar in some kind of plastic shrink-wrap tubing..or paint it..
if you paint it, remove it from the pot, sand or file to scrape away all the rust back down to bare, shiny metal, then hit it with a coat of rustoleum spray paint, or something similar..but if you are going to paint, you have to remove all the rust first..you cant paint over rust, or it will just eat through the paint and keep rusting..

I would worry (a little, mild worry) about rusty water dripping into the pot over time..but its probably a non-issue..personally I would take care of the rust, but if you dont get to it right away, it probably wont hurt anything..

Scot

Yeah, I was going to repot anyway because it's all 100% Peat and, as I understand it, that's pretty dense stuff and you probably wan't it to be a little lighter and airy. I could be wrong.

Heat shrink tubing is the perfect solution to the rusty bar. I'll sand or file the rust off the best I can and then shrink some tubing over it. Thanks so much for that idea.
 
Yeah, I was going to repot anyway because it's all 100% Peat and, as I understand it, that's pretty dense stuff and you probably wan't it to be a little lighter and airy. I could be wrong.

Heat shrink tubing is the perfect solution to the rusty bar. I'll sand or file the rust off the best I can and then shrink some tubing over it. Thanks so much for that idea.

It's kind of up to you. I know there is one member/ ex member of the forum (name slips my mind) that swore by pure peat. Most people however prefer to mix peat about 50/50 with perlite or silica sand because it makes a more airy mix and the idea is that an airy mixture is easier for the roots. Be careful though since alot of perlite is sold with fertilizers and some sands have high mineral levels.
 
I have that mold and just put my plants in sunlight and watered. It's starting to disappear already after one day.
 
I didn't Get A Minibog Yet, But I Agree With The Other Mold. It's like snow, splash water, its gone lol. I can say that cause i am on the snowiest street in pittsburgh.
 
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