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Anyone here fertilise live sphagnum?

Sup all, the person i bought my live sphagnum from over a year ago said i could fertilise it with diluted fertiliser, and it really helped.

he didn't go into any detail about what fertilisers to use... what dilutions, and how much to apply though, so, has anyone else tried doing this with any success?

thanks
 
MaxSea 16:16:16, at 2.5 ml per 3.8 liters of water (1/2 tsp / gallon) has been touted as beneficial for the growth of live sphagnum. The drawback, in many cases, is an all too common algal bloom within the pots, since algae too benefits from fertilizers . . .
 
I grow my sphagnum in little tubs, and harvest it to use as top dressing as needed. I make the Maxsea 16:16:16 dilution that BigBella mentioned above, and put it into a spray bottle (Don't forget to label the spray bottle!). I spray the sphagnum with it a few times a month. I've been doing it for about a year and haven't noticed any ill effects. If I notice any moss growth I just pluck it out.

Every once in a while (a couple times a year) I'll flood my sphagnum moss cultures in their tubs with distilled water, run my fingers through the top layer of moss a little bit, dump the water out, then refill the tub with distilled water to maintain an adequate water level. I haven't done any "tests" to see if it is really necessary but it makes me feel like I'm helping the system to flush out excess minerals from the fertilizer.
 
I grow my sphagnum in little tubs, and harvest it to use as top dressing as needed. I make the Maxsea 16:16:16 dilution that BigBella mentioned above, and put it into a spray bottle (Don't forget to label the spray bottle!). I spray the sphagnum with it a few times a month. I've been doing it for about a year and haven't noticed any ill effects. If I notice any moss growth I just pluck it out.

I do something similar with the tubs and flush them frequently. If I don't, I get cultures overrun with the aforementioned algae . . .
 
Is that stuff similar to seasol? i have never seen it avaliable in my country, and just got 0 hits from googling.

i have tried growing in tubs, currently my best results have been by growing them on a layer of peat/sand moss, a few inches deep.
 
Is that stuff similar to seasol? i have never seen it avaliable in my country, and just got 0 hits from googling.

MaxSea is a granular seaweed-containing fertilizer, with Osmocote-like beads within. Seasol, as I recall from Australia, is a liquid seaweed fertilizer. Try a bit of that at 1:4 strength . . .
 
Might have to create a test culture, so i don't kill too much if it turns out to be terrible lol
 
Might have to create a test culture, so i don't kill too much if it turns out to be terrible lol

Alternatively, you could try 1:4 strength 30:10:10 orchid fertilizers; and they are fairly common, worldwide. I used it for some years without any ill effects to live sphagnum moss . . .
 
  • #10
I came across this video from snapperhead51, contains info about fertilising sphagnum in it too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKh9FxTjnNo
doesnt say how much to apply though, any ideas?

I generally pour a liter or so of the 1:4 strength 30:10:10 through the moss; though that would also depend upon the amount if moss (mine are currently in large, drained clamshells, left over from salad greens); and rinse it thoroughly the following day with a like amount if plain RO water . . .
 
  • #11
I think this weekend, or sooner i'll set up 2 small cultures, and have the same watering/feeding, only giving one of them seasol once a week.
 
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