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Repotting and eradication of moss

I've been busy repotting my plants and trying to eradicate (or at least control) non-sphagnous mosses in my indoor greenhouse.

This typically involves bare-rooting the plant in question (I even did this with a U. calycifida and a U. tridentata tonight), repotting in fresh medium, and innoculating with a generous dose of live sphagnum (this seems to retard non-sphagnous moss growth).

I get one or two pots done each night... I should be done by the end of February!
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I understand that many non-sphagnous mosses can be detrimental to CP growth, yet some seem to be okay. I love mosses in my terrarium. Should I treat all non sphagnous species as pests? Do you know of a good moss ID book or site? Or a list of mosses that are CP safe or unsafe?

Sorry to bother you with all these questions.

Thanks,
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Or a list of mosses that are CP safe or unsafe?

Almost any moss species typically found growing in CP pots are "safe" if they are kept under control. Carpets of moss can prevent the growth of algae and fungus on the surface of moist media, so I usually allow them to grow but thin them out on occasion. Likewise, almost any moss can be CP "unsafe" if allowed to smother a pot--especially for small CPs such as pygmy dews, genlisea, utrics and some pings.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I get one or two pots done each night... I should be done by the end of February!

I have the same speed when sowing seed!
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Well, I always tell myself it's always better to do it right the first time. Have fun transplanting the rest.
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One method used by some experienced growers is to weather the pot and media. The idea is to prepare the pot and media at an early date and letting it sit outside where rain will remove trace minerals (though it wouldn't hurt to wash your media beforehand) and allow any problems (such as algae) to arise so that you don't need to deal with it when there's a plant in there! Using this method you can, at the very least, select the pots with the least contamination for use in transplanting.

Fighting contamination can be a pain, and if you're really serious about reducing contamination of algae and bryophytes, this's a good method to keep in mind. Keep fighting the good fight!
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (Est @ Feb. 01 2006,9:57)]One method used by some experienced growers is to weather the pot and media.  The idea is to prepare the pot and media at an early date and letting it sit outside where rain will remove trace minerals (though it wouldn't hurt to wash your media beforehand) and allow any problems (such as algae) to arise so that you don't need to deal with it when there's a plant in there!  Using this method you can, at the very least, select the pots with the least contamination for use in transplanting.

Fighting contamination can be a pain, and if you're really serious about reducing contamination of algae and bryophytes, this's a good method to keep in mind.  Keep fighting the good fight!
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That is what I am doing now.

My preferred medium is ~2/3 long-fiber sphagnum, 1/3 peat.

I set my peat out in a large, drained pot where it gets lots of rain to wash out impurities. I use this peat, mixed with the LFS, and mill them together in an old food processor with lots of rain water. I then add a large handful of finely cut dried pine needle straw (cut into ~5 mm segments), and mix well. I wring the water out of it a handful at a time, and pick out larger wood chips and debris. For mixes that need to be very well-drained and airy, I cut in half with perlite.

Then I fill my pots with this mix, innoculate with live sphagnum, and set in greenhouse flats outside to be battered by the elements, and washed by rain. When the sphagnum covers the pots, they're ready.
 
Very cool, Scotty! Thanks for laying out your method. I gotta get my hands on some sphagnum so I can start trying mixes of my own. So, you feel that the pine needles help out the plants?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Est @ Feb. 02 2006,6:35)]Very cool, Scotty!  Thanks for laying out your method.  I gotta get my hands on some sphagnum so I can start trying mixes of my own.  So, you feel that the pine needles help out the plants?
I need to run a controlled experiment, but I know that pine needles acidify soil as they decompose, and many temperate species grow best alongside pine trees, so it stands to reason.
 
sorry Scott but i find your post REALLY funny.............

ive got two hobbies going that are at odds with one another, with CPs moss is generally bad, but im trying my darndest to get different mosses to grow in my frog tanks, i hit a happy medium, i let the mosses grow out in the CP pots than i mostly de-moss them and introduce the moss to different frog tanks. ive got about 6 different moss species growing in my CP pots not including sphagnum, so ive got a nice variety in my frog tanks. so Scott, if yah want to make demossing the CP pots so its not so much of a chore get yourself some dart frogs, so the moss has a purpose
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It would take a long time for pine needles to acidify the soil because they decompose at a slow rate. They are saturated with oils that inhibit fungal growth, and this might be a benefit when used as a top dressing on soil.

Brian
 
  • #10
I tried to keep sundews in with my dart frogs and they got trampled so it's separate terrariums now. I do have a Nep in with some chinese gliding tree frogs, but it's too soon to say whether it's going to work out.

Speaking of moss, does anyone know of a good source for large bags of Canadian LFS? For some reason Home Depot and all my local nurseries are no longer carrying it.

Thanks,
 
  • #11
OSH has large bags of Canadian peat. Not to sure if they sell LFS though.
 
  • #12
OSH? Sorry, I haven't learned all the abbreviations yet.

Thanks,
 
  • #13
Ice is referring to Orchard Supply Hardware. Last I knew, OSH was only out here in the west, not found in the east. Since Sears bought out OSH (b 4 K Mart bought out Sears), maybe they will sprout up out there. I have not heard that they have spread from this coast yet.
 
  • #14
Thanks Bugweed. So, I guess they don't do mail order? I guess I'll keep looking for small specialty nurseries around here. I'd rather give them my business anyway. I don't know whether it's a good sign (bogs being protected) or a bad sign (bogs in decline) that I can't seem to find it lately, but it's not making it easy getting this bog garden off the ground.
 
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