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Utilizing non-Sphagnum mosses as a topdressing

Clint

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I can't keep up with watering my live Sphagnum moss. It dries out too fast, and I can't water twice a day. I was thinking. We've all had miscellaneous mosses grow in our pots, and aside from the fact that they can choke out small plant, I seriously doubt they will overtake Nepenthes. Why can't I use attractive moss I find in a moist habitat, for my plants? People say they produce chemicals to inhibit the growth of plants, but A: does that only apply to other moss/lichens, and B: if that's true, why had no plant ever suffered (unless it was very small) from volunteer moss that sprouts up? You see moss other than Sphagnum growing with plants in nature all the time, so why can't that work for us? I know, I know "Better safe than sorry!" but it seems to me that it's generally a bad idea to use any moss other than Sphagnum as a topdressing is a bad idea, is just one of the many myths that surrounds CP horticulture. Much like the days when none of us thought we could fertilize plants, and now we see that every genera can be fertilized in moderation.

A friend asked me to send him some Polytrichum moss, and while I was collecting it I collected some for myself, too. It looks a lot more tough than Spagnum moss, so maybe it won't be such a water hog. I just don't see why I can't use all of the other neat looking moss on my property, because there's a lot of different, interesting kinds!
 
I have this problem also and if I water them 2 times a day my nep's might drown. Have you found any other moss that would work in place of spag moss?

Josh
 
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