What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Live sphagnum moss

After getting a great idea about how to grow live sphagnum from chloroplast (leaving it submerged under a lot of light), I am wondering if people who grow this moss could share their personal methods for keeping it looking great.

I noticed rlhirst's post a while back and the moss in that tank is stunning! How do you grow that kind of moss? For example,

1. Temperature
2. Water level
3. Humidity
4. Light

I am planning to try to bring some dried LFS back to life and hope to do better at it this time. On my previous attempts it has always started turning green and then goes black and dies.

Thanks,
Ben
 
PAK once wrote about taking the bag of dried LFS and and putting the contents in something enclosed, wet, and put in the sun. Then wait. From what I understand, they just need to be kept wet at all times and in lots of light. I just have mine in a tray, at a window sill, and I topi it off every couple days. The tips darken but it stay green, otherwise and it is now a sphagnum jungle, growing a variety of leaf cuttings.
 
I grow my live sphagnum in my highland nepenthes chamber.  

Temperature: 50's at night, 65-75 during the day.
Water Level: very little, if any standing water, however, it is misted quite often during the day (which appears to be the key)
Humidity: +90%
Light Levels: bright but not full

One more tip I heard from a grower is to cut the tips off here and there. This will spur more growth.
 
Thanks Ben,
All the moss I have started out as the brown dry stuff you get at the nursery or wherever. As others here have said, bright light and constant high humidity will get it to start growing, and keep it happy.

As one pot gets overgrown I tear off the excess, and transfer growing pieces to another pot. If you can, try to bury one end of the sphagnum fibers in your soil, so it can pull water from it.

*One important note. You really need an open mix if you are going to give the SM all the water it needs. Otherwise you will end up OVER WATERING your neps. Your moss may look good, but your prized nep will start to get smaller, and the roots will rot. Not a fair trade.

To answer your questions.

temp 45f-100f (not too picky)
NO water level. I don't suggest keeping your neps standing in water.
humidity 70-85%
light. at least 300 foot candles

Don't let it dry out all the way, or the tips will die. So basically when it starts to turn white its time to water.
I have read otherwise, but in my experience, moss also benefits greatly from the fertilizer you give to your neps to keep it green, and growing fast. around 75 ppm solution of orchid fertilizer every week, or every other week (Thnx Tony)

Its really not that tough. if your environment is right for your neps, it will be right for the moss.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Robin
 
Thanks all for the replies. Robin, do you water the moss (and your neps) from the top, and if so, how much water do you use? Do you water until it comes out the bottom? Jimscott, what temperature do you keep your tray in?

I have been watering from the bottom by filling the saucers and then not watering again until the saucer is empty and it has dried out a little (for my neps). I am considering changing my strategy to water from the top, until water just starts to go into the saucer. Is this a good idea?

The only LFS I plan to keep in standing water is that in the bottom of the terrarium, which does not have contact with the plants. They are in individual saucers, and I plan on using the moss in the bottom to increase humidity while preventing algae buildup. This was suggested by chloroplast in the terrariums forum.

-Ben
 
I water from the top until all the spag has been wetted. That will slowly trickle down thru the roots. I don't worry too much about it having to come out the bottom.
smile.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (sharp229 @ June 02 2005,3:52)]Jimscott, what temperature do you keep your tray in?
It's "room temperature", which means ~70-85 degrees, right at a SE facing winsow sill.
 
never tried grwoing it but I'm always cleaning it out as its a weed in my chamber.
 
From what I've seen the really nice, lush, all-green sphagnum is New Zealand sphagnum, but I could be wrong. The sphagnum I've gotten from the dried stuff is usually half brown even when it's growing well.
 
  • #10
mine is grown in trays containing about an inch of Spagnum moss peat and then drop the LFS on top dont blast it with the sun but provide shaded light and water it to death mine loves it and its great to top out nep pots with it but i find that if i leave my neps long enough they grow lush and green anyway with the LFS in the mix .
Bye for now Julian
 
  • #11
What Chesara describes is essentially the conditions I have.
 
  • #12
Thanks for all the suggestions. I will try experimenting a bit to see what works best in my setup.

Robin mentioned that the mix needs to be open to prevent overwatering Nepenthes. Is pure LFS open enough, or does it need something else like bark or perlite? I currently have all my neps in pure LFS because it seems the easiest to manage.

-Ben
 
  • #13
A lot of people use orchid bark in their Nep mix. Another topdresses with pine needles. A lot use perlite.
 
Back
Top