sphag and windowsill neps

[chibae]

Would it make sense to try and keep a layer of live sphag moss on the surface of nep pots that are being kept outside of tanks (like on windowsills ) to help keep the humidity levels up for the plant?

 

[carnivoure12]

Hmmm well live sphagnum won't survive in household environment, atleast in my experience. Sphagnum is good for holding moisture, so it'll help keep the media moist in household conditions. I think it could help a bit with humidty but not very much, because rooms tend to be very large and a little bit a sphagnum won't really compensate for the amount of dry air. But I don't see why you can't add spagnum, I personally do ahve it in my windowsill neps.

 

[dashman]

It's not impossible. I grow all of my neps indoors without any special enclosure and many of them have sphagnum growing in the pots.

What I have found works well is to use a larger than normal pot. Fill the pot about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way with media of LFS and perlite and then top dress with sphagnum. The walls of the pot help keep the humidity close to the sphaghnum and it grows well like this. Misting the spaghnum regularly helps in household conditions to avoid dryout.

Here is a pic of what I mean.

When I potted this one. I added only a clump or two of Sphagnum. After a few months. The sphagnum had grown up to meet the edge of the pot. Any strand that strayed too far from the lip would dry up.

 

[thez_yo]

dashman, I just fell in love with your moss. Is that the red stuff too?! and also

I never got mine to look like that inside because maybe I didn't ever mist and they only got watered once a week? I'd just end up with crispy black/brown crunchy stuff on top and that's it.

 

[dashman]

Yep. I originally got a cup from a forum grower and have potted and repotted many neps using it. It has probably turned into 10 cups over the few years since I got it.

Misting is important. I do it when needed, probably daily. Having the lid of the pot a few inches higher helps immensely though and the sphagnum will eventually grow to meet as close to the lid as humidity and airflow will allow. My N. sibuyanensis x xTM has this same setup and it likes to drop its tendrils into the sphagnum. Makes for happy pitchers. The pitchers that fall outside of the pot do not last near as long as the ones snuggled up with the nice soft moss. For my N. sib x xTM anyways.

 

[thez_yo]

Hmm, in that case, my sibXTM probably hates me

 

[dashman]

Ah, but you live in California. Isn't that like the nepenthes home away from home.

 

[DETHCHEEZ]

One thing you might try doing is using plastic drain trays, putting the pots on something like a bottle cap so they're not sitting in standing water & filling the tray with LFS

Ah, but you live in California. Isn't that like the nepenthes home away from home.

That all depends on where in Cali you live / LOL
I'm lucky, I live pretty close to the beach & the weather's perfect for high landers
But my parents live in the high desert & it can get 116 in the summer & snow in the winter

 

[Dexenthes]

Learn from dashman! That's a neat trick having the pot be bigger than the substrate, I'll have to try it sometime. But yeah keeping Sphagnum moss alive in the house is not impossible but you do have to mist it pretty much every day. So it is pretty intensive.

Whether alive or not though, you can never go wrong with sphagnum moss!

 

[dashman]

It took alot of trial and error and repotting. Some of my neps cringe when I walk into the room. I just know it.

This same method works well with nep seedlings too. Minus the live sphagnum to choke them out.

 

[Zhilin]

Yeah, that's what I am doing. My N.mikei is growing outdoor, enjoying the direct sunlight from the morning to the noon and then bright shade in the rest of the day. The moss layer in that pot is 2inch thick. Here is the pic:

I water it every morning and mist several times a day.

It's not impossible. I grow all of my neps indoors without any special enclosure and many of them have sphagnum growing in the pots.

What I have found works well is to use a larger than normal pot. Fill the pot about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way with media of LFS and perlite and then top dress with sphagnum. The walls of the pot help keep the humidity close to the sphaghnum and it grows well like this. Misting the spaghnum regularly helps in household conditions to avoid dryout.

When I potted this one. I added only a clump or two of Sphagnum. After a few months. The sphagnum had grown up to meet the edge of the pot. Any strand that strayed too far from the lip would dry up.

 

[chibae]

Thanks folks, think I'll give the larger pot idea a try