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!

?? Best Sphagnum Growth in Terrarium

Hi! I'm a new member here. I do not keep any carnivorous plants, but I have several other gardening projects.

I wish to build a setup for growing Sphagnum spp. mosses along with a few other acid bog plants in a fish tank enclosure. My current idea is to just to fill the bottom couple of inches in the aquarium with an open-cell filter foam to leave space for a little extra water volume and to give the plants something to hold onto. My question is this: Will Sphagnum mosses grow well in still water, or will I have better results with some kind of water circulation? I understand that natural bogs usually have very slow water movement.

With a search I ran into a post by a member here, GrowinOld, who made a growout setup for Sarracenia (below) that also grew exceptionally lush Sphagnum. This enclosure used a misting system that recirculated water within the setup. Is this necessary to keep the mosses happy?

As_1457.jpg

Thanks for considering this!
 
Last edited:
Sphagnum moss = natural water circulating pump
 
I have an experiment going on right now that is exactly like what youre trying to do, Ill post pictures tomorrow
when my internet decides to work.

You could use a filter if you wanted to, but its entirely up to you. My sphagnum has just grown
up from the large pots I filled them in.

This is what to do when making "Sphagetti."
I chop up sphagnum as fine as I can possibly get it, then soak it.
A very deep soak, making sure to squish it and waterlog it. It should be a nice, wet mushy paste.
Anywhere you set this paste, moss will start slowly growing if you keep it humid and moistened.
Even a small layer will begin moss growth, so not much is needed. A half inch on the bottom
of your tank should be perfect and will turn into extremely fluffy Sphagnum colonies in about a year or two.
(The better you grind/dust your dried moss, the more vigorous and dense they will be when they begin germinating.)
 
Interesting project, OP. For some reason I have never managed to get proper sphagnum culture going. I was trying to grow it in my lowland nep tank. It just didn't grow and seemed "burned" even though I kept it wet and the humidity was high.
 
This is what to do when making "Sphagetti."
I chop up sphagnum as fine as I can possibly get it, then soak it.

Now is this just any old dry sphagnum you get? Or are you chopping up sphagnum that is living still, or what?

Also, would a food processor get the job done?
 
Circulating water is not necessary for successful Sphagnum culture, no. High humidity and a generous, reliable supply of very clean water is, though.
Growing Sphagnum Moss
 
Circulating water is not necessary for successful Sphagnum culture, no. High humidity and a generous, reliable supply of very clean water is, though.
Growing Sphagnum Moss

Thanks for that link!

Since this planting will be in a fish tank it will be easy to maintain humidity with a glass top covering most of the enclosure. I was planning on using bottled distilled water and with slow evaporation I won't have to water very often.
 
I grow sphagnum successfully outdoors and indoors, I use collected rain water and humidity fluctuations are large, I honestly find its a really easy grower. grown outside in an open fronted propagator all year round
 
Last edited:
Now is this just any old dry sphagnum you get? Or are you chopping up sphagnum that is living still, or what?

Also, would a food processor get the job done?

I get a specific brand called orchid moss, but thats only because I really love the
Texture and quality of their moss. Its dried and packed into bricks at lowes.

The finer you chop it, the better off you are. I bet a food processor would do the trick, but Ive
Never tried that method. I usually use a pair of scissors
 
  • #10
Circulating water is not necessary for successful Sphagnum culture, no. High humidity and a generous, reliable supply of very clean water is, though.
Growing Sphagnum Moss

I agree with everything on this website except where it talks about how far you should spread the sphagnum. The closer together it is, the better it grows in my experience, especially if grown in low humidity.

I used better gro moss from lowes to plant my adelae and I noticed sphagnum starting to grow from spores. I carefully picked the sphagnum with a pair of forceps and placed all the little heads together in the plastic cup with a baggie where my hamiltonii are. The small heads are starting to mature and "branch", I am really excited to be able to grow Chilean moss finally.
 
  • #12
I've posted about this before, and to me the people with the best sphag I have seen have a system where sphagnum is wet by a sort of misting or flood system. That's why I am planning on buying a mistking. Not only will it help with the sphag, but it will also help cool my setup and with my neps. I am not saying sphag can't be grown without a misting system, it just seems to grow better with one.
 
  • #13
Thanks so much for these responses!

Has anybody noticed effects of temperature on growth of Sphagnum? Do they tend to grow with more vigor in cooler temps? I think I have noticed wild Sphagnum with brighter colors in the fall and the spring.
 
  • #14
Thanks so much for these responses!

Has anybody noticed effects of temperature on growth of Sphagnum? Do they tend to grow with more vigor in cooler temps? I think I have noticed wild Sphagnum with brighter colors in the fall and the spring.

That depends whether you're talking about a temperate species, or a tropical one.
 
  • #15
Thanks so much for these responses!

I think I have noticed wild Sphagnum with brighter colors in the fall and the spring.

That could possibly be because it is growing where it wants to be rather than where you want it to be.
 
Back
Top