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For those of you who use live Sphagnum Moss

My local home depot didn't have it, and I called 2 local nurseries, they didn't have it either.

Have you seen it sold in a particular mass retail store?

Thank you, I notice plants thrive and flourish in live sphagnum.
 
Only place I've seen it sold live is California Carnivores. They sell it by the pint I think. If you ask me, it's easier to grow it yourself from dead LFS strands.

-D. Lybrand
 
Wow! How does one go about growing live sphagnum from dried strands? have you done this before?

thank you very much.
 
You can buy compressed sphagnum moss. When you add water it imbibes and expands greatly. Friom there you place it in a consistantly moist and warm place and you should eventually start to see live strands starting to grow.

I've had the most success in the bottom of my highland tank where there's always water (or at least very high humidity,) and good light. Strong direct light coupled with low humidity will just dry out living sphagnum. It requires a bit of patience, and sometimes this method is best complimented by buying a little bit of live sphagnum for the time being.

You don't need to do much special. If you've got plants that are in conditions similar to those in which sphagnum will grow well, then you can use it as a top dressing on the media which can help the plant, as well.
 
Lowes (I think) sells a light colored dried sphagnum labeled "Orchid Moss" or something like that.  I've had great success resurrecting that stuff.  The darker Canadian sphagnum moss I've bought in other places has been ~lifeless.  I plant Neps and Sarrs in a 50/50 or so mix of the dark stuff with sponge rock and top-dress with 1/2" of the good stuff and get live moss in most pots.  It doesn't usually stay green through the winter in Nep pots, but often comes back to life when the Neps go back out for summer.
 
The Canadian sphag grows into thin, dark green strands whereas New Zealand and Chilean sphag grow into thicker, light green clumps (go with the New Zealand if possible).

-D. Lybrand
 
It can be found on ebay pretty often too... see: <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-LIVE-Sphagnum-Moss-Orchids-Carnivorous-Plants_W0QQitemZ7744667125QQcategoryZ75643QQss
PageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-LI....iewItem</a>
 
I have some live LFS I should be able to send you. I'll have to check how it is doing, since I have most of it baggies, in the cold attic.
 
Mosser Lee sells LFS but its full of weeds and other junk but you can get a huge bail. I would only use thier moss if I were doing a huge outdoor planting . I have switched to Chilean Moss which I can find in a compressed brick at my local nursury.

If you put some dried moss in a plastic bag with water and seal it, put it in a cool place, then forget about it for a while, when you remember to check it you should have live moss.

Glenn
 
  • #10
Cooks has it occasionally too, for about $10 for a nice size bag.

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #11
Sarracenia NW also sells live strands when they have it in stock. It's like $6 for a quart, I believe. You can grow plenty of live sphagnum on your own by placing a few live strands on a bunch of damp LFS, covering it with clear plastic, and putting the whole thing under light. It a month or two every segment of live sphagnum that went in should have grown into a large strand, and each strand can be divided. If you get any plants potted with live sphagnum, you can pinch the growing tips off it and have enough bits to start a stock of moss. Humid potted terrariums where the bottom of the tank is constantly wet also make great places to raise live sphagnum. Starting live strands from the dead stuff is an option, but a few bits of live stuff will really speed up the process if they're available.
~Joe
 
  • #12
Bachmanns garden centers sell small medium and large bales from $8 to $15 very good stuff way better than Mosser lee which often grows into other less desireable species of mosses... and ferns, liverworts, mushrooms and clovers... it's a neat way to get some interesting temperate northern bog plants by merely keeping it wet but not when all you want is pure spahgnum!  

Here's my method for farming my own spahgnum moss:

Using a jiffy seedling tray punch holes in the bottom with a wide nail to allow air circulation and good drainage.

shred a few handfuls of the nice blonde colored LFSinto a bucket of water (Mosser Lee is dark brown and as stated full of twigs and even stones!). Sumbmerge it and squeeze it  to absorb as much water as it can then squeeze out as much as you can so it's moist but fluffy and airy.

Drop it loosely into the seedling tray making  and even layer only 1/2 -1" or so as you are only "seeding" the tray and giving the spores in the dried heads a substrate to germinate upon.

Put in a bright environment. My highland chamber grows sphagnum moss faster than anything! It seems to grow slower in the lowland tanks.

Mist the surface every couple days, don't dump water on it to keep it saturated just spray to  keep it evenly moist. After about a month it should begin to raplidy change to green and within another month or two you'll have visible spahgnum headsover the surface. Just keep the routine and replace anything you take with new shreds of dried stuff and you'll have a continuously regenerating supply.
smile.gif


I remember one guy took this to the xtreme and filled a plastic little mermaid kiddie pool with it and made a huge batch in his back yard! I wish I had a yard...
 
  • #13
Wonder if it'd be possible to grow enough to make enough to use in your own potting mix or whatnot. Could be viable for a small grower instead of continually buying the stuff.
 
  • #14
By potting soil, I hope you mean sphagnum peat, as that is what it naturally grows upon. The peat is the dead layer of the live LFS. Yes, one can easily propogate a sustainable stock of the live LFS by placing a layer of peat in shallow trays, like kittle litter boxes and putting a layer of live over top of it. Keep it saturated and well lit. Here's a pic of a small, unsophisticated verion of it:

AF001901.jpg


AF001101.jpg


If done outside, which would be more effective, you'll need to provide some protection from birds that nibble at it. If you can set it up inside, with growlites, great.
 
  • #15
I've just gone to bogs in the wild and harvested trash bags of it. I only harvest it from sterile bogs (no endangered plants present)
 
  • #16
I've always gotten moss from dried LFS. I use the dried in the bottom of my tanks. I keep it wet and its under lights (for the plants). Eventually, it regenerates and starts to grow. I end up with lush green tanks (until I forget to keep the bottom watered and it dries up...lol).
 
  • #17
Ebay. for ripoff prices.
 
  • #18
You can pick up some at the next lacps meeting. Somebody usually brings them. Or somebody can give you just a tiny bit to start and you can cultivate it yourself.
 
  • #19
I bought some of the live lfs from ebay (the Mosser Lee people) and had good luck with it. I've also bought their dried stuff, and it does have twigs and stuff, but it's so cheap for a giant bale that I use it anyway. I wash it well, and it seems to work fine. You know there are twigs and stones in the wild where nepenthes grow too!

For my really expensive neps, I use the expensive New Zealand or Chilean stuff.

Capslock
 
  • #20
http://www.pitcherplant.org/catalog.htm

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Due to plant quarantines on soil mixes we do not ship live sphagnum moss to the following states: AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA
Box measuring 6 x 7 inches $30.00

Box measuring 8 x 12 inches $50.00

Gallon size zipper bag $15.00

Sandwich size zipper bag $10.00
 
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