i jus notticed under the vft that theres these moss growing, not the majority moss but the lil buds growing out, its long and thin as u can see it, i got this plant at OSH and the medium seem to b wetten LFS, dono if it is, help me out, thnx
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i jus notticed under the vft that theres these moss growing, not the majority moss but the lil buds growing out, its long and thin as u can see it, i got this plant at OSH and the medium seem to b wetten LFS, dono if it is, help me out, thnx
Sorry, that is not a Sphagnum species and would be best removed in my opinion.
the long moss, not the small guys, it came with my plant
I leave moss in my VFT pots, I find that it looks attractive, and it does no harm whatsoever to the plant.
Tamlin, do you just not like the look of this moss? Or does it cause problems for you when you leave the moss where it is?
Im intrested to know why ppl dont like this moss, thats all.......
Dino
Tamlin, do you just not like the look of this moss? Or does it cause problems for you when you leave the moss where it is?
Im intrested to know why ppl dont like this moss, thats all.......
Dino
The presence of moss other than sphagnum indicates there are nutrients coming from somewhere. This could be a potential problem and should be a warning indicator that something might not be quite right.
The moss in this picture doesn't look like an overly severe case and the little sprig of sphagnum indicates things are not too bad. In bad cases however it is possible for other mosses to overgrow and smother even a large healthy VFT.
Tony
The moss in this picture doesn't look like an overly severe case and the little sprig of sphagnum indicates things are not too bad. In bad cases however it is possible for other mosses to overgrow and smother even a large healthy VFT.
Tony
I would re-pot, if for nothing else, the fact that on the third look, I noticed the soil surface was a bit slimy. Look below the thumb along the edge of the pot.
Cheers,
Joe
Cheers,
Joe
Tony answered for me. Now, I haven't done any hard science, but I have noticed a tendency for plant decline (at least amongst my Drosera) when the moss is present. I (and others) feel that this is probably due to an overabundance of accumulated salts that allow the moss to proliferate. With smaller genera, the moss can choke out the plants, larger ones seem able to stand up to it, but usually are not at their best probably due to an over rich substrate.
Start checking out the photos of plants when they are posted. Notuice the correlation between green goop on the surface, algae, mold and the sickly less than happy Drosera that are in the mix. Notice how the pots without this goop appear to have healthier plants when the peat/sand remains brown with no green appearing. Then you can decide for yourself if my observations hold water.
Others have said this is all a fantasy in my mind, but I have to be true to what I feel at gut level, and I have some confirmation from other growers who have tested the runoff from such pots with a TDS meter. Classical advice recommends a TDS well below 100 PPM for optimal growth results. Tested runoff can be as high as 1000 PPM, ten times the recommended concentration!
Some species of Drosera seem more sensitive than others. I have not found VFT's to be overly sensitive.
It is a nice green moss. Most of my Pings have a layer of it, and there it is both useful and attractive. Pings are not as salt sensitive as are Drosera and Utricularia. I prefer living sphagnum since this too is an indicator. I have found almost without exception that healthy growing LFS indicated a good clean acidic medium. IF the moss grows, so do the plants.
Start checking out the photos of plants when they are posted. Notuice the correlation between green goop on the surface, algae, mold and the sickly less than happy Drosera that are in the mix. Notice how the pots without this goop appear to have healthier plants when the peat/sand remains brown with no green appearing. Then you can decide for yourself if my observations hold water.
Others have said this is all a fantasy in my mind, but I have to be true to what I feel at gut level, and I have some confirmation from other growers who have tested the runoff from such pots with a TDS meter. Classical advice recommends a TDS well below 100 PPM for optimal growth results. Tested runoff can be as high as 1000 PPM, ten times the recommended concentration!
Some species of Drosera seem more sensitive than others. I have not found VFT's to be overly sensitive.
It is a nice green moss. Most of my Pings have a layer of it, and there it is both useful and attractive. Pings are not as salt sensitive as are Drosera and Utricularia. I prefer living sphagnum since this too is an indicator. I have found almost without exception that healthy growing LFS indicated a good clean acidic medium. IF the moss grows, so do the plants.
well, tamlin, if you test the water AFTER its run through the peat, its gonna be in the 1000s, without a doubt
Starman:
I would cut the moss... It will cut into your plants and kill them. My neighbors had a plant once and the moss cut into the plant and killed it (just kidding)
Most of my plants have moss growing in the pots, more moss than LFS... Doesnt harm them, IME. It kinda overgrows the little sundews, and utrics... cant even see them cause of all the moss!
I leave the moss on larger plants (helps keep in moisture), and pluck it with smaller plants. If a pot grows moss, I repot the next year (possible nutrients). If theres no moss, I don't repot the next year. Usually my pots are moss free for 2 years. If theres no moss for 3 years, I repot ayways
Starman:
I would cut the moss... It will cut into your plants and kill them. My neighbors had a plant once and the moss cut into the plant and killed it (just kidding)
Most of my plants have moss growing in the pots, more moss than LFS... Doesnt harm them, IME. It kinda overgrows the little sundews, and utrics... cant even see them cause of all the moss!
Spec,
If you rinse your potting materials before you use it to pot, then run the water through it, it should be below 100 PPM, and that is the whole point.
I repot when there is moss too. It is a good protocol. Even with taking care to keep things clean, I still get moss and algae from time to time. If it gets to the point where I can't fix it by top watering and leeching out the salts, I transplant immediately.
If you rinse your potting materials before you use it to pot, then run the water through it, it should be below 100 PPM, and that is the whole point.
I repot when there is moss too. It is a good protocol. Even with taking care to keep things clean, I still get moss and algae from time to time. If it gets to the point where I can't fix it by top watering and leeching out the salts, I transplant immediately.
Oh boy...[b said:
My water is 3 PPM, but I guess the soil needs to be pretty darn clean too?
3 PPM?
Well I envy YOU!
I have the words "rinse your peat" tatooed on my forehead.
I guess it's up to you. How are your plants doing? If they are happy and growing, flowering, reproducing, then I would say you are home free. If they are all pale, twisted, scapes falling over, bug infested, drowning in algae, choked by moss and webbed with fungus with lots of fungus gnats flying around, then you need to do something more than put some wet peat and sand in a cup and sow seeds.
I have the words "rinse your peat" tatooed on my forehead.
I guess it's up to you. How are your plants doing? If they are happy and growing, flowering, reproducing, then I would say you are home free. If they are all pale, twisted, scapes falling over, bug infested, drowning in algae, choked by moss and webbed with fungus with lots of fungus gnats flying around, then you need to do something more than put some wet peat and sand in a cup and sow seeds.