Live LFS questions

[mikefallen13]

All right, I'm going to be receiving some live LFS but it is a north American variety so will it be ok in my terrarium with no cold period during winter? And it was grown in a bog garden, so is there anything I should do before I put it in my terrarium? I know very little about live LFS so sorry about my noobish questions.

 

[Kyle]

My understanding is that it will continue to grow as long as you give it growing conditions. Dormancy isn't necessary.

But again, that's just as far as I know, lol.

 

[Not a Number]

It depends on where the Sphagnum is from. Some populations/species need a cold period for long term growth. Some don't. I've had a small tub I use for propagating cuttings on my plant shelf for the past 5 years that has steadily and slowly declining. I put it outdoors in November in a shaded area and now it's getting nice and fluffy again.

 

[mikefallen13]

I believe they got it from meadowview

 

[Wire Man]

That's probably going to be a Virginia population. Is it a specific species? We use native Sphagnum in our greenhouse all the time for Nepenthes and while raising Sarracenia seedlings. It can last quite a while without dormancy, a few years. You'll know when it starts to decline. When I notice it declining I place it outside around October so it doesn't go into shock. It will still grow throughout winter, surprisingly.

 

[mikefallen13]

Once again since this will be my first time with live lfs, I have no idea of the species but it looks exactly like the green form in meadow views online catalog

 

[Wire Man]

Probably S. pallustre. The green stuff is harvested from behind Meadowview, so I know exactly what it is. S. pallustre seems to be the most common one around the state. We're going to be getting a bunch of Sphag IDed soon, so I'll let you know when we find out.

 

[mikefallen13]

So it should be ok for a while and when it starts to decline I should just put it outside, correct?

 

[Wire Man]

Pretty much. It'll last a few years before it starts declining. I'm still working out the kinks on how to culture Sphag perfectly.

 

[mikefallen13]

All right thanks for the help!!