Peat moss questions

[kenny_planter]

How do you get peat moss grow green? I see pictures of other peoples plants and I always see the their CPs growing in peat but the peat is growing and is green.. Is it do to fertilizer, sun, both or just that its established and has been there for a while?

 

[swords]

It depends, some people grow in dried Long Fiber Sphagnum moss (Nepenthes growers like me) which turns green and grows into big thick ropy strands but peat moss often grows a "pest moss" which is green but is not the same as sphagnum. It's very short and dense. and most people tend to curse that sort of moss.

 

[kenny_planter]

It depends, some people grow in dried Long Fiber Sphagnum moss (Nepenthes growers like me) which turns green and grows into big thick ropy strands but peat moss often grows a "pest moss" which is green but is not the same as sphagnum. It's very short and dense. and most people tend to curse that sort of moss.

This is what I'm talking about. Is this what you are?

<a href="http://s740.photobucket.com/user/kendrickalejandre/media/my%20plants/B694A3B6-B669-49F8-A558-50A95EF136D5_zpsjgmmkrcl.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx50/kendrickalejandre/my%20plants/B694A3B6-B669-49F8-A558-50A95EF136D5_zpsjgmmkrcl.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo B694A3B6-B669-49F8-A558-50A95EF136D5_zpsjgmmkrcl.jpg"/></a>


<a href="http://s740.photobucket.com/user/kendrickalejandre/media/my%20plants/BD642FAD-7CA5-495B-B586-74CEBC551E38_zpsbsriqxaz.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx50/kendrickalejandre/my%20plants/BD642FAD-7CA5-495B-B586-74CEBC551E38_zpsbsriqxaz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo BD642FAD-7CA5-495B-B586-74CEBC551E38_zpsbsriqxaz.jpg"/></a>


<a href="http://s740.photobucket.com/user/kendrickalejandre/media/my%20plants/A1395360-520A-44FF-B772-C659B2654AF2_zps8fxugasc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx50/kendrickalejandre/my%20plants/A1395360-520A-44FF-B772-C659B2654AF2_zps8fxugasc.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo A1395360-520A-44FF-B772-C659B2654AF2_zps8fxugasc.jpg"/></a>

 

[kenny_planter]

I want to make my peat moss look like this.

 

[NemJones]

I use chopped sphagnum moss which grows like this after about 3 months:

However, the ONLY time I ever got peat moss to grow,
it was in a sealed terrarium for 3 years before any growth actually
started. it looks like this today, 7 years after starting to grow.

 

[corky]

I find it grows easy in a year and can be a real pain .I end up having to repot some sundews as I think it effects the growth.But it can give a good natural look

 

[Not a Number]

This is what I'm talking about. Is this what you are?

That in all likelihood is some other moss and not a Sphagnum species.

Growth of various mosses is almost inevitable on peat moss as spores are present nearly everywhere. It's just a matter of time. If you obtain potted plants you will inherit some moss along with it. In the long run you will find many of these mosses to be most undesirable.

 

[kenny_planter]

Thank you all... I get the gist of it

 

[planturd]

nice ferns

 

[hcarlton]

Yes, the pics you showed for examples are mostly showing the star mosses that pop up invariably. Rather invasive, they choke out smaller plants and kind of stop up the surface of the soil, and are just about impossible to get rid of....

 

[Av8tor1]

That is polytrichum sp.
not desirable....

oldie but a goodie: How to Grow Sphagnum Moss

 

[kenny_planter]

I never knew that.. I always thought it looked really nice and gives a real nature look. Didn't realize it actually did that. Will it stunt the growth of mature plants?

 

[Av8tor1]

The smaller "carpet moss" variants can form a dense layer so thick that when you pull it up it takes the top inch of substrate with it.
Its a PITA, most growers use a top layer of live Sphagnum to prevent its growth.

Some of the nicer looking "Christmas tree" like species are suspected of being actively antagonistic toward other plant species.
(I don't know of any peer reviewed studies)

Stay with Sphagnum...