Sphagnum moss as a medium

[ragoonaths]

hi
i have got a nepenthes truncata that needs to be repotted i am interested in planting it in pure live sphagnum moss if anybody has any experience and advice this would be fully appreciated appreciated

 

[Kyle]

100% sphagnum, live or no, is probably not going to be airy enough. Get some large perlite, charcoal, and bark bits in there as well and you'll have a great media.

But I'm no Nepenthes expert, so definitely wait for others to chime in.

 

[rattler]

in my experiance, pure LFS works fine until you get to a pot larger than 4 inches......4 inches and under and it doesnt pack down, over 4 inches and it tends to pack down and become detrimental....in bigger pots mix in orchid bark or something similar to help keep air spaces in the soil.......

 

[seedjar]

Orchid bark is a good, freely obtainable aggregate. Coarse perlite is better but not always that easy to come by. Hydroton works wonders if you can find a place that carries it - inorganic so it doesn't decay, and heavy and solid so it doesn't float or crumble.
~Joe

 

[rattler]

with larger plants i use APS in the mix to give it weight to keep pots with vining neps from tipping over.....hydrotron would prolly be better but its harder to come by in the middle of nowhere Montana....

 

[ragoonaths]

thank you for the reply but quick question is Hydroton those clay pellets because i think my local garden centre sells them

 

[rattler]

yeah they are usually round.....APS is aquatic plant soil......made of the same stuff as the hydroton i believe its just in small flake form......

 

[jht-union]

I use 100% LFSM for my nepenthes, and they all seem like it a lot, i spray them every day wtih rain collected water, and the water never drips out of the pot because the LFSM keeps it, but since neps don't like standing soil, here's the trick, when, if using LFSM make sure to never compress the LFSM just toss it in the pot like it falls and fill it to the top, with compression here's what happens: standing water+ no aeration= killing the plant. By just tossing the LFSM, the media will stay loosely and the plant would be able to breath the air for the roots, additionally it creates a super great environment for nepentes by keeping the humidity really high, and the last thing you need, is provide them with a good source of indirect, filter sunlight, or growing lights, and you're done.
Mines grow in a window getting filter sun for 3 hours, and the rest is regular daylight natural light. misting as much as you can, and make sure to not let LFSM dry fast, as is a tendency for it to dry fast when in direct sunlight.

Hope this helps!

 

[seedjar]

APS/Turface is made from a different clay as Hydroton, but they're essentially the same thing, yes.
~Joe

 

[Dexenthes]

I've used 100% sphagnum so far with absolutely no issues for all of my Nepenthes. But Rattler's pot-size/compaction theory might be an issue that I haven't had trouble with yet.

 

[rattler]

I've used 100% sphagnum so far with absolutely no issues for all of my Nepenthes. But Rattler's pot-size/compaction theory might be an issue that I haven't had trouble with yet.

im not saying its an everytime ting but it does become much more common....

 

[ragoonaths]

thank you for the advice on Hydroton pellets but what sort of pot will need? do i need to use a mesh pot or like a see through one? just asking because as sphagnum moss is living do i need a special requirements for it