FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

So, I am continuing from another thread where I was updating my first trial of growing sphagnum moss. It was a hijacked thread, and I just thought it would be better to start my own if I would continue the updating.

I purchased a small cutting of live sphagnum moss from FTS, placed it in a small amount of peat back in June (2012), and went blindly into growing it. I had my ups and downs, as I learned the ins and outs of sphagnum. I feel like now I have my bearings and the moss is doing excellent! Keep in mind, some of the pictures show the moss as almost dead. That is because I did not grow it right to start. FTS' cutting was in perfect conditions when I received it.


shortly after I planted (hindsight, I shouldn't have spread the moss out so much)


before I realized proper watering habits


starting to recover...











The final picture was taken today. I can really see the moss starting to take off now that it is a lot cooler. My goal is to have a sustainable amount to cut off for top-coats for my CPs, so I can stop using dead LFS (though some of my LFS with my Jaws VFT is actually starting to come back to life!)

It looks great Starchy! Good job with that sphagnum

Very nicely done!!! Congrats on the success!

I suggest that now that is cooler and the moss has taken off, try reducing the watering so it doesn't look that soggy( a little above soil level or at soil level should be fine) because algae might form in the container. What you need to do now is just misting like every 1-2 days with rain water or the water that you are using.
I am guessing you have it in lights and the lid close for most of the time?

Those are suggestions but if you find that algae is not growing in there and the moss keeps growing nicely like is doing, then just keep doing what you are doing!

I have been keeping it under lights, but without a cover. I have reduced the frequency of watering (the picture was taken just after watering), but it still needs it once daily (the humidity is low in the shed, which I am keeping most of my CPs for the winter).

Thanks for the advice. I will let the water die down a bit more before the next watering.

okay jht, per your advice, this is how the moss looks now (sorry about the blur, I didn't notice it until I uploaded).

Starchy wrote:okay jht, per your advice, this is how the moss looks now (sorry about the blur, I didn't notice it until I uploaded).

Nice!!! In a few days when the pieces of spagnum are longer, you can start cutting (some strands not all) the strands with scissors in half and put in another container or where you see space in the same container that hasn't been covered yet by the moss.

Start building another colony in another container and once you have two colonies, with scissors cut all of the strands in half and place in another container............and on and on and on, you get the point right?

Keep us posted on how it does, I will try to take pics of my LM so you can see how it should look like once you put it as a dressing on top of the soil for your cp's.

This is a picture of my sphagnum, you can see mine is much more dryer than yours, but mine is also in a terrarium which is kept with the lid down for 98% of the time. I mist every 1-2 days, sometimes 2 times a day.



This part is more wet:



And this part is much dryer:

I did a little research on caring for sphagnum moss, and there are so many different techniques. In another thread, jw mentioned that he mists his for 30 seconds each day. You, every 1-2 days. Me, 1-2 times daily. I just went to check on the moss, and it was already starting to brown at the tips.

I wonder how many different types of sphagnum moss there are, and if they are meant to all be cared for differently. I read that air circulation is important, which is why I stopped covering mine. I also read that browning tips is a sign that your moss is not getting enough water.

My own theory is that once you have thick enough moss, you won't have to water as much because the moss basically insulates itself. This is just my own theory (with no actual evidence). I think mine requires watering more often because it is still very thin. I also have only sphagnum in my container. I think CPs would help it grow better.

jht, that moss is awesome looking! Regarding your advice, that was my plan all along. I have 3 more containers waiting, just no room under my might to add them (until some of my seedlings graduate to sun). I think I will cut and add to the bare spots in the existing container for the time being, like you instructed.

Starchy wrote:My own theory is that once you have thick enough moss, you won't have to water as much because the moss basically insulates itself. This is just my own theory (with no actual evidence). I think mine requires watering more often because it is still very thin. I also have only sphagnum in my container. I think CPs would help it grow better.

I agree with you. When all the growth tips are the same level the sphagnum does a lot better and stays nice and green. It insulates itself and reduces evaporation. Some of my other moss has grown and looks similar to jht's terrarium. The newer growth is taller and a bit spread out. If I keep that batch uncovered for to long the tips begin to turn brown and dry a lot quicker.

John (snapperhead51), says to have good air circulation. I'm assuming that's who you're referencing. He says the air circulation increases evaporation which promotes growth. The thing is you have to look at his growing conditions. His plants and sphagnum is in a green house that stays fairly humid, plus he has a misting system that run for somewhere around three minutes several times a day; which the misting system rehydrates the moss before damage is done to it.

Your sphagnum is looking good. Since you drained some of the water off, you're going to have to play around with your watering schedule to see how much air circulation you can have without drying out your moss to much.

jwbates26 wrote:John (snapperhead51), says to have good air circulation. I'm assuming that's who you're referencing. He says the air circulation increases evaporation which promotes growth. The thing is you have to look at his growing conditions. His plants and sphagnum is in a green house that stays fairly humid, plus he has a misting system that run for somewhere around three minutes several times a day; which the misting system rehydrates the moss before damage is done to it.

It was internet research. But I agree that growing conditions are usually generalized when reading care guides.

Great job!! I'm considering setting up a sphag grow chamber too, but I need to learn how to grow...
Would you mind telling us/me your exact conditions, and the timeline for those pictures? Would be greatly appreciated.

CPcaregiver wrote:Great job!! I'm considering setting up a sphag grow chamber too, but I need to learn how to grow...
Would you mind telling us/me your exact conditions, and the timeline for those pictures? Would be greatly appreciated.

Sure.

First you must know that there are many different types of sphagnum moss, and many people have had success growing in completely different conditions. For me, I purchased a cutting from flytrapstore.com. You need 10cm pieces (no smaller than that), spread out over peat moss. Sphagnum doesn't have a root system, so it doesn't have to be too much. Place it in an undrained container. You don't have to make sure you cover the whole bottom with the moss. As it grows taller, you can take cuttings from your own supply and place them in the empty patches.

I had much more success growing under fluorescent lighting rather than outside in the sun. I believe they like partial sun, and temperatures ranging from 55-75F. My moss dries out incredibly fast, and I water twice daily with a spray bottle (usually spraying for about 30-60 seconds each time, until the water level is very high, just not covering the tallest growth points). Water using distilled water. For lighting, I use a 16 hour photoperiod controlled by a timer under 4 t5 high output bulbs center two bulbs @ 6500 kelvin and outer two bulbs @ 2900k. These bulbs put out around 88 lumens per watt @ 54 watts. Some may advise to cover your container to increase humidity. For me, I found that the airflow was more important than covering the container.

My moss grew incredibly slow during the summer, and really started to take off when the temperature dropped. I started mid-June, but grew the moss wrong until about late July. I have found that the moss is very touchy to changes in conditions (especially warmer conditions), but it is also fairly hardy and will bounce back once conditions become favorable again. I believe that once your moss thickens and is tall enough to start your own cuttings, you should be able to water less often, as the moss will help retain the moisture better, serving as its own insulator. This is just my own theory, however.

Good luck with your moss, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help!

Starchy wrote:

CPcaregiver wrote:Great job!! I'm considering setting up a sphag grow chamber too, but I need to learn how to grow...
Would you mind telling us/me your exact conditions, and the timeline for those pictures? Would be greatly appreciated.

Sure.

First you must know that there are many different types of sphagnum moss, and many people have had success growing in completely different conditions. For me, I purchased a cutting from flytrapstore.com. You need 10cm pieces (no smaller than that), spread out over peat moss. Sphagnum doesn't have a root system, so it doesn't have to be too much. Place it in an undrained container. You don't have to make sure you cover the whole bottom with the moss. As it grows taller, you can take cuttings from your own supply and place them in the empty patches.

I had much more success growing under fluorescent lighting rather than outside in the sun. I believe they like partial sun, and temperatures ranging from 55-75F. My moss dries out incredibly fast, and I water twice daily with a spray bottle (usually spraying for about 30-60 seconds each time, until the water level is very high, just not covering the tallest growth points). Water using distilled water. For lighting, I use a 16 hour photoperiod controlled by a timer under 4 t5 high output bulbs center two bulbs @ 6500 kelvin and outer two bulbs @ 2900k. These bulbs put out around 88 lumens per watt @ 54 watts. Some may advise to cover your container to increase humidity. For me, I found that the airflow was more important than covering the container.

My moss grew incredibly slow during the summer, and really started to take off when the temperature dropped. I started mid-June, but grew the moss wrong until about late July. I have found that the moss is very touchy to changes in conditions (especially warmer conditions), but it is also fairly hardy and will bounce back once conditions become favorable again. I believe that once your moss thickens and is tall enough to start your own cuttings, you should be able to water less often, as the moss will help retain the moisture better, serving as its own insulator. This is just my own theory, however.

Good luck with your moss, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help!

I actually started mine from a few pieces that were 2 cm long it just took longer for new growth to start