FlyTrapCare Forums

I picked up this moss from OSH. Is it okay to use for carnivorous plants?

no do not use this!

mitch wrote:no do not use this!

Isn't it just moss? Or does it have some sort of additives that make it unsuitable?

Or do you mean no, don't use it as a potting medium, it's not the same as peat moss? Because if that's what you were asking, demasoni, no, it's not the same thing as peat moss. But if you're asking if it can be used as a decorative element on the surface of the pot... not sure why Mitch said no.

I am not sure either especially after doing some research on it... Maybe because it is not shredded?

its not good for cp's just beleive me. you can ONLY yous sphagnum peat or sphagnum moss

Some types of sheet moss or "green moss" are reportedly poisonous to some or most carnivorous plants, even if they have no additives at all. They are generally considered not suitable for use in carnivorous plant growing mediums.

That said, if you try it, be sure to let everyone know whether the plants grow well in it or not.

On the picture tc3driver put up it says sphagnum tree moss?
Sounds like sphagnum to me?

Ron.

Ronnie wrote:On the picture tc3driver put up it says sphagnum tree moss?
Sounds like sphagnum to me?

Ron.

Maybe it is because it is Sphagnum tree, and not peet?

I've use it to try to keep water in, or I don't even remember why. Maybe I thought it looked good. But anyways I put a layer at the top of my n. ventrata pot a year ago, but I took it off around 3 months after I put it on, but the plant is alive right now.

Steve_D wrote:Some types of sheet moss or "green moss" are reportedly poisonous to some or most carnivorous plants, even if they have no additives at all. They are generally considered not suitable for use in carnivorous plant growing mediums.

Curious now, what do you think this moss is that I have in my VFT pot? It just showed up on its own, and is in almost all my plant pots (not just my CPs).

Ronnie wrote:On the picture tc3driver put up it says sphagnum tree moss?
Sounds like sphagnum to me?

There is no such thing as "sphagnum tree moss." That is probably a mistake. This may be a moss that grows on trees, but is very probably not sphagnum moss. I wouldn't use it.

emmalish wrote:Curious now, what do you think this moss is that I have in my VFT pot?

That looks like a carpet moss. There are at least hundreds of species of carpet moss. They are pretty, but they can choke small seedlings to death, and form a dense, water-sucking mat at the top layer of the growing medium, growing so well that other plants, unless they are much deeper rooted, may suffer.

Carpet moss doesn't usually get the upper hand with mature Venus Flytraps and coexists pretty well with them except that it does put quite a lot of pressure on the sides of the Flytrap bulbs and divisions that are attempting to grow. But carpet mosses can certainly affect tiny Venus Flytrap seedlings, which may almost stop growing at all because their roots have a hard time penetrating the dense mat of carpet moss to get to the moist layer below, and have a hard time expanding the bulb when there is so much pressure from the carpet moss on all sides.

Awesome, thanks Steve!