FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Live in Scotland and was wondering if the abundant sphagnum moss in my area would be suitable for potting carnivorous plants? Or would it have excess stuff in it that would be harmful for the plant?

It could do it, and yes, it could harbor pathogens and pests that could be harmful to your plants.
In reality, as long as you have permission, you could try it out with a single pot and see how it responds.

I would definitely wash it out as much as possible before hand.

In the past, I have used local (North Carolina, USA) wild sphagnum moss in my Sarracenia pots with no issues. The moss gives off chemicals to alter the growing environment and reduce competition from other plants, but the carnivorous plants like the changes. My Sarracenia always grew better in pots with live sphagnum moss on top.

I think I’ll wait until I have more carnivorous plants to try this so if it does go wrong I won’t lose everything, thanks for the replies

Apart from not collecting material from the wild unless you have permission and do it in a sustainable manner, yes, it will more than likely be fine. Just take the leaves and sticks out and you have the perfect growing medium.
Cheers
Steve

I was thinking of growing sphagnum myself from a little bit off from my garden to see if I could start farming it at home, thanks!

What works best for me: put a layer of LFS on the bottom of a tub or tray, soak it with low-mineral water, then put a layer of live sphagnum moss on top. For the longer pieces, lay the moss horizontally. If you don't have enough moss to cover the area, cut it into 0.5-1 inch / 1-2 cm pieces and spread it around. Each piece will sprout a new head. Give the moss 2-4 hours of sun per day (or all-day light if it's very cloudy in your area) and keep it damp. In a few months, you should have a nice crop of moss.

got a wee chunk of moss from my garden, does this look like it would work?

I've got something similar growing in a couple of my water trays, likely a live piece dropped and grew. It doesn't seem to have a negative effect, but I haven't had it long term.
Give it a shot in a single pot and try to grow some more in the meantime. Worst case, it doesn't work, and you toss it all out.
You could also try to obtain some known, good, live sphagnum and grow it out as well.

yeah i think ill pot one plant in it to see if it works first, then if it does well ill start growing more moss to use

does it need to be dried before use?

No, use it as is.

Spunro wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 1:52 pm got a wee chunk of moss from my garden, does this look like it would work?

That's moss, but it isn't sphagnum. You'll find it in areas that are constantly wet, like this. Sphagnum moss will feel damp/wet and spongy.

i do have a boggy area near me where sundews grow but its on a nature trail and i dont really know if its okay to take even though there is plenty

Spunro wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:02 pm i do have a boggy area near me where sundews grow but its on a nature trail and i dont really know if its okay to take even though there is plenty

either that or there seems to be a thin layer of moss on the top of my flytrap’s pot, im not sure if its sphagnum but if it is i could maybe try and grow some from that?