- Wed May 08, 2013 8:31 pm
#175489
I have seen over time that people have been constantly asking about sphagnum moss, how it grows, what it needs, and so on and so forth. This post will explain the main topics to keep in mind when growing this beautiful type of moss. Keep in mind, lighting conditions, water/humidity, and temperatures. Once you finish reading this post, I assure you, you will have a good overall idea on how to take care for this type of moss.
1) LIGHTING:
Sphagnum moss likes direct sunlight, for a few hours. Keep in mind, sphagnum is not like a flytrap it doesn't need great amounts of it, in order to grow, simply that it will grow faster. Although it doesn't need great quantities of sunlight, don't place it in a place where it will have full shade 24/7. It will die. Another important point is that DO NOT LET YOUR SPHAGNUM BURN. They are sensitive plants and with high amounts of bright sunlight, it will burn, just like any other plant.
2) WATER AND HUMIDITY:
Sphagnum's natural habitat are bogs, this means that they are in a humid condition all the time, and surrounded with
water. What I have done with my sphagnum is put it in a pot with dead peat under, and give it about 1-2 inches of water.
Then I cut out a piece of a zip lock bag and put it around to top off the pot, and put a rubber band around it. Then I make a few holes, and everything works out. Although it might seem primitive, I've had 100% success rate with this method. Remember, if you don't keep your moss humid, it will easily dry out.
3) TEMPERATURE:
Sphagnum does not like high temperatures. It will stand up to about a maximum of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and then it will also start to burn. Although it can also stand pretty low temperatures, the ideal temperature is about 75 degrees, not too cold and not too hot. This will be the best way to grow your sphagnum into healthy plants.
EXTRAS:
I've also seen that people have been asking, can I bring sphagnum "back to life". Although it is hard the answer is YES. I myself once ordered a pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), a flytrap typical, and a sundew (do not know what type). The box inside came full of dried sphagnum to pot the plants. I poured distilled water and I noticed some of the strands had red-ish looking tops, and as you may know, red sphagnum is rare.
I potted the plants and left the reddest looking strands in a cup with distilled water over night. In the morning, I noticed that the strands seem more alive, only the tops were red, and the rest was still brown. Over the next few days, the strands started growing on the top, and it started becoming green on the bottom. It lives. This shows that if you try you can, but it doesn't always work out
SUGGESTIONS:
Please leave a comment if you would like to ask something, or include some information that has been left out. I will edit this post over time, to make it better. I am looking forward to this becoming a sticky, that everyone can learn. Hope it helped
1) LIGHTING:
Sphagnum moss likes direct sunlight, for a few hours. Keep in mind, sphagnum is not like a flytrap it doesn't need great amounts of it, in order to grow, simply that it will grow faster. Although it doesn't need great quantities of sunlight, don't place it in a place where it will have full shade 24/7. It will die. Another important point is that DO NOT LET YOUR SPHAGNUM BURN. They are sensitive plants and with high amounts of bright sunlight, it will burn, just like any other plant.
2) WATER AND HUMIDITY:
Sphagnum's natural habitat are bogs, this means that they are in a humid condition all the time, and surrounded with
water. What I have done with my sphagnum is put it in a pot with dead peat under, and give it about 1-2 inches of water.
Then I cut out a piece of a zip lock bag and put it around to top off the pot, and put a rubber band around it. Then I make a few holes, and everything works out. Although it might seem primitive, I've had 100% success rate with this method. Remember, if you don't keep your moss humid, it will easily dry out.
3) TEMPERATURE:
Sphagnum does not like high temperatures. It will stand up to about a maximum of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and then it will also start to burn. Although it can also stand pretty low temperatures, the ideal temperature is about 75 degrees, not too cold and not too hot. This will be the best way to grow your sphagnum into healthy plants.
EXTRAS:
I've also seen that people have been asking, can I bring sphagnum "back to life". Although it is hard the answer is YES. I myself once ordered a pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), a flytrap typical, and a sundew (do not know what type). The box inside came full of dried sphagnum to pot the plants. I poured distilled water and I noticed some of the strands had red-ish looking tops, and as you may know, red sphagnum is rare.
I potted the plants and left the reddest looking strands in a cup with distilled water over night. In the morning, I noticed that the strands seem more alive, only the tops were red, and the rest was still brown. Over the next few days, the strands started growing on the top, and it started becoming green on the bottom. It lives. This shows that if you try you can, but it doesn't always work out
SUGGESTIONS:
Please leave a comment if you would like to ask something, or include some information that has been left out. I will edit this post over time, to make it better. I am looking forward to this becoming a sticky, that everyone can learn. Hope it helped
Last edited by Leathal_Traps on Sun May 12, 2013 1:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.