FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

CPhunter101 wrote:

Frothy_Milk wrote:Got the sphagnum in and it’s 100% worth it! Give it more light and I should see the red pop more overtime

I'd hate to say it, but I told you so!

This was definitely worth it for the price but I don’t think I would buy from the Etsy seller for the red sphagnum.


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Mine arrived today. The quantity for a gallon was crazy huge and a great value. Although if I had a few things to comment on, there was a lot of debris and even a few pests in my shipment. Not complaining because I think the drosera I fed the ants to appreciated them, but it could be worth even more money if the seller on eBay listed above would have cleaned it out a bit more.
But I’m happy. Easily overfills a 1020 tray

Forgot to include the photo

Just as I feared, it looks like it has been collected from the wild.

Supercazzola wrote:Mine arrived today. The quantity for a gallon was crazy huge and a great value. Although if I had a few things to comment on, there was a lot of debris and even a few pests in my shipment. Not complaining because I think the drosera I fed the ants to appreciated them, but it could be worth even more money if the seller on eBay listed above would have cleaned it out a bit more.
But I’m happy. Easily overfills a 1020 tray

That was my only complaint was that the seller kinda just grabbed from the wild and didn’t take out the ferns and stuff all tangled up.


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Carnies wrote:Just as I feared, it looks like it has been collected from the wild.

Most sphagnum on eBay people take from the wild


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Wait a sec... @Supercazzola & @Frothy_milk -- isn't this just green sphagnum?? The green sphag I have right now turns purple if I hit it with enough light, but that doesn't make it a purple species.

elaineo wrote:Wait a sec... @Supercazzola & @Frothy_milk -- isn't this just green sphagnum??

After being mailed in the dark for about a week, red sphagnum loses its color. This can be fixed by giving the moss light.

elaineo wrote:The green sphag I have right now turns purple if I hit it with enough light, but that doesn't make it a purple species.

Maybe you got purple sphagnum but thought it was green sphagnum.

Panman wrote:My quart comes tomorrow. I bought some last winter and soaked and drained it several times to reduce any unwanted debris.

Shoot, I didn't know this sphagnum came along with so much debris!!! Thanks for the tip Panman.
I just received my sphagnum today and its a mess.
There are so many unwanted plants! Although, I do have to say that 1 gallon is a lot of sphagnum.
Sorry about the picture quality but there's moss on the right and trash on the left.

CPhunter101 wrote:

elaineo wrote:Wait a sec... @Supercazzola & @Frothy_milk -- isn't this just green sphagnum??

After being mailed in the dark for about a week, red sphagnum loses its color. This can be fixed by giving the moss light.

elaineo wrote:The green sphag I have right now turns purple if I hit it with enough light, but that doesn't make it a purple species.

Maybe you got purple sphagnum but thought it was green sphagnum.

No, there's more to a species than color. Red sphagnum species have different size, shape, and growth density. I'm not a sphag expert, but as far as I can tell, this is a green sphagnum species. Maybe someone who knows better can weigh in?

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum">Here:</a>
Sphagnum sect. Acutifolia plants generally form hummocks above the water line, usually colored orange or red. Examples: Sphagnum fuscum and Sphagnum warnstorfii.
Sphagnum sect. Cuspidata plants are usually found in hollows, lawns, or are aquatic, and are green. Examples: Sphagnum cuspidatum and Sphagnum flexuosum.
Sphagnum sect. Sphagnum plants have the largest gametophytes among the sections, forming large hummocks, their leaves form cuculate (hood-shaped) apices, and are green, except for Sphagnum magellanicum Example: Sphagnum austinii.
Sphagnum sect. Subsecunda plants vary in color from green to yellow and orange (but never red), and are found in hollows, lawns, or are aquatic. Species always with unisexual gametophytes. Examples: Sphagnum lescurii and Sphagnum pylaesii.

elaineo wrote:Wait a sec... @Supercazzola & @Frothy_milk -- isn't this just green sphagnum?? The green sphag I have right now turns purple if I hit it with enough light, but that doesn't make it a purple species.

The sphagnum for the most part was green, but there were a good amount of super red pieces in there. They have been turning more red overtime with light


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elaineo wrote:Red sphagnum species have different size, shape, and growth density. I'm not a sphag expert, but as far as I can tell, this is a green sphagnum species.

You might have one of those versatile plants that change color based on lighting. Like a red/green D. capensis or a red/green flytrap.
When it comes to unlucky growers like me, we don't get to see any color change due to lighting.
More light for my green sphagnum moss = white. White = death. That's why we bother to spend extra on the 100% guaranteed red kind.

CPhunter101 wrote: More light for my green sphagnum moss = white. White = death. That's why we bother to spend extra on the 100% guaranteed red kind.

Here is a picture of what I have. The top cup is a seedling growing on a sunny windowsill. The bottom cup is a seedling growing 2 inches away from an LED lamp. They were potted in the same batch of live moss. My moss only turns white if humidity is very low. Did I somehow end up with a purple species without knowing it?

#Elaineo, there are so many different kinds of sphagnum moss. You need to find a sphagnum moss that responds well to your climate and growing conditions. The sphagnum I have grows much quicker on lfsm than peat and sand. It also grows quicker in less xeric conditions. I grew a number of sphagnum mosses before I found one that worked for me. I am not sure if it was phytotoxicity or just the Neem oil but after spraying with neem oil my sphagnum turned white.