FlyTrapCare Forums

Hi I am new to growing carnivorous plants. And I was just wondering what do the diffrent sphagum moss do and why would I need it. Do i use it instead of soil or do you use a mix? Thanks

Hello,
Sphagnum moss is used to retain water, and thus help with humidity. Yes you use the moss mix as soil, instead of dirt. The most commonly used mix is a 1:1 ration of phagnum moss to perlite/quartz. The small perlite rocks, help with drainage. I highly suggest going to FLYTRAPCARE.COM.com on the top and reading the sections there, especially the section on soil. It has great pictures as well. Best of luck!

"Sphagnum moss" could be referring to Sphagnum peat moss (which is used as a bulk soil component as mentioned above), long fiber SM, or living SM.

Peat moss is the brown/black soil mixture you can buy in large quantities. It's pretty versatile and can be used for a lot of CPs, although it is generally recommended to mix with perlite or silica sand to aid in drainage and aeration.

I use LFSM mixed with perlite for Nepenthes. It's mostly shredded, dead moss with some other organic components, but not as decomposed as peat moss. I also use it at the bottom of my pots to prevent peat or sand from leaking out. I sprinkle it as a top dressing in some pots as well mostly for aesthetics.

Live moss can also be used as a growing medium. But it can temperate or tropical meaning growing conditions needed are a bit different depending on where yours is from. It's generally used for tropical species like Nepenthes or Heliamphora that appreciate humidity, as mentioned. However, it's also used for other CPs since it's good with water retention and can have health benefits (e.g. lower instances of fungus).

Thank you you both prity much cleared it up thank you. when I do repot my plants I will look up what's best way to do it. For that plant. I will read up on it more as well. I probably will not have to repot untill 2 years time maybe. Thanks you for advice and info.