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Discuss water requirements, "soil" (growing media) and suitable planting containers

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By Apollyon
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Posts:  1663
Joined:  Tue May 05, 2020 2:49 am
#385993
Evenwind had a link to some real nice/cheaper stuff he got on ebay I think IIRC. Much cheaper than besgrow. Honestly, I'm hoping to only get a couple more bales while growing my live stuff and then switching over because it's insane how much it costs.
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By MaxVft
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Joined:  Sat May 08, 2021 4:17 am
#386001
I just buy those 5 dollar 190 cubic foot bales of "BetterGro Orchid moss" from Lowe's, which have been pretty darn close in quality in comparision to NZ sphagnum(which I think it might be).
Last edited by MaxVft on Tue Aug 03, 2021 12:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By Panman
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Joined:  Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:41 pm
#386003
FYI, BetterGro is experiencing problems with supplies. Many Lowes stores are out and you might be able to get it online.
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By MaxVft
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Joined:  Sat May 08, 2021 4:17 am
#386004
Panman wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 12:47 am FYI, BetterGro is experiencing problems with supplies. Many Lowes stores are out and you might be able to get it online.
Ah. I'm lucky then. My Lowe's stores are packed to the gills with BetterGro. IG I better buy some more before they run out. THX for the notice.
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By nimbulan
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Posts:  2394
Joined:  Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:03 pm
#386022
It's my understanding that New Zealand's ports have basically been closed since the pandemic started, so most stores sold out of it in the US months ago and what's left is going for double the price it used to. Get Better Grow if you can find it, or NZ moss is still available from a few suppliers.
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By ChefDean
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Posts:  9207
Joined:  Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:44 am
#386025
Some members have talked about Chilean sphagnum, 3A, 4A, 5A, I can't remember the grade exactly, but the quality is close to NZ. It obviously drops some as you downgrade, and there's more sticks and such, but it's inexpensive for now.
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By NightRaider
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Posts:  418
Joined:  Mon Jun 07, 2021 4:01 am
#386028
Can definitely confirm what's been said about the BetterGrow shortage; that's what I used to buy until I eventually bought Lowe's out of it a couple months back and haven't seen it stocked again since. So far, the only place I've been able to find Besgrow in stock and without a price hovering around the stratosphere is etsy (if it's still there, it's been a few weeks since I got a pack). I will say though the quality is definitely noticeably better at least in my 3-4 bale sample size, as BetterGrow has noticably more debris and the last pack I got was full of tips which are usually full of grass seed that inevitably sprouts and looks terrible.
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By evenwind
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Joined:  Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:16 pm
#386038
There's a more detailed thread out there somewhere but this is what happened, in brief: When the price of Besgrow started to climb, I looked around for non-NZS alternatives. SuperMoss looked good but after several conversations with their customer service rep, he finally admitted that the bosses wouldn't tell him what was in it. Sure, there could be many reasons why the content was secret, but for me it was a red flag - if it was the Good Stuff, why not brag about it? So, I kept looking and eventually found Chilean/Peruvian sphagnum moss on Ebay. I talked to the importer about my needs and he told me I would be better off with the higher quality stuff (3A). I tried it and I'm not going back. It has many fewer leaves and twigs than my last couple of batches of NZS and a better price.
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By DragonsEye
Posts:  1319
Joined:  Sat Oct 01, 2016 1:22 pm
#386080
MaxVft wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 12:42 am I just buy those 5 dollar 190 cubic foot bales of "BetterGro Orchid moss" from Lowe's, which have been pretty darn close in quality in comparision to NZ sphagnum(which I think it might be).
You're lucky then. None of the stores around me have carried that in over a year. (Think it's more than 2yrs now.) Heck, haven't even seen the Mosser sphag bags and those are utter garbage.
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By Panman
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Joined:  Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:41 pm
#386082
I just ordered 7 bags of Better Gro. Some people board toilet paper, I hoard moss.
elaineo, MaxVft, madrone and 1 others liked this
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