FlyTrapCare Forums

Bhart90 wrote:Cotton candy
Tootsie roll!

Do you have a PAR meter? I am curious to know the PAR near the surface of the moss.

Also, are you covering the tops of the containers to keep the humidity higher?

Yea. Always covered.


How much is a meter

Bhart90 wrote:Yea. Always covered.


How much is a meter

The Hydrofarm PAR meter is the least expensive meter at $128 on Amazon:
Hydrofarm LGBQM Quantum PAR Meter Micromol Sensor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055F59LA/re ... DAb9VGN9NC

There were two versions of it. The first version had quality issues, but the new version works great. It is useful for ensuring your setup has the right amount of light. Sphagnum can survive under a wide range of PAR values, but too low and it will grow less compact and bright green, too high will bleach it white. Just right will make the sphagnum compact and colorful.

What makes my sphagnum bleach white under the new growth.

Bhart90 wrote:What makes my sphagnum bleach white under the new growth.

Sphagnum can have up to two pigments: green and one other color, typically a shade of red or a shade of orange. Even sphagnum that looks red is green on the inside. The green pigment is for capturing light for photosynthesis. It looks green because photosynthesis uses blue and red light and throws away the other colors. When sphagnum gets more light than it can use in photosynthesis, some species have the ability to “tan” like a human... except sphagnum tans a shade of red or orange depending on the species. Some species of sphagnum are incapable of tanning.

The reason why some species if sphagnum turn white underneath the new green growth is because that part of the plant is not getting enough light and so photosynthesis is impossible and the cholorplasts that are green are dying. This is natural. With stronger light you can keep the deeper parts more green because more light will penetrate deeper down.

Species that tan a color can keep that color, even after the green chloroplasts die. In fact dead austinii and dead fuscum look very similar to live austinii and fuscum when grown under very intense light because it is dark brown when dead and alive. You can’t see any green.