Description

• Live sphagnum moss is now available in South Africa!
• On offer, is one sample portion live sphagnum moss to get you started on your own live sphagnum moss culture (Follow the guideline in the Growing Tips tab)
• 1 portion includes 10 live moss growth points (heads) - See sample size reference above
• Perfect in a terrarium and a fantastic top dressing for tropical pitcher plants, sun pitchers, cobra lilies, sundews, some orchids and other bog and wetland plants

Uses

• For aesthetic reasons live sphagnum moss is perfect as a colourful topdressing and are often used as growing medium for nepenthes, sun pitchers, cobra lilies, sundews, some orchids and other bog and wetland plants
• Sphagnum moss is generally very slow growing and easily distinguished from other mosses by its habit of growth, its soft thick fullness (each head resembling a full and elaborate bloom of edelweiss), and is available in various colours - mostly variations of green, brown or red
• Moss is not dependent on soil water and as is laden throughout with water retaining cells, thus absorbs moisture from the atmosphere (high humidity)
• Live sphagnum moss has lots of anti-fungal properties and once you have a steady culture growing, add portions as a topdressing on tropical pitcher plants, heliamphora, darlingtonia or tall growing sundews
• Sphagnum moss can be planted in your bog area around your fish pond, added to a waterfall area to filter out the water or add it to your biological filter and watch it grow
• Live sphagnum moss thrives in humid environments and would also be and excellent companion in a terrarium or vivarium with carnivorous plants or amphibians

Sample Size

Please note that this image is intended for size reference only and depending on species, the actual colour of the moss may differ 

Growing tips

• Tips on growing your own live sphagnum moss culture:

• Sphagnum thrives in a cool humid environment with lots of diffused, bright light 
• In our experience, red sphagnum moss in particular prefers warm, humid days with a nightly temperature drop of 10-15 degrees. New heads will start out dark red-green and the red colour will improve and intensify within a couple of months
• Give it high humidity. Live moss cultures work well on sunny windowsills in a covered plastic food container - add some ventilation holes to the lid or sides
• Use a container with drainage holes and add a layer of large-sized perlite, leca clay or course washed gravel to the bottom for drainage
• Moisten and sterilise the growing substrate. We prefer using shredded long fiber sphagnum moss mixed with perlite for drainage as the substrate, but sphagnum peat moss will work too
• You'll receive a watertight container (see sample size) with 10 live moss growth points / head (also known as coma) - bury the moss as a clump, slightly, with the top of the growth point still visible
• Flood cultures with distilled water, once a week.  Using sphagnum peat as a substrate may cause tannins to build up in the soil which will blacken the tips of the moss
• Using distilled- or reverse osmosis water, top mist the moss every couple of days - extreme clean water is key
• Be patient.  Under optimal conditions, the moss will grow into longer strands over time. To multiply, snip the heads off the longer strands and replant them in the same container in a different spot.  After a couple of months, these will be tall enough to trim and the process repeated 
• Most live sphagnum moss species prefer cooler temperatures and might start to brown if too hot and wet, or present with dried (white) growing tips (heads) if too dry
• For fluffy moss, grow your culture in a cool, humid environment, mist regularly and do not keep it in standing water for extended periods of time