Live sphagnum moss
- 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 also have anti-fungal properties and is often used in waterfall systems and biological filtration systems
- Sphagnum moss species have different characteristics and generally sports an array of exciting colours varying from yellow, various shades of green and red, brown and even purple
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-size perlite, leca clay or course washed gravel to the bottom for drainage
- We sell a range of live sphagnum moss species in sample sizes; the perfect way to start your own culture
- 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
- When buying from us you will receive a watertight container (see sample size) with 10 live moss growth points or heads (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 quicker which will blacken the tips of the moss. Flushing the soil more often will lower the occurance
- Using distilled- or reverse osmosis water, top mist your new culture every couple of days - extreme clean water is key
- Sphagnum moss is super slow growing. Be patient. Under optimal conditions, the moss will grow into longer strands over time. To multiply, snip the heads of 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 moss in a cool, humid environment, mist regularly and do not keep it in standing water for extended periods of time
** Live sphagnum moss is sold exclusively via our online store **
![Reference Guides | Sowing carnivorous plant seed | Grow your own starter pack from Cultivo Carnivores South Africa](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1058/0876/files/More_instructions_compact.png?10313066629927014496)