Care of live sphagnum

Boehme, John (jandce@iglobal.net)
Wed, 05 Jun 1996 04:23:58 -0500

I am currently using 100% live sphagnum to grow my CPs. The plants are
doing excellent, but I have some concerns about the sphagnum. When I first
planted my CPs in the sphagnum, the sphagnum was slightly over the edge of
the pot.

Over the last couple of months the sphagnum appears to have "settled"
and now is about 1/2 to 3/4 of and inch below the rim of the pot. The top
of the sphagnum remains green in spots, and in other spots it remains a
slightly brownish-white color, but does not appear dead. Should I be
concerned with this settling and that some spots on the surface do not
grow green?

Another concern is of water depth. My pot is 5.5" deep, and sits in a
water tray about 1.5" deep. Is this depth of water sufficient for the
proper growth of live sphagnum?

I would like to eventually move to a larger pot. Can I rely on the
sphagnum I have to grow to fill a larger pot or am I going to have to buy
some more?

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.