Super Sphag n-Bag results

[bodaciousbonsai]

Just give the dried sphagnum some clean water. high humidity, they have planty of spores to restart to live moss. also give good light

[Ray]

As to the algae, light is more the issue than is temperature. Try using opaque pots.

I have some really good NZ sphag. I think I'll try to get some to germinate if i can figure out how to water it without fertilizer....

[bodaciousbonsai]

Originally Posted by jay

One week ago I took two rootless plants and began an experiment with them in live sphagnum that I received from a friend.

I have a Neofinetia falcata 'Shutennou' and a piece of Paph. Dollgoldi that broke off of the main plant. Both of them had no roots. The Neo has been in decline over the last year.

I put them on top of live growing sphagnum moss because I heard it is a miracle worker. I know this is not a controlled experiment, but I am getting results from two different species in only a week. I think I will let the photos do the rest of the talking.

Hello this is some new zealand sphagnum moss that was once dead . now that i gave it high humditiy light and pure water it turn into live spahgnum moss. As you can see this is gret for orchids. They love it very very much. I use these antique terrariums for hospital's too.the trick to keeping orchids in this enviroment is to only add enough water that the sphagnum will hold. if you add to much you get rot and fungus. I add water maybe every three to four months

[bodaciousbonsai]

Originally Posted by Ray

As to the algae, light is more the issue than is temperature. Try using opaque pots.

I have some really good NZ sphag. I think I'll try to get some to germinate if i can figure out how to water it without fertilizer....

Ray if you add fertilizer to the moss it usually dies. what I do is add a very diluted fert and just try to spray the plants not the moss.

[Tropic]

I actually use a large turkey injection syringe to get into the potting medium of sphagnum moss, below its growing area and where the orchid roots are more abundant, actively growing and can best deal with the diluted fertilizer. This is a guarantee that the fertilizer would not get onto the live sphagnum moss and eventually kill it. It is also fun to do and the orchids really react to this treatment with the happy living sphagnum moss covering its growing area in a pot.

[breeindy]

I just water the top of the pot/soil with a watering can with rainwater in it and then dunk the pot into a bucket of diluted fertilizer without putting the sphag under.

[betoguerrero]

VERY VERY INTERESTING.... what are the conditions of moisture, air, light and temperature that you have????

[Tropic]

Originally Posted by breeindy

I just water the top of the pot/soil with a watering can with rainwater in it and then dunk the pot into a bucket of diluted fertilizer without putting the sphag under.

Breeindy, that is in fact the best way I have found for handling the orchid fertilizer program when growing in live sphagnum moss. My only problem with that is the work involved and potential disorder when dealing with large numbers of plants on various benches and in different sizes. Then there is also the possibility of disease transfer when using the same pot dipping container with the diluted fertilizer for many different plants.

[bodaciousbonsai]

Originally Posted by Tropic

Calvin, the apparent success of my growing orchids with live Sphagnum moss is most probably due to the fact that my greenhouse is on a mountain ridge at an altitude of 4500 ft. with a cool climate and having the evenings humid with mist drifting freely through the greenhouse and so giving an ideal climate for the moss and cool growing orchids. However, I do grow my choice sphagnum moss in plastic pop bottles that have been sterilized and the sphagnum moss placed within, given a spray of rain water and bottle top tightened. I leave the bottle in a cool area where it can also get a lot of sun and leave it closed until I am ready to harvest some fresh live Sphagnum moss. Photos show a 2L plastic coke bottle with growing sphag. moss placed within about two weeks ago.

thats a sweet way to grow it thanks

[geogeo21]

i don't have access to live spag so i went to my backyard and picked up moss from my backyard and did the same experiment and i had success with moss from my backyard http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ph-pt-2-a.html