Outsideben's Plant Pics
Jan 15, 2019 16:12:00 GMT -5
meizzwang, DirtyDivisions, and 6 more like this
Post by outsideben on Jan 15, 2019 16:12:00 GMT -5
Hey guys! So I started off here a while back just asking about growing moss. I had just finished reading The Savage Garden, which I had on my bookshelf for at least a year, and I don't even remember getting. But seeing all of the really cool carnivorous plants growing with live moss kind of struck a chord with me. I saw some post mention that if you could grow carnivorous plants in the ideal conditions, then you could probably grow Sphagnum. So why not start with the moss, and then get on to the plants? I remembered seeing some clumps of Sphagnum around the ponds and creeks on my grandparents' property and figured that would be a good place to start some little cultures.
Here's the clump I took a picture of back in 2013, and somehow managed to find in the depths of my pictures folders. It's in partial shade and seems like it dries up every once in a while.
But anyways, I took several samples from around the property, along the pond, in shadier woodsy areas, and in wet grassy areas. I didn't have any good trays, so most ended up in a big mortar mixing tub that I picked up for somewhere around 6 bucks I think. I wanted to keep the humidity up, so there is clear plastic wrap over most of the tub, with a 4 inch gap to allow some airflow and prevent mold. I also sprayed all of the mosses with some very dilute maxsea after they recovered from being transplanted.
Water is sourced from the dehumidifier that runs constantly in the basement that gets a bit moist. So far I've had no problems using this as a rainwater/RO water substitute.
So here's some of the cool mosses
I really like the compact tips of this one
This started off as mostly green, but it was growing in a lower light area. I think the reddish color may be a response to the brighter lights.
This nice red one has greenish growth points.
This one is a bit pinkier. It was growing in some intense shade, and had been nearly yellow when I took the little handful you see here. You can also see the little strips of bottle plastic I used to keep each little colony separate from one another.
And then we have this boy. I originally had a little succulent in there, but figured a nice back of moss would look better. His insides are mostly silica sand, with the handful of moss on top. I plan on putting a little Drosera capensis in him later.
Hopefully all of these pictures worked out alright! I'll be posting some of my baby sarrs next.