is there a specific type of sphagnum moss i should use? i found an indoor one, and an outdoor one that holds 20 of its weight in water. oh, and i also found organic peat moss.
suggestions?
suggestions?
Tom said:This is a confusing mess. There is sphagnum peat moss, peat moss, sphagnum moss, Canadian peat, Canadian sphagnum moss, etc... These are all different products. I think what you are asking about is the long fibered stuff that looks like clumps of small ferns, right? Not the stuff that looks like dirt or soil.
Are you using it for substrate or to stuff your humid hide box. Or something else? I buy my long fibered stuff from OSH.
emysemys said:Don't use peat moss - too acidic.
I would guess that you'd want the indoor stuff.
GBtortoises said:Sphagnum and peat are slightly different products from the same plant. The difference between the two is that Sphagnum is the new, fresh green growth of the plant that is seen growing on top and peat is considered the decaying growth that is directly under the new growth. The new growth sphagnum will retain moisture, but also shed it quicker than peat. Peat when saturated holds the moisture much longer but also will turn to a crumbling, dry, dusty mass if not kept moistened.
In some of the spots where I pick the new sphagnum growth is generally 2-3" thick while the peat below it can be as thick as 6-8" before it actually turns into soil. Not all sphagnum grows in bogs either. Many of the areas that I pick are along shaded tree lines where fields meet forest. But the areas where it grows in a bog or very wet field, it's always much more dense, thicker and abundant.
All the different sphagnum and peat products that you're all talking about above, regardless of packaging, are all essentially the same stuff. Anybody that lives in the north, east or south in a non-urban area can likely find it growing around where they live pretty easily. It's a very common plant. It has great filtration properties, but is acidic and is great for gardening and plants!