Green spaghnum moss??!!

[Call_Me_Bob]

Hi guys! i have some spaghnum moss, that i bought. ithas been fine up until now. i used it on one mount a month-and-a-half ago. now parts of it are turning green. what does that mean !!??!!

[cnarciso]

If the green scrapes off with a fingernail then it is probably just algae. Not a huge problem and can be left alone or controlled with Physan. If the moss itself is turning green, then it might be that some part of it was still alive when you mounted and is growing. I have heard of several people with "live spaghnum moss." Probably just algae though since you have to keep it damp. It's happened to me in the past too.

[Call_Me_Bob]

no, its not algae, and it cant scrape off. i think its actually the moss!

[cnarciso]

Originally Posted by help

no, its not algae, and it cant scrape off. i think its actually the moss!

Congrats! That's really exciting.

[Call_Me_Bob]

is it? what are the benefits of it? do i have to do anything different?

[cnarciso]

Well, it is certaintly not going to hurt your plant. I have read about (but have no actual experiance with) it. it is supposed to be superior to dried moss because it will grow in conjunction with the orchid and, because it is a live, dynamic medium as opposed to a dead static medium like bark or dead moss, it will resist breaking down and also help prevent mold from growing in the damp root zone of your plants. I would think you could treat it the same except don't let it completely dry out.

Here is a link I found to a thread on live moss on a carnivorous plant forum. See if that helps. it's definately of benefit though, much better than dry moss.

Live sphagnum moss - Terra Forums Carnivorous Plant Discussions

I have used moss before but never had any sprout on me. Cheers!

[WhiteRabbit]

It's probably algae - live sphag looks very much alive. Algae doesn't necessarily "scrape" off.
If I get a chance I'll take a pic of live moss - tho not sure what state mine is in - I moved it a bit ago to a different window and it burned lol

Remember - water + light + nitrogen (fertilizer) = algae

[Call_Me_Bob]

okay, if you get a pic, ill let you know if it looks the same

[RosieC]

Mine always has algae on the top of the moss or all over on mounts. Never seems to do any harm.

[nenella]

I have moss growing on my bark mounts.It doesn't seem to do any harm.. in fact I believe it keeps the roots damper for longer.