Sphagnum - Loose or Packed Tight?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Steve, your moss source?

I use besgrow: Spagmoss Sphagnum Moss - At the Root of Healthier Plants | Besgrow

---------- Post added at 06:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 AM ----------

Originally Posted by SouthPark

This professional catasetum grower has moist spaghnum, and packs it like he does in the video : Click Here

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

That's pretty much my method.

Me too, but with dry spag.

---------- Post added at 06:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:26 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Ray

I have heard some speculate that the highly-compressed moss simply cannot hold much water, so between plant absorption and evaporation, dries out quickly, but if that's the case, what must the growing conditions be to result in that fast drying. It sure doesn't happen out on my deck.

Here's a bit of pure speculation for you. I think tightly packed spag can't expand with water in the same way as loosely packed spag.

A thought experiment would be to take a single dish sponge and put it into a cup or aluminum can (stronger than a cup) and get it wet. Then put three sponges in the same sized vessel and wet them. I bet the inability for the three sponges to expand would mean they absorb less and dry more quickly. Yet there is still a ton of air space in the "mix."