Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 10:26:00 -0500 From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@cdc.gov> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg517$foo@default> Subject: RE: Cultivating Sphagnum? (I Just CANT do it!)
....dilemma I'm having with the cultivation of sphagnum moss... It seems
everything I've done or doing is not at all working...
Hi Richard,
I'm not sure what's going wrong so I'll tell you what I do and you can
decide if you need to alter something.
I put a layer of charcoal on the bottom of the aquarium, maybe 1/2 inch
or so. To this I add a thick layer (2 to 5 inches) of the following
mix: dead, long fibered sphagnum, perlite, charcoal. I'm not
scientific about the amounts of each. Just like the idea of perlite
making it airier and charcoal keeping it sweeter. On top of this layer,
I add live sphagnum. To this I add rainwater so that I see an inch or
so of water on the bottom.
I started out using a relatively large fan that I would turn on for an
hour several times a week. That become cumbersome so I've recently
added an air bubbler, the kind used in aquariums for fish and a small
computer fan that runs constantly. I've placed the air bubbler beneath
the water line. If you decide to add a computer fan, be sure to talk
to an electrician or someone knowledgeable. I had to buy an (what I
think is called) amp converter and hook that up to the fan before I
could plug it into a 120 V socket. I'm not at all literate in this
stuff so someone please correct this or fill in the blanks. Again,
though, the sphagnum grew well before I added the bubbler and the
computer fan. It just made me feel better that the atmosphere was not
getting stale. I have 1 40W shop light above the aquarium and sealed
the top with Saran wrap. Someday I'll add a glass top.
Sphagnum likes light so the more light you give it (use fluorescent
lights at the minimum) and the closer the sphagnum is to the light the
better.
I also grow sphagnum outside in those 2 inch plastic saucers that you
put under plants. It does grows well. It does best in an outdoor bog
sitting on top of a sand/sphagnum mix.
David
P.S. Like the Olympic commercial that's airing now: you've got wings
for growing sphagnum, you just haven't found them yet.
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