Sphagnum Moss - Miracle Moss

Bone-sigh

Will,

I don't know if this will help because my experience wasn't with a collected tree. I DID however plant a newly airlayered brazilian rain tree into pure sphagnum moss and it thrived. After about six months of it being in moss alone (And with TONS of new roots as a result) I reduced the amount of moss to about a 1/4 and made the rest bonsai soil (my own mix). And the tree stayed that way for about 3 years. I repotted it this year into pure soil and it hasn't done as well as in years past, still good but not as great as with the moss mixed in the soil. I think the moss helped to regulate the moisture in my soil mix. Rain trees tend to be very thirsty in the Florida summer sun.

Hope this helps,
Ryan

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John Dixon

[QUOTE=John Dixon]I did a little research on this and found out a few things:

First, the germs/virus that causes the infection can only be found in the top level of sphagnum moss (this is the living sphagnum).

I just remembered that infections are caused by germs, not viruses. That's why antibiotics are not prescribed for a virus, per se. Disregard "virus" from my earlier post.

John

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John Dixon

Si vis pacem parabellum

Stay off the trails of others, that's where the booby-traps are.

rockm

Sphagnum moss has already claimed the life on at least one bonsaiist. Brian Batchelder, the bonsai guy from Florida who had a syndicated show on PBS back in the early 1990s died from a lung infection he got working with sphagnum moss. He used the stuff exclusively for bonsai soil in Fla. Worked well for tropicals in that climate, but the dust, when inhaled or caught in a cut in the skin can cause real problems...

Will_Heath

So....I probably shouldn't stuff my mattress with it?




Will

Daytonabonsai

This is very sad to hear . I just recieved Brian's PBS videos via a donation from a local member of our club . I was going to look this guy up to see if he still practiced in our area and to see if the trees lasted more than four or five years . Its really sad as in the videos , he is not at all an elderly fellow , but on of mid to late 30's . Its ironic that in the videos , he warns of inhaling the spagnum as it can cause infections .
As for using Long Fibered spagnum as alone media, he had trees that were planted for 5 years and appeared very healthy. He even showed how to repot after roots filled pot . THe excess water drains away while the moss absorbs the remaining around the roots as they need it . He also packed the moss VERY tight , so you could pick up tree out of pot with moss like a solid ball . then he would put reg green moss on top to give it a nutural look . Very interesting , I think it would work a whole lot better in tropical regions than in anything where frost hits though . We do use LFS in our carnivorous plants and orchid exclusivly for certain types and it works great for years . Still , be VERY careful handling .

joakimlinden

What if you boil the stuff, or soak it in very hot water?

Also... I live in sweden, is the infectious "agent" local to the US or is it present world wide? I should ask google...

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Best regards, Joakim

rockm

Uh, no it's not an American thing. The "infectious agent" is the moss itself. It's dust contains a fungus that when inhaled or caught in a wound can spread internally. The infection is called sporotichosis. The naturally occurring fungus is also present in baled hay, which can also produce similar infection.

Here's a link to CDC's warnings:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/dise...es%20the%20skin

Will_Heath

Careful with those conifer (pine) seedlings!

I was reading in two different issues of Bonsai Today last night articles where that either planted freshly collected material into 100% live Sphagnum Moss or a mix containing such. I forgot the issue numbers but will update this when I go home.

Since I am collecting live Sphagnum Moss I will be sure to wear gloves. It is nice to see that others have had success with this.

Will Heath

rockm

Will, success with this is relative. Batchelder lived in Miami and didn't have to overwinter trees. Sphagnum moss stays much to wet to use in more than a season or two of winter conditions.

Peter chan uses the technique, however, to 'revive" failing maples and other deciduous species. He uses it straight long fibered sphagnum moss as the soil material on Japanese maples that have become weak through neglect. He plants the failing tree in a well drained container with the moss in the Spring and removes it from the mixture the following spring. It's not a long-term solution. Long fibered moss (not the fresh kind, by the way,) has an ingredient that can stimulate root growth.