Orchids are super beautiful flowers and there are so many people who want to care for them because of their exotic look and all the colours they come in.
Growing and caring for orchids is a bit different than taking care of other plants and probably the most obvious difference is what you are growing them in.
Orchids market, you’re going to need sphagnum moss. There are different types of sphagnum moss, but it’s generally accepted by orchid growers that New Zealand sphagnum moss is the way to go.
But how do you actually use it properly?
The secret to using New Zealand sphagnum moss for orchids is to not have the pot packed too tightly, but tight enough to hold the orchid, and also how you are going to use the sphagnum moss- will it be incorporated into the substrate or just have a layer placed on top?
In this advisory, you will find different methods of using New Zealand sphagnum moss to grow orchids, and why New Zealand sphagnum moss is the best.
What Is New Zealand Sphagnum Moss And Why Is It So Good?
Let’s begin by familiarizing ourselves with sphagnum moss in general; A small plant like this can come in many colors such as green, pink and red.
Sphagnum moss is typically found growing on dead trees and contrary to typical thoughts concerning moss, these trees are not at risk for death due to its presence, the trees are already dead.
Moss does not kill trees, furthermore the moss is not parasitical, when a tree dies, and the nutrients in the bark succumb, the sphagnum moss takes over.
What is curious about sphagnum moss is that it can be perfectly healthy and doing well, when there is little soil and nutrients. This is also why people use it in terrariums where there is little nutrients and it can also be used effectively for orchids.
New Zealand sphagnum moss is purported to be the best quality, and it is sought after by many across the world, especially in the orchid world.
There are many characteristics this sphagnum moss has that the others do not which makes it ideal in the following ways:
- longer strands
- more strength
- high resistance to rot
- unmatched water holding capacity
When these attributes are combined it is clearly demonstrated that New Zealand sphagnum moss is the best quality for growing great strong roots.
The reason it works so well is, much like many other mosses, sphagnum moss maintains the sometimes tricky balance of too much/not enough water in the growing environment.
Sphagnum moss absorbs moisture and houses it around the roots of plants.
It also holds onto anything popping dangerously close to the soil, such as excess salts, acids, and other material that could harm the surrounding plants.
Avoiding Bad Sphagnum Moss
So, when you buy New Zealand sphagnum moss, you’ll see a rating scale and you wanna keep an eye out for AAA which is best.
A lot of people may argue that Chilean sphagnum moss is also a pretty good product, but I would still recommend NZ moss for the best quality.
You might be encouraged to purchase products that are sold as ‘orchid moss’, but you want to be super careful with these because a lot of them are of a very low quality.
Also, their pieces are usually shorter and they won’t be as fluffy once in the container, you should steer clear of that.
That said, you may sometimes look at buying moss and see some products that are very dry and are light brown color too.
This is ok, as it is completely normal and it will likely get its green color back once in the pot and even if it doesn’t get its green back, it won’t impact the quality.
Different Ways of Using New Zealand Sphagnum Moss
Like we said, it’s essential to ensure you are using your New Zealand sphagnum moss correctly so you can get the best out of it.
What often confuses people is that there are a few different ways that you might use it.
Below you will find our best tips for using New Zealand sphagnum moss for orchids in different situations.
Adding Moss to the Substrate
There are a bunch of different substrate materials out there for orchids, but cut bark is generally the best.
However, one of the main issues with bark is that it doesn’t hold water very well.
But with the addition of sphagnum moss, which has excellent water holding capabilities, this will help a lot.
Be Mindful: When you are deciding how much moss to add to your bark, you will have to consider the species of orchid and how much water it requires as a plant and also its physiological stage of life.
Using Sphagnum Moss on The Surface
You’ll notice that a lot of orchids have a hard time thriving when soil is damp, even though they love humidity!
To give your orchids a good little environment, you can take the opportunity to add a damp moss layer to the top of the substrate only.
Moss will keep the conditions humid without coming into contact with the roots, bulbs and above ground structures that are below the surface.
Growing Seedlings
In the orchid growing industry, especially on Asian farms. It’s not unusual, for growers to plant the orchids seedlings directly in fresh clean moss.
If you want to grow from seedling you will need plenty of clean New Zealand sphagnum moss.
You can also use this same method while working with cuttings and we would suggest putting the clean moss with the cuttings into a greenhouse.
Bringing Orchids Back to Life
Let’s say you’ve noticed that the orchid’s health isn’t what it used to be. Not to worry!
You can sometimes re-plant the plant onto clean moss in a greenhouse.
For example, you can use 100% moss for this, or many people have success with equal parts sphagnum moss and bark.
Conclusion
Sphagnum moss is a neat natural material that can be included in the substrate used for growing orchids due to its moisture holding ability as well as the ability to hold the nutrients in the mix.
However, it is important to make sure you are using it correctly if you want to get the most benefit from it.
You can either add it in to the substrate as a mix, or just place it on top of the substrate to improve humidity.