Common misconceptions about sphagnum moss and green moss, explained clearly in one go

       Based on the questions from the past two days, more than half mentioned moss (sphagnum/green moss) issues. Some orchid growers say it can be used on the pot surface, while some orchid growers say it cannot be used on the pot surface (hereafter collectively referred to as sphagnum moss)?

      I am not an academic, and I do not know much about botany, so I will just share some of my own experience:

      First, we can see that some orchid growers in Guangdong and Fujian mix sphagnum moss into their potting medium, and their plants are grown very well, so we can conclude that sphagnum moss can be used.

      If it can be mixed into the potting medium, can it really not be used on the pot surface?

       In 1998, when I first got into orchids, some orchid growers also told me that sphagnum moss could not be spread on the pot surface, and that it was bad when the temperature was high. I listened, but the orchid plants that were going to rot still rotted, and the ones that were going to die still died; in 2002, I began trying to spread sphagnum moss on the pot surface, and felt it was feasible, with good results. Since then, whenever I plant new plants, I always spread sphagnum moss on the pot surface, and the results have been very good.

       Of course, everyone may ask, your plants died before, so just spreading sphagnum moss solved it? Of course it is not only because of this one reason. To grow orchid plants well, the factors are many-sided, but based on my judgment, the later improvement in my orchid plants is also inevitably related to this, because: most of us orchid growers grow plants out of love and for fun, and are not professional sellers or hobbyists, so it is impossible to specially purchase heating and humidifying equipment, and most orchid growers grow orchids on balconies. The hardest thing to control in balcony orchid growing is humidity (today I am only talking about sphagnum moss and humidity), and sphagnum moss exactly makes up for this shortcoming.

       I personally think there are three effects of spreading sphagnum moss:

       First, moisture retention. You might as well do an experiment: spray water on two pots at the same time, and the one with sphagnum moss spread on it can stay wet for several hours, while the one without sphagnum moss dries quickly;

       Second, it protects the pot-surface potting medium from sliding down. With long-term watering, especially slightly finer potting medium easily slides down, and after using green moss the effect is quite good (the effect is even better if the pot surface is supplemented with larger particles);

       Third, some insects find it hard to directly crawl into the potting medium and harm the orchid plants.

Conclusion: sphagnum moss absolutely can be used!

       As for the effects of sphagnum moss and green moss, based on my experience, sphagnum moss is better (green moss can also be used), and if conditions allow, it is better to use sphagnum moss.

       One point is very important: anything suspected of having been in contact with mosaic virus-infected orchids, that is, suspected of having been in contact with mosaic virus or other pathogens, must absolutely not be used, even if given for free!

       Green moss freshly collected by farmers at street stalls can be used with confidence.