FlyTrapCare Forums

Hey there! I know star moss (AKA carpet moss) can coexist with my plants just fine, but I just hate it personally. And it finds its way everywhere OK maybe not everywhere... some of my plants have it while others don't.

How can star moss be avoided or terminated?

Are there any brands of LFS or peat moss that are more likely to be free of star moss spores? Is there any way to exterminate star moss once it finds its way into a pot?

Thanks!

mcgrumpers wrote:How can star moss be avoided or terminated?

Star moss can be avoided by topping your peat pots with sand.
This isn't the most reliable way to stop carpet moss, but it works pretty well.

Letting the top layer dry a bit periodically helps to a degree as well.

I've been working my through a bale of spagmoss I got for super cheap at a local auction, so far I have yet to see any star moss come from that stuff and it is some of the best stuff i've used. But no way I would I pay full price for it, ive got plants to buy, I dont want to blow the whole budget on moss.

As to eradicating star moss as @CPhunter101 said sand works to stop it form starting in a pot. But if you already have a carpet of it you basically have to remove the top half inch layer of media off the pot to stop that stuff, then add the sand. And keeps the tweezers handy for awhile after that, you will need them.

Rammplins wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 1:47 pm I've been working my through a bale of spagmoss I got for super cheap at a local auction, so far I have yet to see any star moss come from that stuff

Spagmoss is harvested on the south island of New Zealand (closer to Antarctica, a cool and wet climate). You won't see any star moss in that stuff.

Rammplins wrote: it is some of the best stuff i've used. But no way I would I pay full price for it, ive got plants to buy, I dont want to blow the whole budget on moss.

I like Spagmoss, but it is pricey. I've switched to Peruvian and Chilean sphagnum. It's good stuff and more reasonably priced.

I've tried to top dress with sand but those things keep finding their way poking out through the sand. But from your replies I gather I need to add a slightly thicker layer of sand and that I need to pull out survivors until they stop coming out. Thanks for your input!

I top dress with live sphagnum moss and don't have any problems with star moss in those pots. In other pots without live sphagnum, starmoss is rampant.
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MikeB wrote:I've switched to Peruvian and Chilean sphagnum. It's good stuff and more reasonably priced.

@MikeB, where do you get your Peruvian and Chilean sphagnum from? I'm still looking for a good source.

I do have to wrangle the live sphagnum moss every so often to prevent it overgrowing my plants though ... but that's also a great source of potting material.

davinstewart wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2021 12:46 pm @MikeB, where do you get your Peruvian and Chilean sphagnum from? I'm still looking for a good source.

Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. Just search for "peruvian sphagnum moss" or "chilean sphagnum moss", and be sure to cross-check the prices: some are reasonable, and others are ridiculous.

I have two methods for controlling star moss:
Silica sand top dressing
Sphagnum moss top dressing

Star moss isn’t really a huge concern for me except for small plants, which the dense star moss colonies can overtake. Even sphagnum moss seems to be better for small plants than star moss, because while sphagnum is larger and faster growing, it grows in much less dense colonies and I’ve seen many small CPs happily growing under it.

I use a silica sand top dressing for plants like small Cephalotus and tuberous Drosera (star moss can make it difficult for some tuber stolons to pop up above the soil surface), while I keep other more humidity-loving ones such as small Heliamphora with live sphagnum.

Good choice with the LFS. I try to use LFS for top dressing in the areas where it's possible. It sputters hard in relative humidity but it does keep star moss spread out. Sometimes a little survives but it's easily removed.

Just ordered some 3A peruvian sphagnum myself that I'm gonna try out. If the grade is ok then it's about 50% cheaper than besgrow 80L

Any tips for top dressing with live sphagnum? I've tried placing it on top of the growing medium but it tends to dry out for plants that get watered from below since the sphagnum tends to be disconnected from the rest of the growing medium. I also tried poking some of the sphagnum fibers into the medium with a little stick and that helps, but it just takes forever haha.

I've had trouble with it too. When it's taken out of high humidity you can see the change. I saw online once where a guy uses a stick to open 4 holes on the corners of the pot and then plugs it with live to allow it to wick to the heads up top. I've never tried it personally. Stuff I grow with the moss I keep in total humidity

mcgrumpers wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 8:05 pm Any tips for top dressing with live sphagnum? I've tried placing it on top of the growing medium but it tends to dry out for plants that get watered from below since the sphagnum tends to be disconnected from the rest of the growing medium. I also tried poking some of the sphagnum fibers into the medium with a little stick and that helps, but it just takes forever haha.

I just take a clump of living moss, lay it on the media, and push it in gently so it has good contact. Then just keep the pot watered enough that the moss remains moist.

This is for large pots (> ~12" diameter) sitting in ~6 hours direct sun outside on my front lawn. The moss grows rampantly in spring and fall. Growth slows/stops in the winter and heat of the summer.

I got the moss originally from Wisconsin. Sadly not the good stuff from New Zealand, Chile, or Peru.

Hope that helps!

Hey there! I know star moss (AKA carpet moss) can coexist with my plants just fine, but I just hate it personally. And it finds its way everywhere OK maybe not everywhere... some of my plants have it while others don't.

How can star moss be avoided or terminated?

Could you send them to me? I love star moss!!