9 Reasons Sphagnum Moss killed your Orchid! - Orchid Care for Beginners

I must admit that I hated sphagnum moss when I started since I only saw green algae on top of my new ones. Since finding your channel a number of months ago, I now use it quite happily! Thank you!!

Hi Danny I watched a video on how to water my orchards I used to use tap water after watching your videos I learned to use rain water or distilled water what a difference love you blessings 🙌

Hi Danny how do I know if my orchard has algae I live in Florida and I watch your videos I learn more everytime I watch your videos. Blessings 🙌

Hi Danny algae I'm keeping my eyes open I pray I don't get it on my orchards blessings 🙏 ✨️

Hi Danny I just found this video o live in Florida and I learned so much from you I used spagmoss and bark chips I learned how to repot my mini orchards I found that my moss is wet I watch them everyday my orchards are outside I don't have to water them them they stay wet. I'm keeping my eyes open for algy my pots are just like yours. My question is it ok that my orchards stay wet I don't seam to have to water them. Blessings 🙌

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I'm not sure if you've mentioned it in another video, but a quick search didn't get me an answer, but what are your thoughts on growing orchids in live sphagnum moss? And what are your thought on getting your own sphagnum moss colony locally in the wild and cultivating that for your orchids? I've been having a hard time finding dried sphagnum moss for a decent price in my area, and after searching in some local woods around watersources, I was able to find a small patch of healthy looking sphagnum moss, so I've taken a little bit home to grow it myself.
Also in one video you've gotten a little bit of live sphagnum moss from reviving it out of the dead moss you bought, did you cultivate that further? if so, how did that go and do you have any tips for growing sphagnum moss?

Thank you for this video.. I kind of like sphagnum moss.. the orchids I have that contain more are happier.

Is it normal to have little bugs in your spagnum moss? I saw them crawling around when I dropped it in bowl of water. Saw some crawling on my orchid leaves after that.

Thank you you are a great teacher! Wonderful tutorial. Now I know why I lost the one and only orchid that I ever bought. I have a new one now and a very nice ceramic pot with holes in it and it's crammed into one of those tiny little plastic pots with a couple slits in it. I'm going to go get new spacma moss and orchid bark and I'm going to layer like you did and we'll see what happens!

I bought my first phalenopsis (a keiki/or mini phal TBC with purple small flowers), it's come with a sort of dense artificial sponge medium-the roots look healthy but does anyone know what this sponge is, and how best to transfer it to a moss and bark set up without causing shock? It's in a tiny pot, but as the plant is still small I was considering reusing the pot (have already added airholes) and using a spag moss set up for a year, then potting up a size to a mix next year..appreciate any advice!

I think another reason why spagnum moss can kill an orchid is that not all sphagnum Moss is the same. The kind Danni uses which seems to be the purest is not like a top known brand that I purchased thinking that because it was spagnum it was the same. Unfortunately for me and my orchid, it was not. The moss that I bought was small stumpy course clumps. The strands of Danni's Moss is fine long and fluffy. As a beginner, I thought what's the difference ?Big difference. I'm thinking that the root of my orchids probably felt like they had on an itchy sweater all the time with that coarse Moss around it. I was very careful with my watering so I don't think it was that and I really wish I could insert a picture of the two mosses side by side so you can see the difference. It definitely raises eyebrows. That orchid unfortunately did not make it and I'm thinking it was a media problem and not a watering problem🤷🏽 I recently just bought a new orchid with a beautiful little sister that is already planted in NEW ZEALAND spagnum moss and will be repotted in the same. I'll keep you guys updated on the results. If it works for Danni I'm sure it'll work for me 😊

I just bought an orchid that was potted with spagnum moss and small stones instead of bark...can this work?

I found spagnum moss in the woods while looking forward mushrooms with my mom.
And I gotta say spagnum moss grows so uniquely and I was head over heels seeing a carpet full of them.
It's so pretty and I felt like I was in a fairy tale forest

What about a sphagnum/charcoal mix?

I live in Minnesota, winter is so dry inside and we keep the house on 68 for other flowers . What is ideal temperature for orchids in winter?

Very helpful ! Thank you !

hi Danny, I like to request your assumption to why the growers nurseries even renown ones PACKED their pots with sphagnum moss that it feels like brick.(maybe this is a thing only in USA, east coast...more specifically NY?) I have my own theories but I just want to hear it from you and make it official 😁 my guess is that it has become compressed because it has been in the pot for a while...and the grown roots pressed them down to that state...another assumption is maybe they want to water it as least times as possible but that one I feel conflicted as its seems the more compressed they are the less water retentive it becomes...dunno...
and one more thing that I always wonder, the most nurseries/growers seem to care less about algae...I find them gross and that is why I end up repotting them even if I want to leave it alone. so these are my ??? thank you !

Thank you for this video! I understand better now why one of my orchids has sphagnum moss that has turned green from algae. I think my problem is I have not put the pot inside a slightly larger pot, and also, I did not cover the top layer of the pot with bark. Maybe I used too much moss as well, I should go for a 50/50 mix as you suggest. I have a very hot, humid, sunny environment here in the summer. In the winter, temperatures drop quite a bit, but the room is still flooded with sunshine.

I live in a hot and dry climate and I have fifteen Phalaenopsis orchids(which were seedlings and rescue orchids not very healthy or mature ones) and +100 other houseplants and I'm also going through some health issues that make me lazier than usual so my poor orchids are usually suffering from dryness.right now they're in a mixture of bark, coco chips, leca and perlite and their medium dries out competely a day after soaking them in water!! I wished I could use sphagnum moss as their medium but unfortunately sphagnum moss is almost impossible to find in my country. once I managed to find a bit but it was sooo expensive. I can buy at least two huge orchids with the price I had to pay for just one handful of spaghnum moss so I just bought a very little amount. is there anything I can use as medium that is as moisture retentive and also airy as sphagnum moss? there is jungle moss widely available here and it's very cheap but it's green and not processed. I have boiled it and soaked it in hydrogen peroxide and fungicide but at last couldn't make myself use it for my orchids because I was afraid that might do more harm than good

Have you tried coconut coir? I'm growing orchids and African violets and the research I found suggested that "coco coir" is more environmentally beneficial (since peat bogs are natural carbon sinks and take awhile to grow) and works better than sphagnum moss! I'd love to see you try this on an orchid if you would. Thanks so much for all the info and your hard work!!

Is miracle gro sphagnum peat moss ok?

Hi, Thanks for video. I have a quick question: I bought a super packed one (like a brick, just like what you show in this video). When I only need just a small amount, do I just break a small portion off it, or I have to add water to the entire "brick" to make it expand？This leads to another question: does long fiber or short fiber matter? Thanks.

could you do a video on how often you water sphagnum moss ( if that is all you are using in your pot ) if you in cooler but humid climates . i live in Vancouver Canada, it is technically a rainforest . sooo its not too cold i the winter and not to hot in the summer , we dont really get 4 seasons here , just 2 really. @MissOrchidGirl

Most of my orchids are Phalaenopsis. Most all arrive in small, cheap plastic 3-inch containers packed full of Sphagnum moss. The moss was black and the moss was wet. I have just finished repotting all of my 20 Phalaenopsis orchids. The damage that Sphagnum moss did to these orchids and their roots was a real shame. I will never use an orchid mix that is 100% Sphagnum moss. It may be great in transporting these plants from Taiwan, but if left in this mix, the orchids will surely die.

I couldn't grow orchids without sphagnum Moss! In the winter, I can soak a pot and it's drier than popcorn the next day.

Why has my orchid not growing any spikes?

Will there still be a setback if you go from 100% spag to a mixture of bark and moss?

I have used sphagnum moss for years with ferns and my Orchids. My Orchids dry out too quickly without it.

You should change your channel name to "Professor Orchid" or "Orchid Professor". Well done informative videos. Great job.

I am a beginner. I have had my first orchid for 2 months. I’ve lost some blooms and after looking at your videos, I repotted. It was packed so tightly with moss the roots were dying. I cleaned the moss out of the roots, and repotted with moss on the bottom and “orchid mix” to fill. I also poked some more holes in the pot as it only had one drainage hole in the bottom. I hope it works out 🤞

I have bugs in my orchid what can I use to eradicate it

I love how orchid roots look dead until you water them- I've had my grandma (who never grows orchids and sadly does not like them and sees them as high maintenance) freak when she saw a photo of my orchid roots- grey..thin..and she thought I had killed them Lol. I took a pic after watering to show her thick green happy roots- she was shocked to say the least

Ah yes. Stagnum moss. The foe of my orchids- they hate it SO MUCH. It killed my first ever orchid. Now I will forever use fir bark. It's great stuff. I also wanted to use LECA but it's too expensive for me Lol

Thanks so much for another great informative video. I have never owned an orchid until the spring. Bought 3 miniature orchids this spring from my local big box store. Watching you I now know they are hybrid phalanopsis. Of course they were in bloom. I ordered potting needs from Repotme and repotted them. They bloomed beautifully, then lost blooms and began to grow new leaves 😃. Doing well! But my concern has been watering as I live in northern Michigan! You don't get more extreme weather change than here. Hot and muggy summers then cold and real dry winters. So watching this video I think I will be changing from a rinse through water in the summer when it's real humid and moist to a water leaving some in the bottom of the container in the cold dry winters. Again thank you for the great information. Sharon from Michigan.

Holy moly that’s probably the most gorgeous Phal Schilleriana I’ve ever seen!! Do you know what variety this is? Absolutely stunning!

Plant Ventilation of Slotles Plastic pots. Simple a pair of Pliers to hold a hot nail heated over stove and make your ventilation. Dont make to much holes or too big holes or slots.

Yes!

I finally got an orchid to rebloom using spagnum moss and fish fertilizer

A recent week of heavy summer rain nearly killed (and is probably going to kill) my 2 phal keikis in 100% moss medium 😂 One has a single 1" root left while the other had no root at all and the bottom tip of the stem has black rot. I squeezed most water out of the moss after watering and loosened the moss (not that it wasn't loose in the first place) but It. Just. Never. Dry. Out. Should have added bark to the medium.

BTW after bumbling through growing orchid for 10yrs I could say that Spagmoss is THE SH*T. Long, fluffy, rarely has any leaves or twigs in the medium and I seldom have problem with rots and fungi when using this brand (maybe except in very bad weather). Unfortunately in where I live none of the shops bother selling this brand - they just sell cheapo dark brown moss scraps sealed in clear plastic bag and tell people to change medium every year.

Wow I use a moss that I thought was spaghnum moss but... Mine is green 😅 it works nonetheless... But now I wonder what moss I have

Thanks for video 🙏🥰

Excellent video, full of wonderful info. Thank you

Hi. What does it mean when my orchid is growing a flower spike while still in bloom. Cant find info about it. Thanks

In my environment, bark always makes the best medium. In the summer, a 💯 moss medium is fine, but in winter it gets cold and doesn't dry fast enough.

Hi Dani. I bought Nepenthes that I thought was stable but I discovered it wasn't so I cut the rotten stems and re planted the top cut. Can I use Spagnum moss alone? and what do I need to do or use for my nepenthes to have new roots? I hope you notice me. Thank you 😊

Hi Danny, I am in Canada, I watch your channel and I was able to save our orchids. Right now I am having flower spikes. Thanks to your channel. I put spagnum on top of the barks and its turning green, is this bad for the orchids? Please advise.

For me s. Moss was the savior. My Orchids tend to be dry, or dry out to fast, and after introducing s. Moss to it, they didnt even get shocked and all that extra moisture was welcomed. Now my orchids look very healthy, just waiting for some flower spikes after the whole moisturizing treatment :) and all the info about how to I got from here ❤️

What is wrong with my orchid? My orchid stem is a bright red color and it hasn’t been in direct sunlight?