# Moss needs day/night cycles?



## Tran2la (Nov 6, 2009)

I had some Moss growing in my front yard and it was beautiful. A green carpet. So I took some samples and set up a container with limited vents, 100% humidity (water forms on the sides) and Sphagnum peat moss as the substrate. Cleaned off the moss and placed them on the moist substrate. 
For lighting I have a 6500K flourescent light. So far after a week I have alot of spores growing and it seems to be doing good but had a question.

Right now since I started I have the light on 24/7. Than i thought about day/night cycles. Does Moss need the Day/Night cycling to grow healthy or constant light is ok for long term. 
I want to make an enclosure with a small water feature and want this carpet of moss to grow on the ground.
I also wanted to know if the substrate is ideal for this Moss. Its pure Canadian Sphagnum peat moss. (picture of bag below.)

Heres what it looked like outside.









In my container to culture it.









I have two types. One with little flower looking things and regular.

Heres a closeup of the carpet type which i have alot of. Macro shots.









And the flower looking buds of the other type. Macro shot.









Heres the substrate I'm using. I read on the net that Moss enjoys a little acidity and thought this would be ideal.


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## Tran2la (Nov 6, 2009)

No one knows?


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

Sounds like it's up to you to find out! Set up a control so you can compare 12 vs 24 hours lighting, and post your results. Then we'll all know.

Otherwise (if it was me) while I waited out the bug-hatch quarantine and indoors growing test time, I'd be challenging the moss with the conditions it would meet when it finally got into my viv.


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## ktewell (Dec 17, 2009)

I'm curious as well. I plan on branching out from pdfs and getting some Theloderma in the summer, and I'll be letting moss go wild in the tank for a few months before I get them.

Let us know what you find out!


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## Tran2la (Nov 6, 2009)

Well there is no real way for me to test this other than have two separate samples and I really don't want to "test". I was hoping for some knowledge. As for the substrate, I found an entire book online here ( growing moss in terrariums - Terrariums Forum - GardenWeb ) and in Chapter 2 it explains some details on how to keep them. Quotes are taken from chapter 2.



> It is equally important to keep the conditions acid. Sphagna should be grown on peat. Normal soil, or anything containing lime, is fatal to them. The biggest practical problem is to ensure an acid or lime-free water supply. Hard tap water, being alkaline, will kill them, not immediately perhaps, but certainly within a few weeks.





> The essentials are so simple.... A bag of peat or acid fibre, a waterproof tray, and a supply of rainwater.



As for my little collected specimens...Growing nicely. I have alot of spores sprouting up on these long stems and they are green. I am using 6500K flourescents and for now stays on 24/7. Humidity is 100% and temps are around 70F and water forms on the walls of the container. I used bottled water to mist initially. Really green in color! I'm hoping for a nice spread.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

nice. I just use dried spagnum moss to grow other mosses on. It seems to work really well. I love wild mosses. Just make sure you sterilize them prior to use, you never know what comes in on it. Could be a chytrid vector into your vivs. Give your grown out stuff a good bleach solution soak for a few minutes, then sveral good rinses before you put it in.


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## Tran2la (Nov 6, 2009)

I did clean them real good before putting them in the container. The roots already are gripping the sphagnum peat moss substrate. Heres some pics of the growth of spores in just one week of constant lighting. 
Compare the growth with the first post photos. Also you can see the one plant growing. Notice how much bigger it is between the two pics.
One thing I'm proud of is that no mold has grown and there is almost no ventilation.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

With all those sporocarps youre sure to fill that tub soon if conditions remain optimal. Sweet


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