Sphagnum Moss

• A sphagnum lined plant hanger.seasonal hanging basket image by Lise Powell from Fotolia.com
  
  Sphagnum moss is a live plant that grows at the top of a peat bog. Florists use this product for hanging basket lining, as an addition to potting mix, and for the propagation of seedlings. Specialized "barrel cells" allow dried sphagnum to hold up to 20 times its weight in water. Sphagnum added to growing mixes addd air spaces and allows for the penetration of seedling roots. Compaction of the growing media is avoided as sphagnum's porosity allows good oxygen penetration.
  
  

Canadian Sphagnum Moss

• Peat moss bales.basket with peat image by Han van Vonno from Fotolia.com
  
  Canadian sphagnum moss is also known as Canadian sphagnum peat moss. Peat moss is not alive and therefore does not contain nutrients of its own. This moss is harvested from the deeper section of bogs after the lighter, live sphagnum moss is removed. Canadian sphagnum peat moss absorbs the air and nutrients found in garden soil and water. These nutrients are held by the peat and released over the growing season as plants need them.
  
  

Product Appearance

• The sphagnum moss used by florists is either dried and molded into basket shapes or applied to the surface of potted plants to help them retain moisture longer. This moss has a fibrous look. Peat moss is more reminiscent of garden soil but is softer, lighter and more crumbly. Peat moss is sold in compressed bales, which expand to about twice their size when opened. Canadian sphagnum peat moss is a soil additive used by gardeners rather than by florists.
  
  

Medical Concerns

• As a live product, sphagnum moss has been known to cause cutaneous sporotrichosis, a fungal disease that presents as ulcerlike lesions on the skin of its handlers. Harvesters must wear protective gloves and long-sleeve shirts to avoid contact dermatitis from the plant. Canadian sphagnum peat moss is an inert product that does not transmit the disease.
  
  

Benefits

• Sphagnum moss and Canadian sphagnum peat moss each have benefits in their differing applications. As a live product, sphagnum moss is 100 percent organic and 100 percent natural. This product also has natural antibiotic activity and offers good resistance to decay. Canadian sphagnum peat moss holds nutrients in the soil so that less fertilizer is required to grow a healthy plant. This product is insect, weed and chemical free. Water savings are realized as less irrigation is needed.