Quite often, sphagnum moss acts as a component of the composition of a soil mixture intended for indoor plants. And it is very rare to find an explanation for what purposes moss is used for and what kind of plant is it? In fact, sphagnum moss has amazing capabilities. Why is it so good, and what is it used for?
What is sphagnum moss?
A similar plant grows mostly on the northern side of the hemisphere. You can find him in the south, somewhere in the mountains, on the plains he is extremely rare. But they say that if you're lucky, you can see this moss on the plain. But still, in the north, this plant is more than anywhere else. Here it is mined industrially and used in construction (excellent thermal insulation). Moss is also used in perfumery and the medical field. Due to its light color, moss also has a second name - white moss.
What properties does sphagnum have?
Of all the other advantages, three main properties of moss can be distinguished, which are simply invaluable in floriculture. These are breathability, hygroscopicity and antibacterial and disinfectant properties.
The air permeability of the moss allows the soil mixture to remain moist and very light.
Ability to absorb moisture from the environment - here sphagnum is the undisputed leader. If we take one part of the total volume, then it will take into itself much more than twenty of them. Cotton does not have such abilities either. In this case, the humidification process is performed equally. Moisture is given to the soil mixture also measuredly and in portions. The soil, which contains moss, will always be moderately moist and waterlogging is excluded here.
Due to its antibacterial and disinfecting properties, sphagnum has found application in the field of medicine, so high are its qualities. The triterpene compounds and antibiotics found in moss, as well as other beneficial properties, keep the roots of indoor flowers in a healthy state, not allowing them to rot. And, in general, they protect flowers from all such troubles.
Where is sphagnum used?
Moss serves as an additional component in the composition of the earth, not only for plants with increased requirements for moisture, but for others as well. Moss added to the soil, even a small part of it, for plants such as begonia, Saintpaulia, dracaena, sansevieria, azalea, monstera, fat woman and many more, can help protect the grower from much of the hassle.
Even in the moss, the process of rooting cuttings goes well. For example, flower growers who are engaged in violets, only in sphagnum leaves are rooted.
Residents of the northern regions are much more fortunate in terms of the availability of sphagnum moss. They can even get it on their own in the swamps where moss grows (belemshannikh). Sphagnum is perfectly stored, you can grow and propagate it yourself. It is necessary to store the moss frozen, in the freezer of the refrigerator. After defrosting, it becomes alive again. Everyone else can only rely on online stores, where it is quite easy to find the necessary sphagnum moss on sale.
