Q/A #140 - "Sphagnum Moss" Not Sphagnum Moss

QUESTION:
Hello, I recently order 2 gallons of “live sphagnum moss” from a private seller in Washington state. The seller says the moss is native to the Pacific Northwest and he got it certified by a licensed botanist, but I’m heavily suspicious and question if it’s sphagnum moss at all. Can you verify if what I got is a species of sphagnum moss as the seller claimed?
(Submitted in July 2022.)

RESPONSE BY JEFF DALLAS:
That is definitely NOT sphagnum moss. It is some kind of forest moss that grows on the forest floor and on trees. Based on reports from other growers who have used forest moss, carnivorous plants fail to thrive when grown in it. So, use it at your own risk when it comes to carnivorous plants. Definitely contact the seller and inform him of his error.

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