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Post by droserahybridman on Mar 31, 2008 11:23:59 GMT 8
Hello all,
This is my first post here ;D
I have been having fruit fly infestations in the pots of my sundews, and have only had success avoiding them when I put an inch of gravel/sand on top of the dead sphagnum or peat moss mix. This is kind of time consuming and pricy, though.
I was wondering if anyone has had success with using a layer of living sphagnum moss at the surface. Does this keep fruit flies out of the pot? Please let me know the downs/ups of the live sphagnum method (besides the moss outgrowing the sundews).
Thanks for your help,
Aaron
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Post by kianliang87 on Mar 31, 2008 11:27:51 GMT 8
Yesterday i notice fruit fly in near my pots too. Luckily all my pots are covered up. What about water tray?
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Post by tarence on Mar 31, 2008 11:47:55 GMT 8
hi Aaron...welcome. perhaps you could fill in your location ? it`ll be easier to chat or advise as folks from Asia region would have diff climates from overseas & vice versa.
as for me, i don`t have fruit flies problems so far. what kinda of moss ( from where ? New zealand, chile, china ? ) are you using ? if it`s rotting, it might attract all sorts of unwated insects.
i have problems growing live spaghnum moss well......
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Post by droserahybridman on Mar 31, 2008 21:19:24 GMT 8
well, I live in Iowa (United States), but am growing my sundews indoors under grow lights. I am using horticulturist LFS and peat moss with a mix of perlite. it might be rotting...even though it's only a month old.
tarence, what are the problems with live sphagnum that you've described?
Thanks for your help
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Post by David on Apr 1, 2008 9:46:54 GMT 8
Hi droserahybridman, Since you've not included your location in your location field, I've placed it in for you.  Welcome to PetPitcher. |
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Post by droserahybridman on Apr 2, 2008 2:26:34 GMT 8
thanks
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Post by tarence on Apr 2, 2008 13:35:16 GMT 8
hey there droserahybridman...what may i call you for short plse ? *smile* my own difficulties growing sphagnum would be inadequate humidity levels, too high daytime temperatures, area either too bright or dark......i can`t seem to find a place in my garden which mimics the conditions of the wild. Btw, I`m planting my moss ON the cp medium itself...i`m not planting it on its own.....
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Post by droserahybridman on Apr 3, 2008 1:55:18 GMT 8
wow, it sounds like live sphag is a lot of fun to grow...
thanks for the info
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Post by marigoldsfail21 on Apr 3, 2008 7:41:52 GMT 8
Droserahybridman, are you sure you are having fruit fly infestations? I have not heard of fruit flies doing harm to plants, you should check to see if they are really fruit flies. It is likely that they could be nats, whose larvae are little clear worms that usually eat organic material in soil but can attack the roots of smaller plants, like sundews. Fruit flies normally have large heads and eyes, while nats look like black specks with legs and wings. You can get rid of them with an insecticide or maybe with flypaper.
Sphagnum moss is really fun to grow. I grow mine in clear glass bottles in a west window.
I fill the bottles with about half an inch of peat then lay the strands of sphagnum on top of that. I leave the cap of the bottles off and make sure the water level is even with the peat. As long as you have the right conditions, sphagnum will grow extremely fast.
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Welcome to PetPitcher. 