I'm looking for a bulk source for long fibered sphagnum moss. The source that I purchased from last year does not have any in stock. I am not looking for the junk that the big box stores sell. I bought a bale of about 3 sq ft. (About 10 lbs) last year and am looking for the same this year. When I look online I can't get past the volume / weight issues. When it's volume the bale may or may not be compressed. When it's weight, how dry is the product? It's not easy to compare apples to apples. What product have you been happy with, how large of a bale was it, and where can I get it?

Bale.

You may try spanish moss. Its comes dry. Stays wet. And best thing is that it pulles water away from center where cuttings ar. I use it over and over. e.

Aaron,
  I'm assuming that you didn't buy it online last year...
I bought some 2 yrs ago from an online source (via amazon.com) that folks on this forum were giving a thumbs up to.  It was a highly compressed dried bale that was probably about 1 cubic foot...that purportedly expanded to over 6 cubic feet when rehydrated.  (I don't doubt this...though I only rehydrated mine in small batches, so I can't swear to it.)  It was very clean...not the pristine moss that you pay through the nose for, but not the junk that sell in the big box stores.

  Griffin Nursery supplies has a location outside Trenton that may not be too far for you.  You may already have dealt with them professionally.
Their online catalog is hard to deal with  -- descriptions and pricing are hard to come by, but there are at least two Sphag Moss products listed (one on this page and one on the "next" page.)
  http://www.griffins.com/hardgoods/product_line.asp?pl=SOILMD&p=1
Your best bet is to note the two product numbers and give them a call to inquire.  The "bale" is listed as Mosser Lee Long Fiber..which raises a huge red flag for me since that is the brand you'll often see in the big box stores.  But maybe they have another premium product that is clean.
Jim

...checked my Amazon purchase history.
The specific product link is no longer valid, and the seller doesn't have a similar product.
However, I found something that looks very similar.  (It even uses the same photo, and the product is packaged at exactly 1/2 the weight and size of what I bought in 2013.
http://www.amazon.com/14-Pack-Case-Fiber-Sphagnum/dp/B00AVDVNYS/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1423604594&sr=8-15&keywords=Long+Fiber+Sphagnum+Moss
Unfortunately, it is only offered by the 14 pack.  What I bought in 2013 looked to be twice the thickness of two of these blocks.
Jim

http://www.tropicalplantproducts.com/tpp/products/202-5-kilo-chilean-long-fibered-sphagnum-moss.aspx

For information, not an endorsement.

I was pretty unclear in my previous post.  The product I bought in 2013 was 1kg for $29 (including shipping).  That was a reasonable price vs. quantity vs. quality tradeoff for me at the time.  (I've only used 1/2 of what I bought in 2013.)  The link I provided in post #5 seems to be the same product...just packaged as 14 0.5kg blocks.
  It is a moot clarification, though --  the product James pointed out looks to be the same quality (or better) at a much better price for the quantity purchased.
Jim

Good luck

Hmm. When I think of bulk its 10 cubic yards. For smaller quantities you can get 3 cubic foot shrink-wrapped bales for $12 to $17. Both are available from Crop Production Services in your area.

I understand this is about buying a large quantity of moss, but what about big box stores moss is inferior? I have bought the sphagnum moss at HD and have been happy rooting in it for years. I am missing something?

Yes, Brianm, you are missing something.
Peat moss is the stuff used in the commercial soils.
Sphagnum moss is somewhat leafy with long fibers with many other uses including rooting of cuttings.

tHE 3 or 4 cu ft bags are peat moss and not Sphagum moss.

Ok let me clarify, I am using long strand sphagnum peat moss.Its from home depot.

Not trying to change your course of action..well actually maybe I am, but have you tried rooting in coco coir?

I have done an even split this year, every variety has been divided into 2 different bags. One with quality LFSM and one with coir. So far, things have been fairly even between the two groups. I'm not talking huge numbers of cuttings here, but the data is good none the less. 3 different varieties, 4 cuttings of each variety. The sphag have rooted 4 out of 6, with 4 in cups growing, one still taking it's time in the bag, and one which started to grow shoots and was callused, but no roots, and eventually failed; at least that is how it's looking, I'll let it hang in the cup for another couple weeks before I dump it. The coir are 6 for 6, all rooted and growing in cups.

I have another 4 cuttings I started about a month later(~2 wks ago), same scenario, I just cupped the first one from the coir bag yesterday. I also started 3 of a different variety last week, and I put all of those in coir. I have to say, I am..or was a LFSM guy, but coir is more available, I haven't had any mold with it, it is so simple to cup the cutting(meaning no issues with the root tangle or breakage what-so-ever), and I can add the coir I used for rooting to the cup mix or later down the road for the potting mix. Long fiber sphagnum, while it can be sterilized in the microwave or boiled and reused again, I just prefer not to, and since I don't add it to the potting mix it's usefulness is done there. I totally agree about using the quality moss though, my first choice is the Angel Moss from New Zealand, it's premium with no mold issues. I have heard the company that used to supply it is no more, and I have bought it whenever I come across it. Luckily, thanks to FMD posting about his luck with coir I decided to give it a test run and now I don't have to worry about hunting down Angel LFSM again.

I prep the coir the same way I prep the LFSM, put the dry product in a cup with some warm/hot water and let it set for 10-30 minutes and then strain it out with my hand and squeeze every drop of water I can out. Lay the cuttings on bed of coir and then cover with more coir.

Here is a little more detail on the two sphagnum moss products sold by Griffins Nursery that Jim (needaclone) mentioned in post #4.  Not a lot more info but does provide prices.  This was from the pdf of their catalog that I had previously downloaded.

 

Harvey, by "both" I did not mean "peat moss" and "Sphagnum Moss" are one and the same. I meant that here (and in NJ) you can buy each in the same price range from that supplier. Basically the product comes to Sungro for free from the Athabasca tar sands beds, and the majority of the cost is in the packaging and shipping. Whether or not it goes through the grinder is insignificant. Locally, both forms are used in the horticultural industry.

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Hmm. When I think of bulk its 10 cubic yards. For smaller quantities you can get 3 cubic foot shrink-wrapped bales for $12 to $17. Both are available from Crop Production Services in your area.

Are you thinking of peat moss or sphagnum moss?

Both.

Richard, that's not what they are asking for.

 

Hi
I think Aaron is talking about long fibered sphagnum moss grown in Chile and used frequently growing orchids.
The long fibered sphagnum moss from the North is different.
My friends made the mistake of trying to grow orchids in it and ended up throwing away a few hundred plants.
I ended up with many bales of the stuff which I used for my acid loving plants.
They went back to using the moss from Chile.
The cream of the crop is New Zealand long fibered sphagnum moss and for the best stuff I've seen it sold by the ounce. (You do not need that unless you are wrapping Japanese Samurai orchids for a show).
I have seen living sphagnum used to root really difficult plants at Wellswept Farm in NJ.

Sharon

Yes, it's clearly a different material.

That $80 bale is exactly what I'm looking for. With $28 S/H. Total $108.00. I may check out Griffin Supply. It's not too far from me. At least I can pick up a couple bales of Pro Mix HP for my pots. Worst case is I use the rest of what I have and root any leftovers in loose coir. I have a 2 cf bag and 2 bricks of it. Never used that before. Thanks everyone.

Sure thing. I've ordered from a few suppliers online and the best wholesale sphagnum moss supplier I've found thusfar has been Oregon Evergreen & Willamette Evergreen. Really succulent, green plants from Oregon, that perfectly keep the soil of home plants cool and moist.