I am lucky enough to live right next to a sphagnum bog. I just went out today and pulled a bag for my cuttings, as well as to hopefully culture so I never have to pull anymore from the bog again. The trick with that is you need distilled water to grow it, because sphagnum doesn't take to tap water very well. A very small amount, mind you. I didn't just go in and plunder a bin full or something. I don't see you really avoiding debris unless the sphagnum has been cultured, though. Most is from cordoned bog areas where they allow exploitation.

no kidding?   I'm on well water, could I grow some? 

Soni, here is the best SP I and many others on the forum have found and the best price.

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Fiber-Sphagnum-Moss-Gram/dp/B005HQZ2JQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1384807223&sr=1-3&keywords=long+fiber+sphagnum+moss

your well water would have to have less than 50 ppm TDS.  Not likely at all.

   How did I not see this on Amazon. ?  It looks real nice ans good price/   

 Thanks again. 

There's another thread that recommended the exact same Amazon source. There's a lot of information already posted here.

I've found its often easier to get to the F4F topic threads through google search than through forum search

Look for orchid supply places they have the high quality sphagnum

Here is a thread that I started in 2010 on the same stuff.
It's even cheaper now.  I highly recommend it.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/long-fiber-sphagnum-moss-6-cubic-feet-56-off-only-39-now-5606236

Super soft, very fluffy and no trash.

That's the post I was talking about!

Long time no hear Cathy!  Good to see you posting again!

What is the expansion rate of the moss at the top of the thread?
The weight is 1.1 lb. dry, what volume do you get after it is soaked and ready to use for rooting?

After thought>>>  Do you think the Chilean moss is bleached?  Its very clean, pale, beautiful stuff.

Greenfig, I can not tell you the expansion "rate" but you get a bunch of moss.

Mike,
How big is that bunch?
I was thinking to buy for orchids too an was trying to get a volume estimate. More than a 5 gal HD bucket?

Greenfig, much more

I bought the same stuff from HD and it worked fine, BUT, I dumped the whole bag out and took hedge shears and chomped it all up into a finer mix.  Still not as good as the expensive stuff, but for $2, it was worth the trouble.  Don't let it get too wet or you'll see mold.

Frank, are you saying you bought the same moss as from the website at Home Depot?

On the topic of sphagnum moss, here's my current setup for the cuttings I have. I have this in a sealed tote on top of my computer tower to soak up heat. Worried I may have added too much water, though. I also have a few containers I'm trying to get growth from, though I need to really come up with a better way to get some real production going.

Gotcha Frank

I bought some of the Chilean long fiber sphagnum moss last winter.
I purchased 1 kg (2.2 lbs).
It measured 4" x 11" x 11" -- which puts it just about 0.3 cubic feet.
It was very highly compressed...the bale was DENSE! The label says it decompresses to 6 cubic feet, or about a factor of about 18.  I didn't use it all at once, so it is hard for me to verify that number.
The moss was very clean (MUCH, MUCH cleaner than Mosser Lee) but it did have a very small amount of "clean debris" (e.g. grass blades, roots).  It did not seem as clean as the "New Zealand" fancy long fiber sphagnum moss, which was also much more expensive.
I used less than half the bag for most of the cuttings I did, and much of what I used last year is in good condition to be reused this year.
Also, the fibers were quite long, so eventually I started chopping it with scissors before use doing cuttings.

Jim

What is the benefit of using the long fiber moss vs the brown peat moss? I have been using the peat and found it works just fine. It is easier for me to control its moisture and I can use a bunch of fresh peat every time since it is dirt cheap. What are the cons?