I see a few people rooting their cuttings in spagnum moss. What's the difference between that and peat moss, and spagnum peat moss and which should I get for my cuttings? Also, where is the best place to order some from? Thanks ahead of time for any information.

ink they are one in the same but not 100% on that. i just get mine from walmart. but i have had just as good luck rooting in miracle grow potting mix, and plane compost from the bin. there are so many ways to root cuttings. baggie method dont work for me. but everyone i know swears by it. just have to find what works best for you.

Several on the forum have ordered this recently. I find it to be very good and hardly any trash.

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Fiber-Sphagnum-Moss-Quality/dp/B00423F8NA/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1354069016&sr=8-15&keywords=sphagnum+peat+moss

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Sphagnum-Moss-Clarification-6060675

http://www.repotme.com/orchid-care/Sphagnum-Moss.html

"It is important to clarify the difference between sphagnum moss and sphagnum peat moss, also called just 'peat moss'. Sphagnum peat moss is not the same thing as sphagnum moss. In a sphagnum bog the sphagnum moss is the living moss that floats on the top of the bog. Sphagnum peat moss is the dead moss that falls to the bottom of the bog. Upon harvesting, the top layer of live sphagnum moss is taken first and then the bottom layer of peat moss is harvested. Peat moss is then processed into a soil amendment that is also a media used with orchids but it is markedly different in appearance and texture. Most of the sphagnum moss and sphagnum peat moss we see here in nurseries and big box stores comes from Canada."

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help.

I said i wasnt 100%. you really do learn somthing everyday. ive onle heard of it called peat moss. didnt know there was a dif. but it makes sence. the dead moss would lose nitogen leaving manly carbon. the live moss shoul retain some of te nitrogen thus creating a dif product. do they compost it down?

Nature composts it down.  Most of it is sourced from swamps, which are kings of decomp and filtration.

At that link is long fiber sphagnum moss, which is very different than the ground peat moss you get at a garden center.  It's also very different than the Mosser Lee stuff you get under the same name.  ML long fiber moss is dead and crunchy.  The stuff at the link above and 'orchid moss' holds water like a sponge.  You have to squeeze it out to use it for figs.

1st pic is Peat moss soil I use with Vermiculite and Perlite.

2nd is New Zealand long Fiber Sphagnum Moss

Dave,
please pay attention that the sphagnum moss is just a rooting medium not a growing one. It has nothing to do with nitrogen, carbon etc. It provides humidity and air for the cutting which roots off stored nutrients in its wood. There are alternative media to the sphagnum moss like sand, shredded paper, mulch, small size pebbles etc. You plant the cuttings into real soil after just rooting them in the sphagnum moss.

Very good point and summary

Is the New Zealand long fiber Sp Moss the same one used for reptiles?  If so that is great!  I could get it at the local Petco or Petsmart.

It's outrageously expensive at the pet stores.  It's much cheaper at Lowe's if you want a small amount to start with.  It's called Orchid moss there.  In Oregon it was $7, here it's less.  My guess is that there's 3-4x as much in Lowe's package for the same or lower price.

BETTER-GRO Orchid Moss

Item #: 63195 |  Model #: 5045

$4.98

Last night I took a huge bunch, actually all that was left in the package of Mosser...  and soaked it wet!  then I pressed it into a colander, and got most of the moisture out.  Then, I put my Sham Wow out, covered it with a dish towel, and a paper towel, and rolled and squeezed and left all night.  This morning that moss is delightfully damp and fluffy!  I have cuttings in there for the ride, but letting it dry in the air for a day or two until it gets to the dampness I desire!

Suzi

Suzi,

    You are the first person in my acquaintance who owns a ShamWow! And the first person I have ever heard of who finds a use for it in her fig-growing efforts. Gotta get me one of those.

Dale, I love my Sham Wow!  Shhhhhhhhh!  It is very absorbent!  But, once it does it's job that moss is so fluffy and lovely!

Suzi