Herself's Houseplants

Sphagnum moss can be found in the plant section of most stores. If you paid more than $3 a bag you got snookered.

I use it for my orchids. Since I started planting my orchids in moss instead of bark I have not lost a single plant. They will need watering a lot less frequently and I don’t have the mildew problems that I sometimes had with bark.

I use this for my carnivorous plants as well. The bog plants love to grow in the sphagnum moss.

And most importantly I use it for rescue plants. When I have a plant in trouble I plant in in wet sphagnum moss and use a clear plastic bag to create a greenhouse over the plant. That along with a bit of fertilizer with rooting hormones will bring back just about any plant from death’s door.

Tillandsia recuvata grows wild in the US from Arizona to Florida. It can often be found on oak trees, especially live oaks. It is an epiphyte ( air plant ). Ball moss grows 2″-6″ long and produces flowers on 6″ spikes in the autumn. It is part of the Bromeliaceae family of plants.

It can grow in full sun but is happiest under a tree canopy so I’d put it in a low light window or several feet from a window.

It loves humidity, we have ours in the bathroom, kitchens also work well for tillandsia plants. It does not like breezes so don’t put it near a fan.

It is sensitive to lime, which might be why the ends of this one are brown. I’ll have to try it on some bottled water and let you know if that helps. You might want to just use bottled water on yours. Rain water is best if available.

Do not use copper based fungicides near ball moss, they will kill the plant.

Ball moss uses its roots only as an anchor to hold itself in place. All food and water are taken in through the leaves. Small purple flowers appear on long stems in the spring.

See also:
Air Plants, Tillandsia

More information:
Ball Moss
Floridata: Tillandsia recurvata