Shoutout to the lady at the plant swap who saved my moss

I was at a community plant swap last month down at the local rec center and this older woman named Carol saw me holding a bag of sphagnum moss that was totally dried out and brown. She walked right over and said "honey, that moss is toast, you need to rehydrate it with distilled water or it'll never hold moisture in your jar." I had no idea, I just thought all moss was basically the same. She pulled out a little container from her tote bag and showed me her own moss that was bright green and fluffy. She told me she soaks hers overnight in a bowl of distilled water before adding it to any terrarium build. I tried her trick on my next jar and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else run into a random stranger at a swap who dropped some solid knowledge on you?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryanburns1mo ago

Did Carol mention anything about using tap water vs distilled long term? I've been using distilled for rehydrating my moss too but I wonder if switching to rainwater would be even better or if it introduces too many variables. The silica gel pack trade is smart though, I usually just toss mine out like an idiot. I'm curious how you even start that conversation at a swap, do you just walk up to people and ask if they want dry packets?

felix_coleman871mo ago

that moss is toast" - now I always bring silica gel packs to swaps to trade for plant cuttings.