Question
Hi Jeff and Jacob

 My outdoor bog is in its third year and it is really starting to take on that natural look. The sphagnum is forming nice hummocks and the plants are doing well.

Being an outdoor bog, it has picked up quite a variety of moss and I was wondering if you know of any mosses that might be harmful to my plants.

Also I have notice a dark green slime growing on the wetter places in the bog. i am assuming this is an algae which I have been scraping off with a plastic spoon. Is this algae harmful and is there an easier way to get rid of it other than scraping it away.

Thanks for all the help

Nicole  

Answer
Hi Nicole,

Seems like you got a case of slime mold.  Of course, it's not really mold, but a type of algae.  Besides scraping it off the soil, you can control it by spraying it with Consan 20 or any product with quantarary ammonium.  It does a really good job in keeping this sort of thing at bay.

As a word of warning, if you have any butteworts or sundews in your bog garden, you'll need to cover them before spraying.  The product works very similarly to bleach, so it will damage sensitive leaves.  Sarracenia and flytrap leaves are tough enough to withstand it, but butterworts and sundews develop chemical burns.  Cover your sensitive plants with plastic cups before spraying.

The algae itself isn't harmful to plants.  It's just unsightly.  Quantarary ammonium is what we use to control it.  As always, follow the directions on the bottle.  Your local hardware store will sell it.  You'll find it down the aisle from the flytraps.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin