---
title: Red sphagnum in a terrarium | Glass Jar Garden
description: Red sphagnum (Sphagnum magellanicum): A peat moss that turns wine-red in bright light. Very acid. Needs light 8,000 to 50,000 lux, humidity 75 to 100 % RH,...
url: https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/sphagnum-magellanicum/
---

Moss

# Red sphagnum
Sphagnum magellanicum

Moderate · Fine in a closed jar

A peat moss that turns wine-red in bright light. Very acid.

## What the simulation uses

- Light: 8,000 to 50,000 lux (The brightness it grows well in.)

- Humidity: 75 to 100 % RH (Air moisture it is happy in; below the lower end it dries out.)

- Temperature: 8 to 30 °C (Comfortable range; outside it growth slows.)

- Dies at: below -20 or above 46 °C (Days beyond these temperatures kill it.)

- Soil pH: 3.5 to 4.5 pH (Soil acidity it prefers.)

- Grows up: 0.35 cm/month (How fast it gains height in good conditions.)

- Spreads: 0.13 cm/month (How fast its edge creeps outwards.)

- Thickens: 2.5 %/month (How fast its cover fills in on its own ground.)

- Copes with wet: excellent (How well it stands soggy soil; poor means rot comes quickly.)

- Copes with still air: good (Sealed jars have still air; poor means grey mould finds it.)

- Copes with shade: poor (How well it holds on in dim light.)

- Copes with drying: fair (How well it survives the jar drying out.)

- Water use: 0.035 ml/cm²/day (Water that evaporates off the cushion each day in room air.)

- Holds water: 0.25 ml/cm² (Water a cm² of moss soaks up and keeps.)

- Grows on: soil (Where it can take hold and spread. Moss that cannot grow on stone thins out there.)

## Care

- Day length: 10 to 14 h

- Substrate: Wet

## What kills it

- tap water minerals
- low light
- drying

## Description
In the wild it builds hummocks in bogs and needs plenty of light. Watch the colour in your jar, since a deep red means it is getting enough. Use mineral-free water, because tap water minerals harm it.

Also called Magellanic bogmoss, red bog moss, S. medium / S. divinum (recent splits).

Estimated, where sources were thin: photoperiod for red colouring; temp_c.

## Sources

- [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum_magellanicum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum_magellanicum)
- [nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1131/1/BRYOATT.pdf](https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1131/1/BRYOATT.pdf)
- [digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=bryo-ecol-subchapters](https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=bryo-ecol-subchapters)
- [digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=bryo-ecol-subchapters](https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=bryo-ecol-subchapters)

[Grow it in a jar](https://glassjar.garden/?guide=moss/sphagnum-magellanicum)

[Mood moss](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/dicranum-scoparium/) · [Rock cap moss (Hedwigia)](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/hedwigia-ciliata/) · [All moss](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/)