by Chuck Nishihira
Some of the best and lowest growing carpets of bryophytes require a blend of bright lights, damp substrate, and high humidity. Â Many times the overall humidity in our terrariums are too high, resulting in the bryophytes willingness to leave the safety of the substrate and venture up into open spaces. Â The result isn’t always that attractive. Â In the first photo is the liverwort Riccardia just starting to establish itself on some damp sphagnum. Â The nice branching of this species and the lateral growth can be seen. Â This same culture was sealed up tightly. Â After a few months not only is the upward growth off the substrate evident but surprisingly the branching has also stopped. Â While some may find this attractive, I still prefer the tight and low spreading carpets that Riccardia is so good at creating.
