Don’t worry about moss!

[Ali Baba]

There are a few posts about seed raising where people fret about moss. In my experience moss isn’t a problem as seedlings develop quite happily amidst the moss and it soon dries up when the plants leave a humid environment. Here is a seedling Parodia sanguiniflora, the seeds are minute and seedlings correspondingly tiny. Only one seed germinated in the pot and it spent 2 years in the propagator invisible below a carpet of moss.

[rodsmith]

This has been my experience too. I've never lost a seedling in a moss covered pot, and I've had a few over the years. Damping-off is the real killer of seedlings.

[el48tel]

Seen a few Zoom presentations, recently, of trips to the far flung locations on this planet, wherein the presenter commented upon seedlings growing quite well, in the wild, tucked comfortably in a pocket of mossy material, in the nook of a hillside. Then we have those who pontificate upon following exactly, the conditions in the wild to achieve successful seed raising, but sterilise the compost and such treatments. I think comment is superfluous.

[MatDz]

Seen a few Zoom presentations, recently, of trips to the far flung locations on this planet, wherein the presenter commented upon seedlings growing quite well, in the wild, tucked comfortably in a pocket of mossy material, in the nook of a hillside. Then we have those who pontificate upon following exactly, the conditions in the wild to achieve successful seed raising, but sterilise the compost and such treatments. I think comment is superfluous.

Wouldn't this be a very classic example of survivorship bias?

[el48tel]

Seen a few Zoom presentations, recently, of trips to the far flung locations on this planet, wherein the presenter commented upon seedlings growing quite well, in the wild, tucked comfortably in a pocket of mossy material, in the nook of a hillside. Then we have those who pontificate upon following exactly, the conditions in the wild to achieve successful seed raising, but sterilise the compost and such treatments. I think comment is superfluous.

Wouldn't this be a very classic example of survivorship bias?

Of the plants? Or the experts?

[MatDz]

Both really

But I had the plants/seeds in mind. Under consideration here are examples of the seeds that made it, how many of the seedlings did not make it in the same pockets of moss? And how the odds differ while exposed to other conditions?

Sowing seeds "in captivity" is all about maximising the "return of investment", I would feel pretty sad with a 1/1000 germination rate (which seems to be the case for my Crassulas and Tylecodons now...), which is probably quite okay in the wild.

Please remember I write all of this from a very amateur succulent connoisseur's and a tad more professional "statistician"'s point of few!

[el48tel]

Both really

But I had the plants/seeds in mind. Under consideration here are examples of the seeds that made it, how many of the seedlings did not make it in the same pockets of moss? And how the odds differ while exposed to other conditions?

Sowing seeds "in captivity" is all about maximising the "return of investment", I would feel pretty sad with a 1/1000 germination rate (which seems to be the case for my Crassulas and Tylecodons now...), which is probably quite okay in the wild.

Please remember I write all of this from a very amateur succulent connoisseur's and a tad more professional "statistician"'s point of few!

Absolutely.
And I would throw in an additional thought or two. Would the ones which failed in the moss environment, have changed the course of evolution, had they survived? By creating artificial environments, do we change the course of evolution?

[ralphrmartin]

Then we have those who pontificate upon following exactly, the conditions in the wild to achieve successful seed raising, but sterilise the compost and such treatments.

On the other hand, sphagnum moss has been used to make wound dressings...

[FredG]

By creating artificial environments, do we change the course of evolution?

Not just the artificial environment. The Human selection of plants we find more 'worthy' and not natural selection of the fittest alters the path plants would benefit by.

[MatDz]

Absolutely.
And I would throw in an additional thought or two. Would the ones which failed in the moss environment, have changed the course of evolution, had they survived? By creating artificial environments, do we change the course of evolution?

By creating artificial environments, do we change the course of evolution?

Not just the artificial environment. The Human selection of plants we find more 'worthy' and not natural selection of the fittest alters the path plants would benefit by.

But does the cultivation really impact the wildlife? It's hard to imagine the crested and variegated Echeverias from our gardens impacting biodiversity of Mexico.