odd smell

[rcb]

ok, I've noticed this problem for about a month, but I've been too embarassed to ask if anyone has had something similar.

Some of you may remember I moved away from spag because I no longer had a local supply after I moved. Well, after this past summer, I realized that for some plants, nothing beats spag, so I broke down and ordered a good bit to be shipped to me. (Yes it killed me to pay the shipping, but I did it)

The spag I got, seems like it's good quality, the color is right, there are very very few stems, it's pretty long. It actually looks like a better quality than the stuff I used to get.

BUT, it's got a very nasty odor to it when it's wet. Even very fresh, like the first soak. The odor I'll describe as a distinctive human odor. And strong, like just walking past a plant you can smell it. And no, I don't have any bad smelling Bulbos in bloom right now. lol

So, is this uncommon, or is it common and for some reason the spag I got before was uncommon. Should I contact the supplier? Or is this nothing to worry about, and I'll just have to hold my nose when I go out to the plant area?

[-k-]

Hmmm... Can't say I have experienced this and I use a good amount of sphagnum for many of my orchids. Granted there is a an odor but it's more or less what I would consider a "earthy" odor, not pungent in a bad way or in a way where I walk past my plants and smell something funky! You may want to contact the supplier and inquire further about it, I will be curious to see what other members chime in on this one!

Edit: I failed to mention I use fresh sphagnum as well, simialr to that which you have described.

[psyc1210]

the crappy quality sphag I have, got it from lowe's, doesn't smell bad at all. I don't have any interested in getting better quality unless I invest in more Bulbos or Masdevallias.
I do have one mount that has a very small amount of sphag on it that when i water it, it smells like something died. It is one that I got very recently, and just stinks when it's wet!

[koshki]

Renee, I'm glad you asked this because I've been thinking about posting the very same question.

I'd have to describe the smell as "sharp"...almost like bleach. Does that seem like what you're experiencing?

I just repotted a masdie that had that smell recently, and in brand new sphag, I'm still getting a whiff. Now, that plant had a couple bad roots, which I removed.

I use AAA New Zealand sphag that I buy on line.

[rcb]

Thanks guys. No the smell is very definitely to be blunt human body odor. Like need deoderant right now!

I'd be out sraying febreeze all day long, if I didn't know for a fact febreeze can quickly kill orchids (Long story there)

K - The normal "earthy" smell of spag is very different than this. And this bad smell is from spag that I used to pot starting about a month ago. It still smells.

JoBeth, I've used the crappy spag from Lowes before too, it didn't smell bad either.

Katherine - this is the good stuff from New Zealand also - according to the supplier and what's written on the bag.

also, I've topped off a variety of different plants with it, and repotted a few as well. They all smell the same way, so I don't think it something specific to one plant, like unseen rot.

[Stitz]

Renee,
When my olfactory sense worked, I never noticed any foul odors from products ID'ed as NZ sphagnum.

Hope that this helps.

--Stitz--

[koshki]

We must be smelling different things. No BO detected on my plants.

Oh, and my husband says I have an abnormally sensitive sniffer, so I'm pretty sure I'm not missing something. In fact, I don't "miss" anything near him, unfortunately...

[katrina]

I also have an abnormally sensitive sniffer (especially for a smoker) and no nastiness here. I use LOTS of sphag and have never smelled anything other than, like K mentioned, sort an "earthy" kind of smell.

When the sphag grows algae, it'll develop a bit of what I call "green smell"...but again, nothing even remotely unpleasant. Definitely not BO. I'd contact the seller...maybe it's being treated it w/something (?).

[Phalcycle]

I have had this problem before, and I couldn't stand the smell of 'sweaty socks' as i like to call it, so i chucked the sphag.
I never really knew why it had that odor, but I just bought the dried one indted, because those dont have a smell

[orchids4me]

Hi Renee,
I recently bought a kilo bag of NZ AAA sphag. What I've used only has a slight earthy smell not bad at all. I'd contact the vendor you got it from and get a refund or exchange might just be a bad batch or got something in it in the processing stages or where it was stored. A BO smell is the wrong kind of earthy
Emmaye

[Brooke]

No I've never found any sphag with an unpleasant smell. In the beginning I used sphag from Lowes, my only local supplier I then tried the Chilean sphag and it was fine but eventually switched to the good stuff from NZ and no unpleasant smell from it.

I've used the good stuff from CalWest or Kelly's Korner and I only smell an earthy fragrance. Even on very old old sphag when I up pot plants that have been in it for multiple years. I line my net pots with sphag to hold the CHC mix in and grow many of these pots sitting in water! Still all I detect is an earthy smell.

I've read about old sphag turning sour but even with four years plus on some of my orchids, I've never smelled anything but earthy.

I think I would contact the vendor and see what they say.

Brooke

[rcb]

Thanks guys.

Jay - I'm glad to hear someone else has had this, I thought I was smelling things.

I'll contact the vendor and see what they say.

[hera]

Renee, I just found this post. I have had the same thing happen with sphag and it seems to be inconsistent. I bought the sphag from the same vendor and some of it smells and some dosen't. I wonder if there is particles from some other plant mixed in. I don't think they weed the sphag beds so some other plant material is infiltrated in with the good stuff. Maybe this is the cause of some smelling and some not. Just a thought.